reply to post by ANNED
C&C Technologies Inc., and Applied Marine Technology Inc.
Copyright 2007, Offshore Technology Conference
In 2001, the Government published a report entitled 'Offshore Disposal of Chemical Agents and Weapons Conducted by the United States'; however,
bounding coordinates (i.e., longitude and latitude) were omitted from the final publication out of concern for public awareness and safety.
The Department of Defense (DoD) is conducting research to determine the exact dumping locations and the types of hazards that these abandoned
munitions may present. The DoD is releasing information on these locations on a need to know basis.
Historically, the standard practice had been to store and transport ordnance and fuzes separately. Ordnance, in particular, larger ordnance such as
bombs and munitions, generally did not contain fuzing systems and were disposed of at sea in bulk. Standard operating procedures for flight deck
operations required aircraft payloads to be fuzed prior to air operations. These procedures allowed aviation ordnance men to determine the time
setting and target specific fuzing configurations prior to fuzing the ordnance.
Other Sources of Disposed UXO Military munitions can also be found on the ocean floor for reasons other than the convenience of disposal. Emergency
disposal of ordnance and live-fire practice rounds by both ships and airplanes are two examples.
In the event of misfires, hung ordnance, or damaged ordnance, the standard procedure was to jettison the faulty items over the side of the ship
immediately. In the event of an in-flight emergency, aircraft carrying live ordnance practiced the same emergency action procedure of jettisoning of
ordnance payloads.
Seafaring vessels and aircraft have been conducting live-fire practice evolutions at sea since long before WWII. Conservatively, it is estimated that
five percent of the ordnance expended during those evolutions can be found on the ocean floor.
Accidental Detonation and Effect
Of primary concern during any evolution is safety. Evolutions involving operations on the sea floor where ordnance exists demands extra attention to
safety.
Inadvertently contacting a UXO in an unknown state could have catastrophic consequences to both humans and equipment. Accidental detonations can occur
with just a minor disturbance of the UXO. The condition of the ordnance, and whether it is fuzed or not, will be a significant determining factor in
how sensitive it is to outside influences.
Pressure, as a function of water depth, and size of charge are all factors that must be considered when determining the expected effect of detonation
to equipment and personnel.
Effect on Equipment/Infrastructure
The obvious destructive power of an explosion is seen on the news on a daily basis. An underwater detonation is no less destructive and can result in
severe damage to equipment, infrastructure and support craft and could possibly result in injury or death to personnel.
Of primary concern are the AUVs, ROVs, and the sub sea infrastructure itself. Water depth, explosive weight and the proximity of the equipment or
structure to the UXO; factor significantly in the damage caused by a detonation.
There are at least 5,400 tons of sulfur mustard in waters off the Atlantic coast and 9,100 tons off the Pacific coast.
[edit on 14-8-2010 by StealthyKat]
[edit on 14-8-2010 by StealthyKat]