Lobsterman reels in strange metallic catch, Maine police say. Then bomb squad responds

A lobsterman’s fishy haul prompted a police response in Maine.

While fishing about 20 miles off the coast on April 11, a lobsterman pulled a metallic object from the water, according to a Maine State Police news release.

It turned out to be a 5-foot-long military rocket, police said. The man ferried the weapon to shore and notified authorities.

A bomb squad was dispatched to examine the rocket.

The device was determined to be a MK29 Mod-0 weapon and X-rays were taken to determine whether it contained explosive material, police said.

Unable to confirm the absence of explosives, officials safely detonated the rocket with the assistance of a Naval explosive ordnance unit.

“Captain Cameron Pease, F/V Beverly E out of Cushing, had an unexpected surprise tangled up in his trawl’s rope yesterday,” a lobster boat deckhand wrote on Facebook.

Authorities “decided to err on the side of caution and to detonate it,” the individual wrote, adding, “It is unlikely that it would have been able to detonate on its own but you just never know.”

The ocean floor is littered with military machinery, including millions of tons of chemical munitions, at least 20,000 ships from World War II and potentially dozens of nuclear warheads.

This story was originally published April 14, 2023 at 12:27 PM with the headline "Lobsterman reels in strange metallic catch, Maine police say. Then bomb squad responds."