- Through information provided by the Donosti Diving Center, the possible existence of a projectile that could be an aviation bomb from the Civil War was known
- It has been neutralized by explosion controlled by the Navy’s Explosives Deactivation Group, with the support of Civil Guard vessels
Last Tuesday, July 11, a diver belonging to the Donosti Diving Center informed the Maritime Service of the Civil Guard of the location of a possible submerged projectile in an area near the mouth of the Port of Passages (Gipuzkoa).
On the part of the Civil Guard, the Special Group of Underwater Activities (GEAS) was activated, who on the day after the notification in an immersion made in the location provided by the diver, confirmed that it was indeed a projectile, approximately 1.40 meters long by 1 meter of perimeter, covered with sediments and located at a depth of 23 meters, close to the lateral signage of access to the bocana of Passages.
After properly marking the area to warn other possible divers, the incident was reported to the Naval Maritime Action Operations and Surveillance Center (COVAM), based in Cartagena, deciding to displace the Explosives Deactivation Group (GEDE) of the Ferrol Diving Unit (UBUFER) of the Navy, for neutralization.
Once a device was established on the morning of Thursday, July 13 to ensure safety in the environment both for navigation and on land, in which boats from the Maritime Service and the GEAS of the Civil Guard participated, GEDE-Ferrol proceeded to neutralize the projectile “in situ”. To this end, they used a procedure called "counter-rolling" that generates a smaller impact on the marine ecosystem,
since a disruption of the internal material contained in the projectile occurs, and avoids explosions of greater entity.
On the ground to restrict the passage of people to the vicinity of the place of intervention in the mouth of the port, Civil Guard patrols have participated, with the collaboration of the Local Passage Police. The intervention ended with the collection and subsequent transfer of the remains.
Other projectiles have already been located at the site of the discovery. In April 2021 the GEAS of the Civil Guard found another possible Civil War aviation bomb while carrying out activities of surveillance and protection of the underwater heritage, being equally neutralized.
More recently, on June 21, some divers delivered to the Maritime Service of the Civil Guard of Guipuzcoa an anti-sonar firewoman found floating in the mouth of the Port of Passages, taking over the GEDEX of the Civil Guard, who verified that it was only the casing, lacking any system of initiation and explosive charge.
Although over time these devices may seem harmless, they could be active, so it is recommended that before a finding of this type, at no time be manipulated, proceeding to immediately notify the Civil Guard.
For more information you can contact the OPC of the Civil Guard in Guipúzcoa, at 943 27 66 11 or 629 628 865.