Huge WWII parachute mine trawled up from the seabed

The huge WWII parachute mine became tangled up in the nets of a fishing trawler whilst off the Essex coast. A Royal Navy explosive ordnance disposal team arrived from Portsmouth to deal with the unexploded ordnance (UXO).

The weapon was towed out to sea where it was destroyed in a controlled explosion.

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What type of WWII sea mine was it?

The long cylindrical weapon looks more like a bomb than a WWII sea mine; a typically spherical design. The reason for this is in its method of delivery. The mine was actually designed to be dropped from an aircraft, rather than pushed off the back of a warship.

The weapon in question appears to have been an air-delivered LMB magnetic influence mine. It would have weighed approximately 2,116 lbs (960 kg),  1,554 lbs of which is high explosive charge; a huge warhead.

Mines such as this represent the largest German explosive hazard still encountered in Britain today.

Is the mine still dangerous?

German LMB mines used electric fuses, which required a battery. Consequently, they can no longer function as the battery would have died many years ago. As with all UXO however, the explosives can still be initiated by mechanical impact or fire.

Remember, if you ever find a suspicious looking object on a beach, do not touch it, just ring the Police or Coast Guard immediately.