BERLIN, Md. - A suspected military ordnance washed ashore at Assateague Island National Seashore on Wednesday afternoon.
Members of the Worcester County Fire Marshal’s Office, the Ocean City Fire Marshal’s Office Bomb Squad, and the United States Air Force 436th Civil Engineer Squadron - Emergency Ordnance Disposal team based out of Dover Air Force Base, responded to Assateague Island National Seashore shortly after 2 p.m. on Wednesday for the suspected ordnance.
Maryland State Park rangers reported the suspicious device, which triggered the response of the Fire Marshal’s Office and EOD teams to investigate. EOD technicians determined the ordnance, which had been in the ocean for an unknown amount of time needed to be rendered safe in place.
After clearing the beach of bystanders, the ordnance was rendered safe and the beach was reopened around 8 p.m.
Authorities noted that from 1944 to 1947, during World War II, the U.S. Navy and the U.S. Army Corps used the Maryland portion of Assateague Island as a bombing and strafing range. Air crews would from Chincoteague, Va., and Manteo, N.C., would fire practice rockets, bombs, and machine guns from the air at targets on the ground.
If a member of the public observes any suspicious devices washing up on local beaches immediately report it to the local authorities for further investigation.