A 1,000-pound World War II-era bomb was discovered Tuesday at a local Florida airport, authorities said, prompting an evacuation until authorities determined the weapon was inert.
Hernando County Sheriff Al Nienhaus said construction crews were working on the proposed Wilton Simpson Technical College campus on the northeast corner of Brooksville-Tampa Bay Regional Airport when they discovered a “very old” Mark 65 bomb. I found what appeared to be a bomb.
In a video message posted to Facebook, Nienhaus said the bomb was “so rusted and decayed” that there was no way to immediately determine whether it was live or inert.
The discovery of possible explosives prompted an evacuation of approximately 800 meters in all directions and the road was temporarily closed.
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The military weapon, believed to be a World War II-era Mark 65 bomb, was found to be inert. (Hernando County Sheriff’s Office)
The Citrus County Bomb Squad responded to the scene and determined the ordnance was inactive, the sheriff’s office said. A team from MacDill Air Force Base in Tampa was sent to defuse the inert bomb.
The Citrus County Sheriff’s Office bomb team was called to the scene. (Hernando County Sheriff’s Office)
The Mark 65 is a general-purpose bomb that dates back to World War II and was used by the military to blow up fortified targets such as dams and concrete and steel railroad bridges, according to the National Air Force Museum.
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“The bomb itself was an unguided gravity bomb,” said Dr. Angie Zambeck, associate professor of history at UNC Wilmington. FOX13 Tampa. “It was essentially just TNT in a metal case.”
A team from MacDill Air Force Base in Tampa was sent to dispose of the bomb after the bomb squad determined the military-grade weapon was inert. (Hernando County Sheriff’s Office)
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The airport where the 1,000-pound bomb was unearthed is the site of Brooksville Army Airfield, where World War II bombers trained, the agency reported.
