A typical Sunday morning at a Malibu beach took an unexpected turn when a 1950s Super Bazooka washed ashore near the Ventura County Naval Base, prompting an on-site detonation.
Beachgoers at Mugu Beach were evacuated around 10:30 a.m. after this unexploded anti-tank bomb was discovered in the sand. California State Park Police then alerted the Ventura County Sheriff’s Office.
Detective Dan Tulloch from the Ventura County Sheriff’s Office Bomb Squad explained that “a piece of military-style weaponry—almost resembling a missile—washed up on the beach, not an unusual occurrence given its proximity to a naval base.”
He shared that the device was quickly identified as a super bazooka, originally designed after World War II and utilized during the Korean War.
Upon confirming it was a military weapon, the U.S. Navy took charge. Bomb technicians from Naval Base Ventura County assessed the situation and deemed it too risky to transport, opting instead to detonate it where it was found.
“They examined the super bazooka and concluded that it might still contain explosives, so they decided to blow it up right there on the beach,” Tulloch remarked.
Engineers prepared the site, creating holes in the sand and setting up equipment while coordinating with local authorities to secure the area. The Pacific Coast Highway was briefly closed due to the explosion.
The aftermath of the detonation
“We filled in the holes and called it a day,” Tulloch recounted. The blast completely destroyed the device. A video shared by the Ventura County Sheriff’s Bomb Squad captured the loud explosion, quickly followed by a plume of smoke.
“It just collapsed into nothing. It completely evaporated,” he added. “There was nothing left; it was entirely reduced to dust.”
The beach remained closed for approximately three hours, although the road was only shut down for about five minutes during the explosion.
Such occurrences aren’t rare along that coast, according to Tulloch. “In the last three years, we’ve experienced around 10 similar cases—like clockwork at the same beach. So it’s happening quite frequently.”
He also noted that parts of the beach used to be military property, utilized for training exercises. “They would target practice there. Decades later, it became a public beach, and, honestly, I had no idea what was still buried beneath the sand,” he remarked.
Despite the absence of a timer or self-destruct mechanism, the super bazooka still posed a serious threat if disturbed.
“Moving it could make it sensitive,” Tulloch cautioned. “Just touching or shifting it could trigger an explosion. If you come across something like that, please keep your distance and call 911,” he urged.
