Royal Navy due to detonate WWII bomb found near Falmouth Docks
A 250-pound American WWII bomb found near Falmouth Docks is due to be destroyed in a controlled explosion after hundreds of homes were evacuated and the device was towed out to sea.
The Full Story
A plain summary built from the channels that reported this story.
A 250-pound American bomb from the Second World War is due to be destroyed in a controlled explosion in Falmouth Bay after it forced a mass evacuation in Cornwall. Royal Navy bomb disposal experts plan to dive down to the device, attach a small charge and carry out a small controlled explosion.
The bomb was found by a diver last Monday in shallow water just off Falmouth Docks. It was later identified as a 250-pound, or just over 100-kilogram, American air-dropped device. More than 300 homes, reported as 336 properties, were evacuated, affecting more than 2,000 people. Police set up an exclusion zone of 755 metres around the device and went door to door to warn residents. The cordon also covered part of Falmouth Bay, disrupting shipping, while train services to Falmouth Docks Station were suspended. Pendennis Castle and Falmouth Maritime Museum were closed.
Residents described uncertainty as they left their homes. Some packed overnight bags and made plans to stay with friends. A local church outside the exclusion zone offered a safe space. The Royal Navy Explosive Ordnance Disposal team from Devonport was tasked with making the bomb safe. The plan was to remove it from near the shore, take it out to sea and dispose of it there.
By the evening, the device had been moved to deeper water outside the exclusion zone. A flotilla returned to Falmouth Harbour and the cordon was lifted at 4pm, allowing residents to return home. Emergency services thanked the community for its cooperation, saying it had allowed the bomb disposal team to remove the device swiftly.
The bomb was kept in Falmouth Bay since last Wednesday to allow its fuse to settle. The commanding officer of Bravo Squadron said the seabed site, 20 metres deep, was suitable for maximum safety, and that the type of fuse needed six days to settle. A small team of Royal Navy bomb disposal experts was due to revisit the device, attach a small charge and conduct a controlled explosion. The team said the historic ordnance was unusual because it was American, but described the work as day to day. Officials said there would not be much to see.
On screen
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Key Claims
Claims reported during this story's coverage, mapped by channel. Ordered by how many channels carried each claim.
| Claim | Channel 5 | BBC One | ITV |
|---|---|---|---|
| More than 300 homes in Cornwall were being evacuated after a suspected unexploded World War II device was found in Water near Falmouth, and police urged residents to leave. | |||
| The device was described as a 250-pound, just over 100-kilogram, American air-dropped bomb or missile. | · | ||
| A controlled explosion was due after the bomb was kept in Falmouth Bay since the previous Wednesday to let the fuse settle. | · | · | |
| A local MP said bomb disposal experts hoped to make the device safe that afternoon as the tide came in, with no official word from the Royal Navy or police, and that people should be able to return home after the working day. | · | · | |
| A Royal Navy team from Devonport was due to begin work to make the device safe by removing it from near the shore and taking it out to sea for disposal. | · | · | |
| Local train services were suspended. | · | · | |
| The bomb was moved to deeper water and the cordon was lifted at 4pm. | · | · |
Channel Perspectives
What each channel focused on, with key quotes.
A short lunchtime round-up item. It stuck to the basic evacuation alert and police cordon, with no detail on the device, no correspondent and no follow-up on disposal.
- “More than 300 homes are being evacuated in Cornwall after a suspected unexploded World War II device was located in Water near Falmouth Dogs.”
- “Police have put a cauldron in place and are urging all residents in the area to leave their homes.”
Detailed operational coverage from the scene, with a correspondent tracking the evacuation and later the disposal plans. It gave the clearest technical detail on the bomb's size, origin, exclusion zone and the Navy's controlled explosion plan.
- “More than 2,000 people have been evacuated from 300 homes in Falmouth following the discovery of an unexploded second World War bomb.”
- “It's a 250-pound American air-dropped bomb that was discovered in the shallow water just off Falmouth Docks.”
- “The commanding officer of Bravo Squadron says where it is out on the seabed was a suitable site 20 metres deep to ensure maximum safety, as the type of fuse the bomb has needed six days to settle.”
Rolling coverage with a reporter in Falmouth. It focused on the practical disruption and the human impact, including residents leaving, closed attractions and cancelled trains, then followed through to the removal operation and the lifting of the cordon.
- “Experts are due to begin work in the next half hour on removing an unexploded World War II bomb after it caused days of disruption in Cornwall.”
- “The plan, as we understand it, is for the bomb to be removed from this area close to shore, taken out to sea and to be disposed of there.”
- “At 4pm, after this flotilla had returned to Falmouth Harbour, leaving the bomb in deeper water, the cordon was lifted.”
Broadcast Timeline
News broadcasts tracked for this story, in time order.