Over the past decades there has been a rise in interest regarding the safety of the seabed of the North Sea. This is most evident in the rise of possible sources of renewable energy, for example, in the form of offshore wind farms.
The risk of encountering UXO/UXB offshore is considerable. It is estimated that there are thousands of UXO/UXB still lying on the seabed of the North Sea, a legacy of WWII bombing missions and aerial raids. Commissioned by Rijkswaterstaat (Dutch Ministry of Infrastructure and Water Management), Bombs Away conducted a pilot study to better prepare for the risk of encountering UXB on the seabed of the North Sea in future projects.
The UXO that has already been found on the seabed is registered by BENCO (Operation Beneficial Cooperation). Findings include items such as torpedoes, artillery shells, sea mines and, in half of the cases, aerial bombs, due to either an aerial raid or a jettison.
Jettisons were emergency bombs released mid-air by the British RAF (Bomber Command and Coastal Command), the German Luftwaffe and American USAAF during WWII. This could have been due to an emergency situation, in order to reduce weight on an aircraft, a failed mission to reduce the risk of the bombs exploding while landing, weather conditions, technical problems, diversionary tactics or navigation problems. These bombs were released, when possible, over the North Sea.
After conducting a pilot study on a selection of mission reports available from the 8th Air Force of the USAAF in order to see what information was written down by flight crews, Bombs Away has continued with establishing a database recording known cases of jettisons and crashes. Archival pieces from NARA II, College Park, Maryland, USA, are digitized and analysed by historians for any information that can lead to the location of a possible jettison or crash (some aircraft crashed with their bombs on board). This information, in the form of coordinates is then process by a team of GIS specialists and plotted on a map. Lines are drawn in for known flight routes and, together with the information gathered, a “heat map” of the location of known UXB from jettisons is created.
With so many possible UXO/UXB lying on the seabed of the North Sea, it is imperative their possible location is known before work commences. Being aware of where UXO/UXB can be found reduces the risk to both personnel active on site and marine wildlife in the area. When it comes to your next offshore project, make sure to check the risk of UXO/UXB in the project area.
Inquiries into risk analysis of UXO/UXB offshore or on land, please see our contactpage.