Discovery of 1,000 lb Bomb at Stanley Airport

Penguin News, October 2003

The discovery of a 1,000 pound bomb at Stanley Airport tested teamwork of professionals from both the Falklands civilian and military communities.

On Thursday, October 16 at 11.15am, the Explosive Ordinance Disposal Unit (EOD) received a report of a suspicious metal object (possibly a bomb) situated 50 metres east of the FIGAS Workshop at Stanley Airport. The item had been uncovered during excavations close to the Government Air Service (FIGAS) complex by Iain Berntsen working for Ian Stewart Construction.

QMSI Mines, WO2 'Tay' Taylor with Sapper Jon Rouse based in Stanley, were deployed to carry out a reconnaissance of the item and immediately confirmed that an 1,000 lb bomb had been uncovered, believed to have been dropped by a Harrier aircraft during the 1982 Falklands War.

The Harrier aircraft is able to carry up to four 1,000 lb bombs suspended using a double lug suspension. The RAF EOD subsequently confirmed the bomb found at the airport had a double lug confirmation thus indicating a Harrier had dropped it. A Vulcan Bomber carries up to twenty-one bombs but uses a single lug suspension indicating this bomb was not dropped by a Vulcan.

The Royal Falkland Islands Police were informed and a 1,500 metre cordon was put in place closing off the whole peninsula from Boxer Bridge and Megabid. A complete evacuation of the area was then carried out.

Officer Commanding of the Joint Services EOD (JSEOD), Flt. Ltd. Nick Lynskey, and WO2 Taylor were conducting 'casualty extraction from a minefield' training on the morning of the incident along with Bomb Disposal Officers from the Royal Engineers (RE) and the Royal Air Force (RAF). WO2 Taylor said, "This proved to be quite useful as this enabled a bi-service RAF and RE team to be immediately established to deal with the incident. A bi-service team offered greater experience and effectiveness for the task."

Once the security of the area was under control, Sergeant Dan Flood and Sergeant Ian Reeve set out to identify the fuse type of the bomb. WO2 Taylor said, "The bomb was found to have a single fuse located in its base. The fuse was identified as a 951 Mk 2 fuse that is designed to function on impact. The condition of the fuse was considered dangerous and unstable. This together with the position of the bomb, sat in an upright position, precluded the remote removal of the fuse from the bomb."

An alternative procedure was discussed to make the bomb safe and a 'Double Baldrick' attack was deemed the safest alternative. WO2 Taylor explained, "A Baldrick attack allows a metal slug, in this case two, to be fired into the bomb through its casing that causes a lower velocity explosion to take place and splits open the casing to expose the high explosive filling of up to 350 kg."

While there was every confidence that this technique would work, WO2 Taylor said, ".… there is always a slight chance that the bomb may explode, therefore a worst case scenario assessment was carried out in order to minimise possible damage to the airport complex. Preventative work was carried out within the airport complex, "…. to prevent any collateral damage in the event of a large explosion taking place. Ian Stewart and Iain Bertnsen of Ian Stewart Construction put a protective mount of earth in place. Using plant machinery on site the two brave volunteers placed over 400 tonnes of earth between the bomb and the FIGAS buildings in order to minimise fragmentation or blast damage to the infrastructure." An eight foot trench was dug between the buildings and the protective mound in order to, "… protect the foundations of the FIGAS buildings from distortion or shockwave damage."

Fire Chief Gardner Fiddes and the Stanley fire crew carried out protective measures to the complex, opening all windows and making sure curtains and blinds were closed. However, WO2 Taylor said that as nightfall approached, "…. the decision was made to continue further protective works the next morning."

All hazardous materials were removed on Friday morning and the fuel feed to the heater system isolated. Windows were taped to prevent flying glass, and Stanley Services Limited helped to decant 5,000 litres of fuel from a tank just 100 metres from the bomb. All aircraft were moved some 1,200 metres west to the end of the 'lazy' runway and the electricity supply to the buildings was turned off.

WO2 Taylor said, "After all protective measures were carried out, even to the point of checking the horses down by the Lady Elizabeth, Flt. Ltd. Lynskey confirmed that authority was granted to conduct further EOD action with the use of a 'Double Badrick' Low Order Technique. Having prepared charges, JSEOD personnel withdrew to a firing point approximately 1,000 metres to the east of the bombsite and initiated the charges at 12.30pm."

Sergeant Dan Flood approached the bomb at 12.40pm and declared that the Low Order Technique was successful. WO2 Taylor said, "The bomb casing had aplit wide-open exposing large pieces of RDX explosive fill and leaving the 951 Mk 21 fuse and pocket in an isolated position with easy access. The fuse and pockets were destroyed on site using a small amount of explosives. Large pieces of explosive fill remained, and were placed in sandbags and secured away from site for disposal on the next demolition range day. The bomb carcass was recovered from the site to the JSEOD compound."

No damage was caused to the complex. WO2 Taylor said, "The incident was a great success with the whole community being both patient and supportive. The police and fire emergency services worked extremely hard along with the FIGAS staff and Stanley Services. Everyone helped EOD wherever possible in order to make the community safe as quickly as possible. In particular, Ian Stewart and Iain Bertnsen are thanked for their hard work with the enormous protective mounds and trenches put in place close to the bomb."

He praised the work of the JSEOD team as a whole and made particular mention of the two Bomb Disposal Officers - Sergeant Dan Flood and Sergeant Ian Reeve - and the Officer Commanding EOD for control of the incident. He said, "EOD dealt with the situation in the most professional manner that resulted in the bomb being made safe with no injury to personnel or collateral damage to the Airport Complex."

First published in the Penguin News on 24 October 2003 and reproduced with the kind permission of the Editor.

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