Bomb disposal expert reveals dramatic details of how huge WW2 bomb found in Thames was detonated

Chaos: Westminster Bridge was closed while the navy carried out a complex operation
Tom Powell14 February 2017

A Canadian bomb disposal expert has revealed the dramatic details of how a deadly World War Two device was detonated after being found in the Thames near the Houses of Parliament.

Huge swathes of central London were placed on lockdown after the lethal device was discovered near "critical infrastructure" on the Victoria Embankment in January.

Waterloo and Westminster bridges were both closed, while Westminster Underground station was shut and river traffic was halted as top Whitehall officials monitored the situation.

Now Lieutenant Mike St-Pierre, a Royal Canadian Navy (RCN) clearance diving officer who was on an exchange with British bomb disposal units, has shed light on the complex operation to save London from a potentially deadly explosion.

Discovery: the unexploded German SD 50kg bomb was dropped by an aircraft during the Blitz
Royal Navy

After receiving the call at the navy’s bomb disposal centre in Portsmouth, Lt St Pierre began coordinating the operation on the rapid journey to the capital alongside a police escort.

Cordons were immediately extended due to the size of the bomb, Met police boats were deployed to block river traffic and helicopters were sent to watch from above.

Once all was in place, Lt St Pierre headed down to the water to inspect the German bomb, thought to have been dropped by an aircraft during the Blitz.

“The munition was intact, but there was no way to remove the fuse due to its condition,” he said. “This changed the dynamic of the task, because without removing the fuse the bomb is inherently more prone to potential initiation.”

The bomb, although dropped by a German plane almost 80 years previously, was still a viable explosive device. The only option was to move it downstream, the Canadian revealed.

The navy team moved the bomb by hand, attached it to a buoyant bag and lowered it into the water before beginning to tow it out of central London at 1am.

However, their speed was limited to just four knots (about 4.6mph), with Lt St Pierre admitting “it was clear we were in for a long, cold night.”

The Met Police went ahead of the deadly convoy, blocking off river traffic as well as rail and Tube lines, while a helicopter hovered overhead.

Met Police called the Royal Navy to dispose of the bomb
Royal Navy

After a painstaking journey, the bomb eventually arrived at the planned detonation site near Tilbury at 5.45am. It was successfully detonated 20 minutes later – proving to be just as lethal as the day it was dropped.

“It was one of those jobs that totally reinforces and validates the training we undergo. All in all, the task couldn’t have gone any better,” said Lt St-Pierre.

When asked what the hardest part of the job was, he joked: “Have you ever had to receive a briefing from a guy with a really thick Cockney accent? Impossible. I needed an English translator.”

Large crowds of tourists and passers-by had gathered at the police tape when the bomb was first dredged up on the evening of January 19.

Michael Hutchinson was waiting at a packed Westminster tube station at about 6pm when he was suddenly told to leave the area.

The 26-year-old marketing executive told the Standard at the time: “I was on the platform and we were told to evacuate immediately.

“I was waiting for my train and it came through at the point the announcement was made. I could see the conductor getting a call telling him to keep moving.

“It is a bit shocking. When something like that happens is it a bit worrying.”

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