Museum Rocket No Dud
Associated Press | January 24, 2008
CUMBERLAND, Md. - History could have come to life in very much the wrong way at a veterans' museum where a rocket on display for two years was discovered Wednesday to be live.

After Allegany County authorities were notified that the Mark 1 rocket on display in Cumberland might be live, the state fire marshal's office and the FBI confirmed it was. Bomb experts removed the ordnance and rendered it safe.

The 48-inch-by-2.75-inch rocket was similar to those used on helicopter gun ships during the Vietnam War, said Deputy State Fire Marshal Joseph Zurolo Jr. A local veteran donated it to the museum, which is in a chapter of the Vietnam Veterans of America, Zurolo said.

Authorities are investigating how the man came to possess the live ordnance.

Now he will have the FBI busting his chops as to why and how he got it bummer for him.

"Bomb experts removed the ordnance and rendered it safe."

This means it will be returned to the museum in a box of a million pieces
I hope he has a history of building models...

The FBI probably just wants to make sure there aren't anymore sitting live in museums.
I doubt they will file changes against the guy.

Shaun

/I have a bazooka training round in my closet. At least I hope it is a training round.
//Afraid to check

most of the (modern) training rounds are blue.... if that helps...............

Yes a training round but still a bunch of powder to get it out the gun.

Oddly, I have several WW2 shells in my basement as well, originally from my great uncle.
A mortar shell (apparently a flare from what I have been told) a 2pdr shell, both definitely rendered safe.
I also have two very large shells. Not sure what they are, but from what I can see, they may be 25pdr smoke shells. I sure hope they are rendered safe as well, but have no way to confirm. If I ask anyone, I'm afraid they would destroy them immediately in order to find out...

Jamie

Jamie -

I hope those rounds are indeed safe, but you are better off if they have to destroy them. The fillers in some of those old shells become more sensitive over time. The WW I rounds and the Japanese rounds from WW II are particularly notorious for this.

I once helped medevac a Marine who had been handling a "dud" 40mm grenade. He lost both arms and most of his head in the explosion.....and yes, eventually his life.

Is it worth the risk to have your loved ones killed by a "dud"? Please do not handle these rounds again by yourself. Although they have never blown before, the next handling may be the charm! (That was the case for that Marine I mentioned above.)

I would recommend that you contact your local police or fire department to see if there are any EOD resources available. If not, please contact your nearest armed forces facility and request assistance. EOD folks will be able to tell if the rounds have been rendered safe or not.

Best of luck with this.

Semper Fi,
Dave

Thanks for the warning, I'll do that.

Jamie

Well, did a lot of digging and found out what I have.
They are definitely inert (my uncle verified it himself at the time and was very thorough, I have been assured). They are 25pdr smoke shells, repainted in a made up scheme to prevent their confusion with a "live" round. Relieving to know...


Jamie

During the middle 70's my youmger brother bought a "rocket" at a yard sale for a $1.00. He brought it home and played with it until my dad got home. He took it to the police who told him it had been"safed". Dad called the local VFW and a man came over to look at it. He looked and told everyone to get out of the building. It was an air-to-ground rocket ftom the Korean war. The propellant charge had been removed but the warhead was fully functional. They rigged a scaffold out on Virtue flats and dopped it on a rock. They gave what was left of the tailfins back to my brother.