Divers from Southsea Sub-Aqua Club have found an unexploded Second World War bomb while diving a local wreck.
The wreck of the landing craft. All photos by Martin Davies
Measuring the bomb
The bomb, which is 4 feet long and 12 inches in diameter, is thought to be a German aerial bomb. The find has been reported to the Royal Navy bomb disposal team who are to carry out a survey of the site.
Members of the club found the bomb while surveying the wreck, believed to be a Landing Craft Tank (LCT) that sunk on 6 June 1944. The LCT had been carrying troops, tanks and armoured bulldozers to Normandy and was due to land at Juno beach.
The LCT was forced to turn back due to engine trouble, and capsized, spilling its cargo. It continued to float upside down before sinking, and now lies at 20m four miles south of Selsey Bill, West Sussex.
Southsea Sub-Aqua Club received a grant from BSAC's Jubilee Trust to survey the wreck and try to confirm its exact identity. Last year, they surveyed the site eight miles off shore in Bracklesham Bay, West Sussex, where bulldozers and tanks from the LCT lie on the sea bed.
Alison Mayor, the project leader, said: 'The discovery of the Second World War bomb was a real surprise - it was definitely not something we had expected to find. We have no idea whether it is dangerous and so we are consulting with the experts to see what they say.'
