Status of Explosive D Recovered from Naval 6-inch Shells after being Buried for 93 Years
Abstract
Picatinny Arsenal, located in New Jersey, has had a long history of explosives - research, development, storage, and production. The U.S. Navy once had a large depot on what is now Navy Hill, the Lake Denmark Naval Ammunition Storage Depot. During a lightning storm in 1926, a large portion of the stored items burned and detonated, including unexpended munitions from World War I. The cleanup involved on-site burial, and many munitions were thrown and buried within the surrounding countryside. In a water line construction on Navy Hill in 2019, seven 6-in. U.S. Navy rounds (Explosive D fill with a base fuze) were found and destroyed by the Explosive Ordnance Disposal. One of these rounds mostly reacted but did not fully detonate in the disposal. This provided an opportunity to sample the material inside for the purpose of evaluating the aged condition of the explosives buried at Picatinny Arsenal.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- Feb 13, 2024
- Accession Number
- AD1221230
Entities
People
- Brian Disalle
- Brian Fuchs
- Gerald Jr Schreck
- Henry Grau
- Jeff Ranu
Organizations
- Picatinny Arsenal