Photo: Hawaiʻi State Department of Land and Natural Resources
Wreckage from the military use of Hawaiian land continues to surface. The Honolulu Star Advertiser reported“Bomblike device recovered off Big Isle” (June 15, 2013):
Army ordnance disposal experts removed a bomblike object Friday night that prompted the closure of part of Hapuna Beach State Park in West Hawaii.
A diver found the object in waters offshore from the park Friday morning and took it to the park concession area, the state Department of Land and Natural Resources said. It was long and cylindrical and had a tail assembly with about 12 fins. It appeared old and was encrusted with corrosion or marine growths.
The Hawaii County Fire and Police departments were notified, and DLNR Division of Conservation and Resources Enforcement officials contacted an Army unexploded ordnance unit at Schofield Barracks.
The article didn’t say if the munition was live. Many unexploded munitions have been found in Hapuna Beach in the so-called “Gold Coast” of Kona. It was formerly used as a training area for the U.S. military, one of hundreds of sites throughout the Hawaiian islands.