Last weekend, Andreas Brandvoll and two others from the voluntary organization Plastpiratene dived for rubbish at Oscarsborg outside Drøbak.
The area outside the fortress island is not different elsewhere along the Norwegian coast. Large tires, bottles and metal are not uncommon finds.
– “CHEESE” AND WINE: The piece that Plastpiratene had found could at first glance look like a large cheese. Photo: Andreas Brandvoll
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But this weekend they came across something unusual.
– First we found a full bottle of wine. Then we were happy, because it is always fun to find. Then we found a “piece of cheese”, says Brandvoll.
The yellow bit did not initially attract attention among the divers. They put the catch on a metal box and took a picture of the wine and the cheese-like object, before continuing to clear rubbish.
The case was first mentioned by Røyken and Hurum Avis.
Started smoking
After a short time, gray smoke began to seep up from the yellow bit. They put the piece on a rock in case it should start to burn, as they thought it could be white phosphorus.
– PLASTIC PIRATE: With support from the business community, Andreas Brandvoll and Plastpiratene clear the sea at 261 quay facilities in the Oslo Fjord. Photo: Tommy Storhaug / TV 2
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– Then it took a while before we saw that it fell off a little bit of the corner and that it was red inside. Then we saw that it was not phosphorus, since it is white, Brandvoll says.
Thus, they contacted the police and the Armed Forces to get advice on what to do. Shortly afterwards, the Armed Forces called back.
– Throw it in the water now, was the crystal clear message that Brandvoll received.
May be high explosives
It was war captain Wiggo Korsvik who gave the message. He is not entirely sure, but he thinks the object may be high explosives. The answer comes when the piece is to be analyzed shortly by divers from Haakonsvern.
– MAY BE TNT: War Captain Wiggo Korsvik says that the piece found at Oscarsborg may be TNT. Photo: Roy-Arne Salater / TV 2
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– Potentially it could be TNT. German cargo boxes that were inside sea mines often had such pieces stacked on top of each other. There could be several hundred kilos in such boxes, and each piece of one to two kilos was layered on top of each other, says Korsvik.
Last year, the Armed Forces’ Operational Headquarters received 479 inquiries from the police about explosives found in nature. So far this year, the number is 340.
Whether the object found at Oscarsborg dates from World War II or the post-war period is not clear. The bite does not necessarily pose a danger, according to Korsvik, but he says that it can be potentially dangerous. Since it had started to smoke off the piece, he instructed to throw it back quickly into the fjord.
– That it starts to smoke and self-ignite may indicate that there are traces of phosphorus in it, and then it is not easy to know what temperature it can reach. High explosives can detonate with full force if it reaches a temperature of about 170 degrees, says Korsvik.
Thought it was plastic
Brandvoll reacted quickly and was able to throw the yellow piece back into the fjord. He was naturally surprised when it turned out that what they had picked up were explosives.
– BACK IN THE SEA: When it turned out that the piece was a possible explosive, it was quickly thrown back into the sea. Photo: Tommy Storhaug / TV 2
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– At first I thought it was bakelite, ie old plastic, since it was so heavy, he says.
Coincidentally, the piece resembled a cheese and was set aside with the wine bottle. If not, the episode could have had a far worse outcome, according to Brandvoll.
– It was just coincidence, because usually I throw everything right in bags. So it was good I did not throw it in a bag and started driving home again.
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