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January 15, 2006

Weirdness in Huntington Harbor

Go take a quick look at this map. See the location of the red star, at the bottom edge of the Naval Weapons Station?

Well, it seems some explosives were found there by divers.

Divers worked Wednesday to remove blasting caps found in Huntington Harbour, and authorities were still trying to determine how the explosive devices got there in the first place.

The caps are "very unstable in salt water," Jim Amormino of the Orange County Sheriff's Department told reporters.

Further
Amormino said blasting caps, usually attached to a bigger explosive device, are used to cause explosions in mines and things like that. He called them concussion-type explosive devices, as opposed to the fragmentation type. [...]

The devices were in the water no more than one to three days, judging from a lack of corrosion, he said.

Authorities had asked nearby residents to refrain from using cell phones for fear that an electronic signal could trigger the detonators, but they were not considered dangerous enough to blow up yachts or homes.

Cell phones? These detonators can be set off by cell phones?? Hey, but nothing to see
A team of 15 law enforcement divers spent yesterday searching in 9 to 15 feet of murky water. The devices were believed to have been stolen and dumped. [...]

He [Amormino] ruled out terrorism.

Yep. That's the story and they're stickin' to it. Move along. Nothing to see.

BTW, am I the only one that remembers that after the first plane hit the Twin Towers that the Port Authority told people "Nothing to worry about, no need to evacuate, just go back to your offices"?

Posted by Darleen at January 15, 2006 10:00 AM

Comments

BTW, am I the only one that remembers that after the first plane hit the Twin Towers that the Port Authority told people "Nothing to worry about, no need to evacuate, just go back to your offices"?

Interesting--a couple of my former coworkers are alive today because they defied this order. As North Tower went down, people working in South Tower were told, "Don't panic, everything will be fine." Riiiiiight.

Basically they told security to screw themselves and got out of the building. Thank God!

Posted by: Marian at January 15, 2006 06:15 PM

I love the bit about "Not dangerous enough to blow up yachts or homes." Typical Orange County thinking: never mind the naval weapons station---PROTECT OUR PROPERTY VALUES! And those pricey boats we never bother to sail.

But, of course, I'm sure it cannot be terrorism, for the Orange County Sheriff's Office has assured us of this! It must just be an accident, ya know. . . somebody just dropped those explosives there in the water, and forget about them. Or maybe those wacky surfers from Huntington Beach were playing a little prank. . . yeah, that's it. . anyway, it's not really dangerous, because none of those expensive OC homes were threatened. Or the yachts.

Yeah. Right.

Yes, I remember the Port Authority telling people to go back to work on 9/11. Let's face it; if the terrorists hit again, the authorities might not be the ones we can count on to help us.

Posted by: TalkinKamel at January 16, 2006 04:44 AM

I wouldn't be so quick to link the cell phone warning to the stolen untraceable ones. The reason for the warning is because of the specific electomagnetic energy that is sent out by cell phones, which can sometimes trigger explosives. Anyone who has ever driven by a construction site where blasting is going can attest to seeing huge signs asking that cell phones not be used.

The untraceable ones mentioned in recent stories are more troubling for making untraceable communications, or possibly setting off explosives that are especially wired using cell phone activated triggers... not randomly accidently setting off blasting caps.

Posted by: Nick at January 16, 2006 02:18 PM