XN000022-1992-01-11 — Page 9

SATURDAY, JANUARY 11, 1992

DESPITE TWO FUTILE ATTEMPTS, THE OFFICERS DECIDED TO USE OXY-ACETYLENE CUTTERS TO CUT OPEN THE OUTER CASING OF THE PUMP ΤΟ PULL THE SHELL OUT. AS THERE WAS NO SUITABLE EQUIPMENT AVAILABLE,

THEY LEFT THE SCENE AND RETURNED THE NEXT DAY.

ALTHOUGH MR BRITTAIN AND HIS COLLEAGUE, ALASTAIR MURRAY, CARRIED OUT THE CUTTING GRADUALLY AND VERY CAREFULLY, THE HEAT BUILD-UP ON THE BOMB WAS SO SEVERE THAT THEY WERE AFRAID THAT IT MIGHT EXPLODE AT ANY TIME.

AFTER DELIBERATION, THEY DECIDED THAT THEY SHOULD RESORT TO USING EXPLOSIVES. "THIS WAS THE FIRST TIME THAT EXPLOSIVES WERE USED TO REMOVE A BOMB, MR BRITTAIN RECALLED,

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ANOTHER FORCE BOMB DISPOSAL OFFICER, ROBERT HOLLAND, ARRIVED WITH PLASTIC EXPLOSIVES, DETONATORS AND SAFETY FUSE.

HIGH ORDER CHARGE WAS

IN THE LIGHT OF A RISK THAT THERE WOULD BE A SYMPATHETIC DETONATION FROM THE SHELL WHEN THE RELEASE INITIATED, MARINE POLICE WERE CALLED TO EVACUATE SOME 50 CREWMEN ON BOARD THE DREDGER AND FORM A 200-METRE CORDON ON THE WATERS.

MR BRITTAIN FIRED THE SAFETY FUSE AND LEFT THE DREDGER. TEN MINUTES LATER, THE CHARGE DETONATED BUT THE SHELL DID NOT.

FUSE

AFTER ONE HOUR TO ALLOW ANY DELAY ELEMENT IN THE SHELL'S TO RUN DOWN, THE OFFICERS BOARDED THE DREDGER AND FOUND THAT THE SHELL HAD BEEN FREED AND BLOWN INTO THE BOTTOM OF THE PUMP.

"IT IS BELIEVED THAT THE BOMB WAS MADE IN 1919 AND USED DURING THE SECOND WORLD WAR, MR BRITTAIN ADDED.

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THE SHELL WAS HOISTED OUT OF THE PUMP AND LOADED ONTO A POLICE LAUNCH AT ABOUT MIDNIGHT, THE BOMB WAS FINALLY DISPOSED OF AT HIGH SEA ON NOVEMBER 29.

AT A RECENT CEREMONY, A SITE AGENT OF THE DREDGER, OWNED BY CHINA HARBOUR ENGINEERING COMPANY, PRESENTED A BANNER то THE EOD OFFICERS INVOLVED IN THIS OPERATION IN APPRECIATION OF THEIR STRENUOUS EFFORTS AND PROFESSIONAL ABILITY TO REMOVE THE BOMB.

MONG KOK ANTI-NARCOTICS VARIETY SHOW

A VARIETY SHOW TO SPREAD THE ANTI-NARCOTICS MESSAGE WILL BE HELD AT THE MACPHERSON PLAYGROUND IN MONG KOK TOMORROW (SUNDAY),

BEGINNING AT 7.45 PM.

THE SHOW IS ORGANISED BY THE MONG KOR DISTRICT FIGHT CRIME COMMITTEE (DFCC), JOINTLY MONG KOK DISTRICT OFFICE, THE POLICE AND THE ASIA TELEVISION LIMITED (ATV), WITH SPONSORSHIP FROM THE ACTION COMMITTEE AGAINST NARCOTICS.

/IT WILL