Navy detonates 'unidentified mine' found floating off Brownsville

BROWNSVILLE — The Navy has detonated the "unidentified mine" found drifting in the water Tuesday afternoon between Brownsville Marina and the west shore of Bainbridge Island.

After officials from the multiple responding agencies decided the mine was unsafe to tow to shore for further assessment, it was detonated somewhere in the waters near Keyport and the Agate Pass Bridge at 8:04 p.m. Tuesday, a Navy official said.

The object was round and heavily rusted, with rods protruding from its surface. According to a Navy news release, "the unidentified moored mine was found to have decades of marine growth."

The mine did not make a secondary explosion, which indicates it was likely inert.

The origins of the mine are unknown, and the Navy will continue to investigate the incident to determine where it came from, according to a press release.

Officials established a 1,500 yard stand-off safety zone in the center of Kitsap County waterways between Keyport, Bainbridge and Brownsville before the mine was detonated.

Although the detonation produced an audible explosion, Navy officials said it posed no danger to the public in the surrounding communities.

Coast Guard spokeswoman Ali Flockerzi said the unexploded ordnance was reported in the early afternoon and was located by a crew from the Department of Natural Resources.

At about 5 p.m., Navy divers secured a long line to the device and began towing it with a small boat. Kitsap County Sheriff's Office asked residents along the waterfront in the area to shelter in place and stay off the beaches as a precaution. Brownsville Marina was also evacuated.

Brownsville is located a few miles south of Naval Base Kitsap-Keyport's torpedo testing range.

Nearby residents watched the scene unfold Tuesday afternoon as news helicopters circled overhead.

"It looks just like a World War II mine," said Tom Parks, a retired Navy master chief who snapped pictures as the corroded object bobbed by his Brownsville home.

Check kitsapsun.com for updates.

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