Crime & Safety

Korean War-Era Artillery Shell Found at Alameda Point

The "high explosive projectile" was removed by the Alameda County Sheriff's Office explosives squad.

It was an odd little "miscellaneous" report in the Alameda Police Department's log for Tuesday, Nov. 5: 

"Ferry Point, 13:37 [1:37 p.m.], REP found a high explosive projectile which was turned over to the Alameda County Sheriff's Office EOD."

As it turns out, the projectile — a large artillery shell which may or may not be live — had apparently been around for years inside the Alameda Naval Air Museum at Alameda Point, unnoticed or unidentified by those who worked or visited there.

On Tuesday, it caught the eye of the right person: a museum volunteer who is a retired U.S. Navy chief petty officer, a man who had worked in explosive ordnance disposal, or EOD.

The volunteer identified the item as a 40 mm projectile, Alameda Police Lt. Jill Ottaviano said Thursday.

That's a large shell, roughly a foot and a half long, she said.

The shell was collected by the sheriff's EOD unit and removed from Alameda.

The shell appears to be from the Korean War era, said Sgt. J.D. Nelson, the public information officer for the sheriff's office and also a member of the sheriff's Explosive Ordnance Disposal Squad.

Nelson said Thursday afternoon that the squad hasn't determined yet if the Alameda round is live.

The squad serves law enforcement agencies throughout Alameda County, responding to emergencies 24 hours a day, seven days a week. The unit's members are trained to identify, render safe, and dispose of improvised hazardous devices, explosive contraband, small arms ammunition, and expired law enforcement chemicals needing replacement, according to the EOD website.

According to military history websites, 40 mm shells were commonly used in anti-aircraft guns during the Korean War. During the Vietnam War they were also used against ground forces.

The volunteer-run Alameda Naval Air Museum, at 2151 Ferry Point Road, is located in the former Air Terminal Building #77, near the historic entrance to Naval Air Station Alameda. It mainly provides archival materials, photographs and stories of the war workers of World War II up to the eventual closing of the base in 1997.

The museum is open to the public Saturdays and Sundays from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Admission is $5 per person, free for those under age 12 and active military personnel in uniform or with ID. For more information, visit the museum website or call (510) 522-4262.

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