During commercial operations such as fishing, clamming or dredging; nets; bottom tending gear; and dredges may catch or dredge up munitions from the ocean. These munitions should be considered a serious danger to a vessel and its crew.

Many vessel crews tell sea stories about catching suspicious items in their nets or dredging gear. The lucky crews live to spin their own tales, while others become the subject of tragic sea stories.

In July 1965, such a tragedy took place aboard the fishing vessel Snoopy. The FV Snoopy was trawling for scallops off the coast of North Carolina when it caught a large cylinder in its net. A witness said he could clearly see a long round object swaying in the net amidships over the deck. What happened next is unclear; but an explosion caused the loss of the FV Snoopy and eight members of her crew. What went wrong? Was it preventable? Could something have been done to save the crew? While all these questions were asked, no one but the FV Snoopy’s crew knows what actually happened that day. However, the tale of the FV Snoopy is meaningful if others learn from this tragedy.

Here are some tips on how to respond if you suspect you have encountered munitions at sea. Remember the 3Rs (Recognize, Retreat, Report).