ADF and Royal Solomon Islands Police Force (RSIPF) explosive ordnance disposal (EOD) experts have discovered more than 11 tonnes of World War II-era munitions in Tuvalu’s northernmost atoll.
The munitions were spread across a 12km lagoon in Nanumea, home to about 500 people and the site of an airbase during World War II.
At the request of the Government of Tuvalu, Royal Australian Navy minehunter HMAS Diamantina and Pacific Support Vessel ADV Reliant, with embarked Australian Clearance Diving Team One and RSIPF EOD personnel, conducted a technical reconnaissance from July 2 to 9 as part of Operation Render Safe.
Tuvalu Prime Minister Feleti Penitala Teo said the ADF-led multinational operation was crucial in improving the safety of Tuvalu’s lagoons and communities.
“The war moved on, but it left behind reminders that still rest beneath our waters and within our lagoons,” Mr Teo said.
“They remain hidden beneath the waters that sustain our communities and pose a risk to our people, our marine environment and our future development.”
Executive Officer HMTSS Te Mataili III Sergeant Foma Kalala was born on Nanumea and returned to the atoll for Render Safe.
The Guardian-class patrol boat was deployed alongside Diamantina and Reliant.
Sergeant Kalala said there was little information about the extent of unexploded ordnance (UXO) within the lagoon, which had led to concern among the local population.
“I have let the people know that we didn’t come here to pick anything up; this part of the operation is just to discover UXO,” Sergeant Kalala said.
“The people don’t know how many bombs there are or where they are located. They don’t know whether they are close to land. They don’t know anything about them.”
‘The war moved on, but it left behind reminders that still rest beneath our waters and within our lagoons.’
RSIPF EOD experts assisted with community engagement and shoreline surveys.
Commander of the Australian Contingent Commander Nick Lee said the ADF has been working with Pacific partners under the operation for more than 20 years.
“Operation Render Safe is built on a simple premise: Pacific-led solutions to Pacific challenges,” Commander Lee said.
“Together, we identified significant quantities of explosive remnants of war, which will enable future planning to make the area safer for people and vessels operating in Tuvalu’s waters.”
Clearance divers swam more than 100km of seabed during 140 hours of diving.
Equipped with handheld sonar, the contingent identified a number of 100-pound bombs – the first munitions of this type discovered in the lagoon – in addition to almost 50 500-pound bombs and dozens of caches of .50-calibre small-arms ammunition at depths of up to 25 metres.
Clearance diver Leading Seaman Brad Fox said it could be difficult to identify the location of explosive remnants of war after more than 80 years.
“The 500-pound bombs looked like large cylinders,” Leading Seaman Fox said.
“Some of them had extensive marine growth on them, so we really needed to take our time to determine whether it was just a rock or actually a bomb.”
Divers spent up to 10 hours a day on the water surveying a significant portion of the lagoon.
Despite the challenges, Leading Seaman Fox said the team was eager to help.
“This is why I joined the military – to give back to communities like Nanumea,” he said.
As well as conducting activities in Tuvalu, the contingent visited Honiara, Solomon Islands and Port Vila, Vanuatu.
