24" to 30" Mystery sphere with access port(?) on the end.

[ticndig]

looks a lot like a WW-2 Anti tank mine , even has the lines on top.

[bologna321]

So we are at either poop or explosives inside.

[PetesPockets55]

Sorry for the delayed response but I've been overloaded with work. I just checked in quickly this morning and was going to add some replies but realized I didn't have time with 5 guys waiting for me with questions.

Thanks for all the links, interest and concern because I stopped once i realized it was some kind of sphere and not a pipe.
I'll try to add some more to individuals comments.

Um yea... that is a weird one... definitely leary of that.

Definitely leary, especially when I realized it was not pipe.

Looks dangerous to meAttachment 1910778
not an exact match but it looks a lot like the top of this WW2 Navy mine.

Some very close similarities. The circle was about 3" in diameter and the whole "sphere" looked like it might be 24" or so if I had continued.

Yeah, looks like a bomb. Be careful!

Thanks because that thought definitely went through my mind as well.

Could it be a cover to an underground tank - either for fuel or to make gas for farm use?

An underground fuel tank crossed my mind first but the 3" circle was at an odd angle. Not horizontal and not vertical which seemed to indicate the "sphere" wasn't orientated as intended. Also, fuel tanks don't have access ports on the end. Valves and such are usually on the top near the middle. And none that I've seen have those narrow lines emanating from and perforations.

Well I just got a like from Pete so he is still with us.

Whew.... sheesh man I think you should definitely STEP BACK on this one... call it in ASAP.

I wouldn't dig it any more until it has been cleared to do so by authorities.

Normally I wouldn't bother anyone with something until I knew for sure... but this IF it happens to be something bad could effect others as well.. so its IMO not an option.

Due diligence required IMO.

Thanks AARC because that's exactly what I did. First thing Monday morning I showed it to the job super because it's his project and his responsibility. I explained the Naval training history of the area since he was from the Naples area and wasn't familiar.

Today when I asked the super if he called anyone he said he was going to dig around it a little more to see if he could tell what it was!!!!! After closing my jaw with the palm of my hand I told him NOT to do any digging because I liked working with him and didn't want to have to get used to a new one. I told him I was trying to find the # for Patrick AF base ordnance removal team.

I called Patrick AFB and Eglin AFB trying to get in touch with someone I could send images to to see if it was dangerous. I thought Patrick AFB was going to have me speak to someone but they told me to call the local PD.

I passed all the info to the super and he said he knew people on the local PD and would call them to look at it. Hopefully I'll have an update tomorrow from him before it ends up in the news.

Besides... you don't want to screw your digging tools and detector up do you ? ? ?

:P

You got that right. I need them for finding more buried handguns.

It does look like a teller mine dosen't it !!

A little but I'm not sure how large the Teller is in diameter. Plus the grooves in the metal resemble the crimped end of a bratwurst or liverwurst.

? ? ? no response.

Bah.

Good luck then Pete.

Sorry for the delay but lots going on.
I'll add more info as it reaches me.

[PetesPockets55]

So we are at either poop or explosives inside.

Some poop in those honey tanks are explosive.

[PetesPockets55]

looks a lot like a WW-2 Anti tank mine , even has the lines on top.

It does have some strong similarities. I wonder what the diameter on them is?

The center of the circle on the one I found has what appears to be some kind of hex bolt with a partially corroded washer. Hope to know more tomorrow or Friday.

[AARC]

PETES ALIVE ! ! !

This calls for a toast... someone get some Rum quick.

[AARC]

Hmmm "petes alive"... is that like / similar to "pete's sake". :P

[PetesPockets55]

Hmmm "petes alive"... is that like / similar to "pete's sake". :P

LOL. Or... "For Pete's sake" stop digging already before you hit a detonator on the Q 36 Imodium Space Modulator
!!

[alan m]

I am following this discussion with great interest, and I pray that all involved remain safe.
I am also reminded of the scene in the “detectorist” where the club leader finds something big and while digging, he sets off a WW2 German incendiary bomb, he was OK and for those not familiar, the show was a comedy, however
DON’T BE THAT GUY. and please keep us posted.

[PetesPockets55]

I am following this discussion with great interest, and I pray that all involved remain safe.
I am also reminded of the scene in the “detectorist” where the club leader finds something big and while digging, he sets off a WW2 German incendiary bomb, he was OK and for those not familiar, the show was a comedy, however
DON’T BE THAT GUY. and please keep us posted.

Thanks Alan. Love that show and all it's dry British comedy. It dealt as much with life in general as it did detecting.

Hope to have some kind of info/answer today. The job site superintendent said someone from the local PD was coming to look at it and make a determination.

[Ol' Kentuck]

I was at a new permission (described in this link New Permission-Bizzarre American Arms type of Day) on Sunday at a newer development when I came across an area about 5' feet inside the privacy wall (about 20'-25' from a neighbors home outside the development) and littered with debris from a home demolition.

I got a nice signal (low to mid 80's if I remember correctly). The dirt was dense and packed which is more indicative of fill for a home slab, not loose beach side type sand like I expected. It took some time since it wasn't easy digging and I see what looks like an old plumbing clean out for large diameter cast iron pipe.
This is what I saw.
Attachment 1910517
And this is a real clean-out plug. (Almost all old ones are iron not brass like this image)
Attachment 1910524


I enlarged the hole just to confirm that it is indeed a plumbing pipe but instead of whatever the "plug" is attached to being cylindrical like a pipe it starts to curve back from the "plug" in all directions like a sphere. This is where I finally got cautious and more careful with my digging since this area of Florida has the WWII training facility in FT. Pierce about 8-10 miles away. (Navy Seal UDT Museum Link- https://www.navysealmuseum.org/about...dt-seal-museum )
Munitions and ordnance are still found every couple of years so it is best to be cautious.

More images to see if anyone can shed light on this being something dangerous or some benign garbage. Notice the grooved notches emanating from the "plug". They seem like they may be intentional and are not just a byproduct of the manufacturing process.
Attachment 1910519 Attachment 1910520 Attachment 1910521

Attachment 1910522 Attachment 1910523 Attachment 1910523

I stopped when the hole got about 18"-20" in diameter. But I would say the "sphere" is about 24" -30" across. I can't imagine an older propane tank having this access point.

Thanks for looking and any input on an ID.

Yikes, I sure hope it ain't something nefarious like a mine. That's worrisome indeed.

If it had a place for a spout somewhere I would guess an old vintage oil/gas can.

[PetesPockets55]

Yikes, I sure hope it ain't something nefarious like a mine. That's worrisome indeed.

If it had a place for a spout somewhere I would guess an old vintage oil/gas can.

Thanks for offering that up Ol'Kentuck. Some similarities but that oil can is smaller than the "something" I found. The circle in the center was about 3" in diameter and had a rusted bolt(?) and washer through the middle of it.

I checked on Friday but haven't heard anything new from the job site superintendent. I'm anxious to hear if the local PD is concerned.

[villival]

I can almost bet once your super reports to his superiors, the whole issue will "disappear" like a puff of smoke. Nobody wants their jobs and profits to go up in smoke over rumours of unexploded land mines on a new development gold mine.

Here in Tangipahoa Parish, there is a whole subdivision built on unexploded shells, etc, from the WWII training area at Zemurry Gardens, right down the road from me. No one "knew about it" until a land owner was digging in his yard, and the whole sordid secret came out. No one wants their visions of sugar plum profits from a new development dashed to pieces. I'll bet it's all smoothed over and forgotten in short order.

i hate to be so cynical, but that's the way it seems to work these days. I'm just being realistic.

A, ahem, "friend" found unexploded land mines while metal detecting her property, around the same area. These were smaller, but as she didn't want the government crawling all over her property, she counted herself lucky they were unexploded after she found them, and moved on.

[augoldminer]

one problem was after WW2 a lot of the left over navel mine casings were sold as scrap and reused as tanks or mooring buoys .
even some anti torpedo net buoys and navel mine casings became water tanks. propane tanks ect.

when i was in minepac one minesweep was sent to invesagate a reported WW2 navel mine found by a diver.
it was found to be one of these old caseing that some harbor department had reused as a mooring buoy and later rusted through and sank.
https://www.dreamstime.com/photos-im...aval-mine.html

Wooden Ships and Rusty Crusty Iron Men USS Enhance MSO 437

[PetesPockets55]

I can almost bet once your super reports to his superiors, the whole issue will "disappear" like a puff of smoke. Nobody wants their jobs and profits to go up in smoke over rumours of unexploded land mines on a new development gold mine.

Here in Tangipahoa Parish, there is a whole subdivision built on unexploded shells, etc, from the WWII training area at Zemurry Gardens, right down the road from me. No one "knew about it" until a land owner was digging in his yard, and the whole sordid secret came out. No one wants their visions of sugar plum profits from a new development dashed to pieces. I'll bet it's all smoothed over and forgotten in short order.

i hate to be so cynical, but that's the way it seems to work these days. I'm just being realistic.

A, ahem, "friend" found unexploded land mines while metal detecting her property, around the same area. These were smaller, but as she didn't want the government crawling all over her property, she counted herself lucky they were unexploded after she found them, and moved on.

Thanks Villival. Sounds like your Parish has the same type of issue we have around here. And you're right about them wanting to be discrete and not draw a lot of negative attention to their subdivision. That's why I was trying to contact someone to send images to before alerting anyone else. I didn't want to lose a nice permission.

I was talking to another superintendent at another project who said an anti-submarine torpedo (500lb?) dropped by planes was discovered on one of his jobs by a backhoe operator last year about 2-3 miles from this site. The operator was lucky he contacted the side of the device and not the business end. They said it would have created a hole about 100' across.It was about 60'-100' inland from the beach. The authorities moved it to the beach, towed it offshore, attached an explosive charge, sunk it, and then detonated it. In hindsight, that would have been a great beach to detect and see what treasures they may have unleashed from the depths.

one problem was after WW2 a lot of the left over navel mine casings were sold as scrap and reused as tanks or mooring buoys .
even some anti torpedo net buoys and navel mine casings became water tanks. propane tanks ect.

when i was in minepac one minesweep was sent to invesagate a reported WW2 navel mine found by a diver.
it was found to be one of these old caseing that some harbor department had reused as a mooring buoy and later rusted through and sank.
https://www.dreamstime.com/photos-im...aval-mine.html

Wooden Ships and Rusty Crusty Iron Men USS Enhance MSO 437

Thanks AUGoldminer. I never thought of the government selling off old mine casings as surplus but I can see it happening. That's an interesting link with some neat images of mines.

Thanks for your service working to remove old mines. I haven't heard of Minepac before. Is that an international organization?
PP55

EDIT: Just did an online search and it took a little tweaking of the search words to find info on Minepac.
Here's a link- https://www.globalsecurity.org/milit...minewarcom.htm

For those not wanting to visit the link, a quote from the site-
"The structure of the Navy's Mine Force has changed dramatically throughout history, in stride with the structure of the Navy in general. During World War II, the Navy's mine warfare assets were in the charge of Commander, Service Squadron FIVE in the Atlantic. Commander, Service Squadron SIX commanded assets in the Pacific Fleet early in the war, followed by the first true MCM type command, Minecraft, U.S. Pacific Fleet. In the postwar reorganization of the fleets, seven type commands were created, each responsible for the condition and readiness of different types of ships, including the Mine Force. In 1946, Mine Force, U.S. Atlantic Fleet (MINELANT) was created. The Pacific Fleet followed suit in 1947, establishing MINEPAC. "