These Robots Are Recovering Dumped Explosives From the Baltic Sea

Tons upon tons of German munitions were hastily dumped at sea under orders from the Allied powers at the end of World War II , who sought to dispose of the Nazis ’ arsenal as quickly and cheaply as possible.

For decades , relatively little attention has been paid to the dumps, with many assuming the highly toxic chemicals would either remain trapped inside their slowly rusting shells or disperse quickly if released.

But recent research has shown that the environmental hazards are likely greater than previously stated.

A German government-backed project aims to use new technology to clear munitions from the sea.

Unexploded bombs are such a common hazard in Germany that the country maintains an entire full-time munitions-disposal service ready to disarm those that routinely turn up during construction projects.

The aim of the project is to create a system that can.

map the seafloor and then systematically salvage and dispose of the toxic shells.

Robotic crawlers equipped with cameras, powerful lights, sonar, and upgraded grabber systems might be used to pick up munitions more efficiently than the platform-based cranes used now.

With remote vehicles, dump sites could also be tackled from multiple sides at once.

Ordnance specialists could perhaps oversee most of the work remotely from offices in Hamburg , instead of spending days out at sea.