In a remarkable discovery at a regional airport in Florida, construction workers unearthed a 1,000-pound World War II-era bomb. This inert bomb was found during work on the future site of the Wilton Simpson Technical College Campus in Brooksville, located by the northeast corner of the Brooksville-Tampa Bay Regional Airport.
Hernando County Sheriff Al Nienhuis confirmed the find, which is situated approximately 50 miles north of Tampa.
The finding prompted immediate evacuations and road closures in the vicinity, as the bomb’s appearance — heavily rusted and decayed — made it initially impossible to determine whether it was live or inert.
The Hernando County Sheriff’s Office, in conjunction with the Citrus County bomb squad and a team from MacDill Air Force Base in Tampa, responded to the scene. After careful examination, it was determined that the ordnance was inert, allowing for the reopening of roads and the lifting of evacuation orders.
The bomb has been identified as a Mark 65, a type of general-purpose ordnance used by the military during World War II for attacking reinforced targets such as dams, concrete, or steel railroad bridges. The Mark 65 is described as an unguided gravity bomb, essentially consisting of TNT in a metal casing.
This discovery highlights the airport’s historical significance as the site of a former World War II military airfield, which was utilized for training pilots and ground crews on B-17 Flying Fortresses and B-24 Liberators during the war.
The incident serves as a poignant reminder of the enduring legacy of World War II, even in unexpected places like a modern airport preparing for future educational development. It underscores the importance of caution and preparedness when dealing with remnants from the past, as well as the ongoing relevance of historical events to contemporary society.