Bomb Squad Disposes of Live Rocket on Display in Veterans' Museum

[Woodman in MO]

Yikes!!!!


It's No Dud: Bomb Squad Disposes of Live Rocket on Display in Veterans' Museum

Wednesday, January 23, 2008

AP

CUMBERLAND, Maryland —
History could have come to life in very much the wrong way at a veterans' museum where a rocket on display for two years was discovered to be live.

After Allegany County authorities were notified Wednesday that the Mark 1 rocket on display in Cumberland might be live, the state fire marshal's office and the FBI confirmed it was. Bomb experts removed the ordnance and rendered it safe.

The 48-inch-by-2.75-inch rocket was similar to those used on helicopter gun ships during the Vietnam War, said Deputy State Fire Marshal Joseph Zurolo Jr. A local veteran donated it to the museum, which is in a chapter of the Vietnam Veterans of America, Zurolo said.

Authorities are investigating how the man came to possess the live ordnance.

[rustypirate]

Authorities are investigating how the man came to possess the live ordnance.

The important question is

"Does he have any more, and can I buy them?"

[nowhereman]

That is cool.... In a dangerous way.... That reminds me of a friend who's grandfather had a camp house out in the country. We would go camping out there from time to time. Anyway he had a pump house that we were strictly forbidden to go into. Well the old man had died and we would go w/ my friends grandmother. In that pump house was a live grenade... We would go in and look at it but were scared sh*tless to touch it. It was real I promise, I think the oldman managed to get a few full auto German and American guns back somehow we had no idea about the value of the "old guns" we were looking at in the back of his granny's closet. Were talking WWII now and 25 years ago...

[brewskzilla]

That kind of reminds me of the scene in "Support Your Local Sheriff" Where James Garner lights the fuse to an old historical display cannon and accidentally blows up the whorehouse...

[GearHD]

I seriously doubt there was a live warhead on that rocket. Warheads have serial numbers (so they can be keep track of them.) - rocket motors don't - or didn't.
20+yrs ago my uncle & I bought some ammo crates (250 to300ea) @ a Govt auction on FT Bliss. We got them back to the yard & opened them up ( you never know what you'll find in them.) & found 2 or 3 dozen live rocket motors in them. We immediately called the FBI & told them the deal. The FBI promptly came over & picked them up.
2 or 3 weeks later to our surprise the FBI showed up with the rocket motors & gave them back to us. They said although the Military shouldn't have sold them to us the fact that we had bought them & they weren't illegal to own they were our property. We ended up selling them @ gun shows for a $100ea which bought a lot of beer!