Mustard Gas Dump from WWII

[Aliantha]

I guess darling downs farmers now have one thing to be thankful for to the mineral exploration going on at the moment.

A CACHE of 144 World War II mustard gas shells uncovered in Western Downs bush land is set to be destroyed a stone’s throw from where they were buried for 65 years.

A portable destruction system has been assembled on a former US military depot at Columboola, between Chinchilla and Miles.

It features a 70 tonne destruction chamber and a filtration system designed to completely neutralise the deadly chemical agent contained in the 105mm and 155mm Howitzer shells.

Contract destruction company CH2M HILL project manager Steve Romanow said the highly technical detonation and filtration system was one of very few in the world.

System testing will begin this week with the first chemical shells expected to be detonated before April 4.

"We hope to get through eight to 10 (shells) a day," Mr Romanow said.

[Griff]

Yikes! I wonder if they would have used it against Japanese invasion?

[Spexxvet]

I've had a "hot squat" after eating spicy food, but a "mustard gas dump"? I pity the fool.

[TheMercenary]

They have a very successful chemical munitions program at Huntsville, Al that has been in operation for many years. Should not be a big problem.

[SamIam]

Why in the world did they wait so long? Were you guys planning on invading New Zealand?

[ZenGum]

Originally Posted by SamIam

Why in the world did they wait so long? Were you guys planning on invading New Zealand?

Hush, Sam, Hush.

A lot of WWII stuff was just buried - not well - or dumped in the sea.
I know of one regular but mobile camping festival that had to be cancelled one year when all the little campfires started going BANG like they had small fireworks tossed in them, and investigations revealed that lots of WWII detonator caps had been shallowly buried in the area.

[Aliantha]

Originally Posted by Griff

Yikes! I wonder if they would have used it against Japanese invasion?

Apparently that's what it was here for. Just in case the Japanese made it to the mainland.

Originally Posted by TheMercenary

They have a very successful chemical munitions program at Huntsville, Al that has been in operation for many years. Should not be a big problem.

I don't think anyone is too concerned about it being there or the destruction of it, barring the cost to tax payers which is a bit of a pain in the back pocket. It just seems unclear whether it was left on purpose or by accident.

Originally Posted by SamIam

Why in the world did they wait so long? Were you guys planning on invading New Zealand?

Sssshhhhh!

[wolf]

I thought that Mustard Gas was a WWI, not II thing. Still, to repel and defeat the Yellow Peril, I suppose they wanted to have all possible weapons available, even the ones banned under the Geneva Convention.

[Aliantha]

A quick web search shows that no one seems to care too much about the GC concerning mustard gas.

I don't feel concerned about this current find, but I am concerned about what other nasty little surprises are hidden for future generations to find.

The Japanese almost made it to Australia a couple of times. They even managed to get a submarine into Sydney harbour and they bombed Darwin, and almost made through PNG and onto Cape York.

The threat was pretty real for Australians at the time which I guess is why such horrible weapons were prepared by US troops. Just in case.

[Griff]

Originally Posted by wolf

I thought that Mustard Gas was a WWI, not II thing. Still, to repel and defeat the Yellow Peril, I suppose they wanted to have all possible weapons available, even the ones banned under the Geneva Convention.

Apparently, everybody had gas in WWII but the genie didn't get out of the bottle, amazing really.

[wolf]

Well, 'cept for a little Zyklon-B, but that wasn't used against military targets.

[tw]

Originally Posted by Aliantha

They even managed to get a submarine into Sydney harbour

Got a hyperlink or search term for that event?

[classicman]

In May and June 1942 the war was brought home to Australians on the east coast when the Japanese attacked Sydney Harbour from the sea.

In the late afternoon of 31 May 1942 three Japanese submarines, I-22, I-24 and I-27, sitting about seven nautical miles (13 kilometres) out from Sydney Harbour, each launched a Type A midget submarine for an attack on shipping in Sydney Harbour. The night before, I-24 had launched a small floatplane that flew over the harbour, its crew spotting a prize target – an American heavy cruiser, the USS Chicago. The Japanese hoped to sink this warship and perhaps others anchored in the harbour.

After launching the three two-man midget submarines, the three mother submarines moved to a new position off Port Hacking to await the return of the six submariners sent into the harbour. They would wait there until 3 June.

All three midget submarines made it into the harbour. Electronic detection equipment picked up the signature of the first (from I-24) late that evening but it was thought to be either a ferry or another vessel on the surface passing by. Later, a Maritime Services Board watchman spotted an object caught in an anti-submarine net. After investigation, naval patrol boats reported it was a submarine and the general alarm was raised just before 10.30 pm. Soon afterwards, the midget submarine’s crew, Lieutenant Kenshi Chuma and Petty Officer Takeshi Ohmori, realising they were trapped, blew up their craft and themselves.

link

In late May and early June 1942, during World War II, submarines belonging to the Imperial Japanese Navy made a series of attacks on the cities of Sydney and Newcastle in New South Wales, Australia. On the night of 31 May – 1 June, three Ko-hyoteki class midget submarines, each with a two-member crew, entered Sydney Harbour, avoided the partially constructed Sydney Harbour anti-submarine boom net, and attempted to sink Allied warships. After being detected and attacked, the crews of two of the midget submarines scuttled their boats and committed suicide without successfully engaging Allied vessels. These submarines were later recovered by the Allies. The third submarine attempted to torpedo the heavy cruiser USS Chicago, but instead sank the converted ferry HMAS Kuttabul, killing 21 sailors. This midget submarine's fate was unknown until 2006, when amateur scuba divers discovered the wreck off Sydney's northern beaches.

Immediately following the raid, the five Japanese fleet submarines that carried the midget submarines to Australia embarked on a campaign to disrupt merchant shipping in eastern Australian waters. Over the next month, the submarines attacked at least seven merchant vessels, sinking three ships and killing 50 sailors. During this period, between midnight and 2:30 am on 8 June, two of the submarines bombarded the ports of Sydney and Newcastle.

The midget submarine attacks and subsequent bombardments are among the best-known examples of Axis naval activity in Australian waters during World War II, and are the only occasion in history when either city has come under attack.

from wiki

[Big Sarge]

Didn't Japan use chemical weapons similar to DM and other agents against China? Also, I recall there was an incident in the European theater where Germany bombed a US stockpile of chemical weapons. The bombing released the agents and caused troop and civilian casualties. This is just off the top of my head. I'll try to remember where I read it

[Aliantha]

Originally Posted by tw

Got a hyperlink or search term for that event?

Sure