Royal Navy Divers Remove Two Underwater Pillars Posing Menace in Solent

Royal Navy divers carried out a controlled explosion to remove two concrete and wood pillars that have been menacing sailors in the Solent.

For years the two pillars have stood rising eight metres from the floor of the Solent off Stokes Bay, Gosport.

They were the remains of an old pier but proved an underwater menace over the years with many sailors and fishermen scraping their hulls or getting their fishing nets caught on the columns.

Leading Diver Luke Halbauer, from SDU2, said:

“There were two obstructions that were under the surface and invisible for a number of years causing problems for sailors using this part of the Solent.

“When we went down to inspect the pillars we found an assortment of nets tangled around them where fishing trawlers had obviously not known they were there.

“Our role was to remove the pillars, using explosives, and clear this bit of waterway of hazards.”

Southern Diving Unit 2 placed a 350 meter cordon around the two pillars in Stoke Bay and then conducted a controlled explosion.

Chief Diver, Simon Crew, added:

“By agreeing to carry out this controlled explosion our divers were being offered the opportunity to work in the arduous conditions of the Solent where they needed to consider the tides, depth, poor visibility, and other mariners in the area.

“It was a successful training opportunity that felled the two pillars and has made the area a bit safer for others.”

Press Release, October 07, 2014; Image: Royal Navy