Fishermen Reel in 26-Foot-Long WWII Torpedo Inside Their Net

A fisherman landed an explosive catch while out trawling for fish along the sea bed in Denmark that was later revealed to be an undetonated World War II torpedo.

Danish fisherman René Kloster alerted the country's authorities after the torpedo became entangled in the net several miles off the west coast of the Jutland peninsula on Saturday, July 1. Kloster, captain of the fishing vessel St. Anthony, said that the torpedo was later detonated away from the coast.

"More than 2,000 tons of unexploded munitions are uncovered on German soil every year," according to a 2016 article in Smithsonian Magazine.

In a Saturday, July 1, Facebook post, Kloster said: "It's not entirely harmless to be a fisherman. This morning we caught this torpedo about eight meters long (26 feet) and approximately 2,500 kg (2.7 tons). It will be detonated 5km (3.1 miles) off the channel tonight."

Kloster later wrote the torpedo was lowered to the bottom of the channel and that it was detonated by professionals. "Fortunately now it's gone, so no one else catches it or gets away with it," Kloster commented in another Facebook post.

He told Danish network TV2: "It was huge. I have never seen such a big torpedo before. It is quite incomprehensible that such a big one comes up. You just have to catch your breath afterward." Kloster said that this is the third time he has pulled up a torpedo.

A Danish Defense Command spokesperson told Newsweek: "The German WWII era torpedo was submerged and detonated by an explosive device 20 meters (65 feet) below sea level.

"This is not an uncommon incident and Danish navy clearance divers regularly handle and detonate historical ordnance in Danish waters.

"Most often sea mines from the world wars but sometimes also torpedoes like yesterday. The last time navy clearance divers detonated a torpedo was April 2022."

Newsweek has contacted Kloster for comment via email.

Unexploded devices from World War II are still found across Europe with some regularity and in some cases in unusual circumstances, despite the conflict having ended in 1945.

In 2021, a bomb squad was called to Gloucestershire Royal Hospital in England after a patient arrived at with a World War II munition "stuck inside" him. When the man arrived at the hospital, medical staff called experts from the Army Explosive Ordnance Disposal team out of fear that it might explode.

A hospital spokesperson told U.K. news outlet Gloucestershire Live: "As with any incident involving munitions, the relevant safety protocols were followed to ensure there was no risk to patients, staff, or visitors at any time."

The patient was later released and was expected to make a full recovery.

Update 7/3/23, 9:28 a.m. ET: This article was updated with comment from a Danish Defense Command spokesperson.