KODIAK, Alaska — The U.S. Navy will be searching for World War II-era explosives on the ocean floor near an Alaska island in June.
The Navy will be looking for any munitions and explosives that may have been left behind in the water surrounding Kodiak Island, the Kodiak Daily Mirror reported Friday.
The move is part of an environmental restoration program that assesses potential issues that may have resulted from past operations and activities, Navy Public Affairs Officer Leslie Yuenger said. The water surrounding Kodiak Island was named a Naval Defensive Site on March 22, 1941.
There have been no reports of munitions or explosives spotted in the waters near Kodiak, but Yuenger said another Alaska survey has discovered WWII munitions or explosives in the water surrounding Dutch Harbor.
"We want to make sure you guys are safe when you're out there," Yuenger said.
The Navy surveyors will be using a tube-shaped apparatus and unmanned underwater vehicle equipped with side-scan sonar that will let them see and photograph the ocean floor without harming marine life.
The survey findings will be made into a public site inspection report
Information from: Kodiak (Alaska) Daily Mirror, http://www.kodiakdailymirror.com
