Unexploded 500kg Bomb Closes London City Airport
A reported 500kg Unexploded Bomb (UXB) from World War Two (WWII) has been destroyed in a controlled explosion, having been found during works at the King George V Dock, adjacent to the runway of London City Airport. The airport was closed for two days, in addition to surrounding road and rail links, with a 200m exclusion zone put in place.
A Royal Navy Explosive Ordnance Disposal (EOD) team worked to free the bomb from a silt bed 15m underwater before carefully towing it along the River Thames overnight to Shoeburyness in Kent, where the controlled explosion took place.
London City Airport is built on the site of the historic Royal Docks, a vitally important strategic target that was heavily bombed by the Luftwaffe during WWII.
The extract below is from a Luftwaffe target photograph of the Royal Docks, dating from 1939. The King George V Dock, in which the 500kg UXB was found, is clearly marked.
