|
 Now the site is being developed for a mixture of commercial and domestic accommodation by Berkeley Homes. Following the discovery of the vault, Fellows International Limited, the explosive ordnance disposal consultants, were contracted to supply the necessary plant, equipment and suitably experienced personnel to enter the confined underground space. Their brief was to survey the layout and condition of the various compartments, and to identify any particular features and/or hazards which might influence the redevelopment of the building. 
The vault was found to have been of red brick construction, and divided into two compartments each 11.6m long by 4m wide by 2.75m high. Each room had a single entry hatchway with two inter-connecting arched doorways. The hatchways had been covered over by a thick layer of screed at some stage before 1923.Oxygen sampling taken before the survey showed a breathable atmosphere in the compartments, but silt samples sent for analysis produced a chemical hazard problem - elevated levels of zinc, copper, lead and other sulphur/sulphates concentrations, and materials of a dangerous toxic nature. Compartment 
Then, during the initial compartment investigation, items of ordnance were seen buried within the silt. So the operation was changed from one of "enclosed space entry" to "explosive ordnance disposal operations", with the necessary risk assessment, revised methodology statement and safe working protocol produced, approved and enforced.The principles of Explosive Ordnance Disposal require you to be aware that all munitions are designed to explode and cause death or destruction, and until disposed of by skilled personnel such devices remain potentially lethal. All items of ordnance found were therefore treated as live and of high risk until proved otherwise. Encasing A fine spray water jet was used to break up the silt encasing the ordnance. Then, clearance divers, wearing chemical protective clothing, helmets, visors and respiratory protection, and with an independent secondary life support unit on hand, were employed to investigate all 'spoil' separated from the silt for munitions contamination and any historic artefacts. 
All personnel leaving the vaults went through a decontamination procedure to prevent further possible environmental contamination. "Dirty water" and silt from the vaults was contained in 500-gallon tankers and transported by road for disposal at a licensed site near Birmingham.During the clearance, the Fellows International team located and removed a total of 57 "black-powder filled" artillery shells, comprising a mixture of early type "case shot" munitions dating back to the end of the 18th century. This type of shell was developed as a means of killing infantry at long range with a little more certainty than the cannon ball. Examples of spherical thin-skinned cannon balls with bolted-on base-plates were also found. These contained a filling of small musket balls packed in gunpowder with a wooden slow-burning fuse which, when exploded, produced a shrapnel effect. Shrapnel 
Invented by a Colonel Shrapnel, the fearsome shrapnel shell was eventually named after him. A number of early wooden and thin-cased metal "Boxer" fuses was also removed from the silt; but unfortunately these had to be destroyed as they were in an advanced state of decomposition.All the explosives were identified by type and photographed. Munitions that had lost their explosive charge through water ingress via the wooden filling bung were inspected, given a unique identification mark, and issued with an "explosives-free" certificate. These are now preserved and stored for eventual display in a museum environment on the Gunwharf site. 
A number of finds of historical value were also discovered within the vault. Among these were wooden buckets, sword and dirk scabbards, leather boots and shoes, and an assortment of sailmakers' and armourers' tools. Where possible, these were photographed in situ in the vault, then carefully removed to water-filled plastic dustbins with lids on to prevent oxidisation and/or ultra-violet light degradation. All of the artefacts were recorded and passed to a very excited site archaeologist for preservation treatment.Water jet Both compartments were finally power-washed by water jet with detergent to remove all residual chemical contamination, inspected by a construction engineer, and handed back to the site manager. Even Admiral Nelson would have been pleased with the final immaculate condition of the vaults! The site owner and English Heritage will decide the future of the vaults in due course. One wonders who decided to screed over the entrance to this historic yet potentially catastrophic military "time capsule".
 © 2000 Underwater World Publications Ltd. |
In addition to its ordnance clearance and general commercial-diving work, Fellows International Limited (FIL) has developed a rapid-response hyperbaric oxygen therapy service.