Mysterious “Bomb” Found To Be Harmless Airplane Part

A device found on Eldey island that was thought to be a bomb from WW2 has been revealed to be something else entirely.

The tale begins in early 2013, Vísir reports, when electrical engineer Sigurður Harðarson traveled with a television crew from Stöð 2 to the small island of Eldey. While they were waiting for a Coast Guard helicopter to pick them up, they made a discovery.

“We thought it was a bomb,” said Sigurður, referring to the large, rusty metal cylinder they found. “It looked that way and it looks that way still.”

The Explosives Department of the Coast Guard was alerted, and they were brought out to examine the object. Two years later, a conclusion has been reached: it is not a bomb, but rather an air tank of sorts, which was used to make take-offs for certain planes easier.

The Explosives Department has had its hands full lately, mostly contending with WW2-era sea mines that are found washed up on shore, but this was fortunately one item from WW2 that did not need to be detonated.