Dan's Papers - July 11, 2008

Local authorities responded quickly last Wednesday when a fisherman spotted a hand grenade floating just off the eastern shore of the Shinnecock Canal.

Edgar Narvaez of Patchogue noticed the weapon, with a detonation pin in place, floating in a foot of water just north of Montauk Highway. He alerted two sheriff's deputies, who evacuated the immediate area and alerted the Coast Guard, which closed the canal to all boating traffic.

According to the President of the Suffolk County Deputy Sheriff's Union Michael Sharkey, it was a fragmentation grenade, commonly referred to as a "classic pineapple" type. Suffolk County Sheriff Vincent DeMarco elaborated on the explosive, stating, "It appeared to be an older device. The older ones are a pineapple shape [while] the newer ones are smooth. It was very rusty, indicating it was probably there for a while and may have become uncovered from a storm."

The likelihood that it had been lost or buried somewhere nearby in the past has merit, as old grenades and other weapons - live weapons - have been recovered elsewhere on the Island. An example occurred in 1989, when two active grenades were discovered on the grounds of the Brookhaven National Laboratory, a property once home to an army installation during World Wars I and II. Furthermore, Long Island has been home to other now-defunct military bases, and with well-traveled waters and numerous sunken vessels resting below-surface, all sorts of unexpected items can occasionally arrive onshore.

As for the danger posed by a hand grenade, DeMarco said, "The kill zone (range)...for a device like this is 40 to 50 feet." However, these military articles can do more than just damage targets nearby when triggered, as a "fragmentation" device does just that, hurling dangerous shrapnel hundreds of feet in all directions at potentially lethal speeds.

After a visual confirmation, state and county police first evacuated everyone from within 100 yards of the grenade, then expanded the evacuation area to 500 yards. Also, as a precaution, authorities closed Montauk Highway in both directions for close to 30 minutes. Stephen Ryan, owner of Tide Runners (a restaurant located nearby on the canal), described the events as he witnessed them:

"I was first notified by a boater from our marina, whose boat was the first one stopped by the sheriff's department. He was told he could not proceed under the bridge because they located an unexploded ordinance, and the bomb squad was on the way. With binoculars I observed several uniformed officers gathered next to the eastern section of the Montauk Highway bridge, looking into the water. At that time, I felt we were at a safe distance. This was after speaking with a Southampton police officer who concurred, but suggested we not seat people as a precaution on the western deck of canal."

However, the police on hand soon deemed that the eatery needed to be completely evacuated. Within 35 minutes of the notice, Tide Runners was emptied. Ryan continued:

"At 9 p.m. the entire staff gathered under the LIRR bridge, which was the perimeter set by police. At 10 p.m. two policemen did a final inspection of the restaurant, and at approximately 10:15 we heard a very loud 'boom.' We were then given the 'all clear' sign by police, and returned to clean the restaurant. I think the police did a tremendous job keeping us informed and out of harm's way."

That "boom" was the sound of the grenade. It had been removed to a nearby sandy area, where an additional explosive device was attached for detonation purposes, then placed in a pit dug by police officers and destroyed.

Law enforcement officials said they don't know where the device originated. DeMarco pointed out: "Unfortunately, when it was detonated we lost the most important piece of evidence for the investigation...but it had to be detonated for safety." An interesting note: the sheriff mentioned that in a timely coincidence, marine patrol officers under his command had attended a school to learn how to deal with underwater hazardous explosive devices only two weeks prior to this incident. He also mentioned that "the spot where it was found is a very popular fishing spot, so we were very lucky [that no one was injured]."

Though boat traffic in the canal that connects Shinnecock Bay and Great Peconic Bay was heavily backed up for more than five hours, there were no injures or damage, and this potentially dangerous find turned out to be nothing more than an inconvenience for boaters, drivers commuting over Montauk Highway and Ryan, who had to ask his customers to leave during the operation. However, Ryan said that none of the customers at Tide Runners complained, as they understood the situation was out of his control, and in the end, the experience led to inspiration - the restaurant now features a new drink in memory of the evening's excitement, called The Grenade Margarita. Made with red jalapeno peppers, Ryan said, "It has quite a kick to it."