200 unexploded bombs on Norfolk seabed to be investigated in new study
Energy firm RWE is behind the plans - because it wants to build a huge wind farm off the coast of Sea Palling and Mundesley
A further probe of Norfolk’s coastal waters is set to begin, to investigate an estimated 200 unexploded bombs and hidden archaeology on the seabed.
German energy firm RWE has applied to conduct another study of the North Sea in preparation for its plans to build one of three huge wind farms in an area off Mundesley and Sea Palling, known as Norfolk Vanguard West.
It is one of several proposed investigations due to begin in the new year, which will ensure it is safe to lay cables on the sea floor to transport energy created by the wind turbines to land.
This new examination follows three others in nearby locations which expect to find a total of 636 unexploded devices, which were dropped in the North Sea by Allied and German forces during the Second World War.
It will scour an area not covered by a reef to see if this would provide a better route for cabling that will mean disturbance and damage to the fragile habitat could be minimised.
If the licences are approved, engineers could begin hunting for the hundreds of bombs early in 2025.
The study will also investigate 60 potential archaeological sites identified through surveys.
All discoveries will be reported to Historic England and video footage will be recorded of the finds.
While these potential finds remain a mystery, there are known to be dozens of shipwrecks around the coastline, with the HMS Gloucester – which sunk after running aground on a sandbank in 1682 – being one of the most famous recent finds.
It was discovered by two diving brothers in 2007 about 30 miles off the coast from Great Yarmouth but the discovery was not revealed until 2022.
While many fascinating artefacts have been retrieved, there is still much more to discover.
A fundraising campaign has since been launched to raise money to create a permanent exhibit in Norfolk in order to keep the finds on display in the county.