World War II explosive discovered in Long Beach Harbor during construction

A construction crew made a shocking discovery at the Long Beach Harbor Wednesday afternoon when they inadvertently unearthed a World War II-era explosive device, authorities said.

The eight-decade-old shell was found in one of the port’s six container terminals, according to a port spokesperson.

Long Beach police and firefighters and the U.S. Coast Guard evacuated the terminal and established a security perimeter, while the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department’s bomb squad responded and assessed the situation. The remaining terminals continued to operate normally during this period.

A United States Marine Corps ordnance disposal team then determined that the device was safe to transport and moved it off-site, where it was deactivated.

The port resumed normal operations on Wednesday evening.