MEMBERS of the police bomb disposal unit were yesterday called to a Somerset property after a large metal explosive was discovered on its shoreline.

Officers carefully examined the "large metal object", determining it to be harmless, before allowing local archaeologists near the find.

The general consensus? While the article resembled a bomb, it might actually be a type of torpedo.

Bermuda Maritime Museum director Dr. Edward Harris described the object as nearly ten feet long with an 18-inch diameter.

"It has only one fin, whereas most aerial bombs have four, to give stability in their descent to the ground," he explained. "No fuses were found in the nose or at the rear, so if this was a type of bomb, torpedo, or mine, it was most likely to have been used for practice by the military.

"While having the look of a bomb, the artefact may be a type of torpedo that would have been towed on a cable by a warship."

The front of the 'bomb' held a metal bracket, attached to the casing on either side and at the rear, "a single find with side flanges would have allowed steerage for the object", Dr. Harris said.

"Upon examination, it was found that part of the bottom of the object had rusted out and no explosive material was to be seen in the interior.

"In this case, this may have been a dummy for practice work. The other option is that it may be a disposable fuel tank for an aeroplane or flying boat, but if that were the case, it was likely to have been made of aluminium. This artefact is all iron, so it is probably not such a tank."

The 'bomb' has since been passed on to historic ordnance experts in the United States for possible identification.