Another (possibly boring, but way shorter ) story ....

[shedcoupe]

Years ago a mate went to an auction and bought an RAN sea-mine for thirty bucks - didn't have a use for it but he's a bower-bird / hoarder. It had some pipe fittings and valves welded on. No idea why. Some black oil inside.
More years pass and he moves all his junk pile a few hundred kays to his new block, and drops off the mine at my place to avoid having to shift it too far.
There it stays. I leave the ex and she inherits it.
Last week I wondered what sort of mine it is and send some pics to the RAN historical section and suggest forwarding them to HMAS Waterhen.
This morning an RAN lieutenant from HMAS Stirling (WA) rings and wants to look at it ASAP as they have to confirm that it is safe.
So I meet him and a couple of lads at noon (the three of them are clearance divers - the smallest one's legs weigh about as much as I do) - they turn up with a hiab-equipped truck. So off the mine goes away to be de-badded, not that it would go bang I guess, but they have to check this stuff out, especially in the modern security environment.