Lobster ’squatting’ in WWII mine killed as bomb explodes
He had been squatting inside an unexploded mine which had remained undisturbed for the past 60 years. But the lobster nicknamed Lionel paid the ultimate price when Royal Navy divers failed to coax the stubborn crustacean out of his home – which tragically became his watery grave.
After the divers stumbled upon the 600lb mine off Swanage, Dorset, they took pictures of it and alerted Portland coastguard, who contacted the Royal Navy bomb disposal unit.
The experts inspected the device and found Lionel inside. He refused to be temped out of his make-shift house and delivered a nasty nip to the frogmen.
The bomb squad had no choice but to set charges to the mine with Lionel still inside and, after setting up a 1,000m cordon, blew it up. The huge explosion sent a 50ft plume of water shooting skywards and shook the nearby town of Swanage.
Lionel the lobster sadly did not survive.
