20 Dangerous Artifacts Pulled from Ocean Wrecks

The oceans are still home to thousands of unfired naval mines from both World Wars. Many of these weapons, especially the iconic “horned” mines, used sensitive mechanical triggers. If a ship bumped into one of the horns, it would break a vial of acid, energize a battery, and fire the detonator. When oceanographic vessels find these old mines, they treat them with extreme caution. Scientists refuse to handle them manually because the corroded triggers are unpredictable.