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Navy issues all clear after WWII-era ordnance found on NC's new island

Cape Hatteras National Seashore reopened the off-road vehicle and pedestrian ramp to the Cape Point area in Buxton Friday just after 6 p.m., hours after an observer spotted a suspicious object on the beach of the newly-formed Shelly Island just off the coast.

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Navy explosives group responds to investigate object on new NC island
HATTERAS, N.C. — Cape Hatteras National Seashore reopened the off-road vehicle and pedestrian ramp to the Cape Point area in Buxton Friday just after 6 p.m., hours after an observer spotted a suspicious object on the beach of the newly-formed Shelly Island just off the coast.

The U.S. Navy’s Explosive Ordnance Disposal unit, called in to investigate, determined that the object was training ordnance from the World War II era and removed it from the beach.

Shelly Island, the new sandbar off Cape Point in Hatteras, North Carolina, was evacuated on Friday due to an object found on the beach. Photo courtesy of Dare County

Authorities established a one-mile safety perimeter around the object and closed the ramp to Cape Point while the explosives experts investigated. The item was taken to Virginia for further examination and disposal.

A new island off the tip of Cape Point in North Carolina is attracting birdwatchers and other tourists.

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