First, workers had to remove the empty casing of a WWII bomb, known as The Grand Slam Bomb. The Grand Slam Bomb is a deep penetrating bomb and weighs over 22,000 pounds. The workers brought in a crane to move the huge casing, but noticed that is was heavier than expected. Some though it could have been filled with concrete, but others thought maybe they should have an expert look at it before they moved it.
An expert examined the bomb and discovered that it was a real live bomb! The "casing" was filled with live filling from 1944. This bomb had been sitting there for 14 years. People had taken pictures with it and even sat on it. If the bomb had detonated, it would have flattened, not only the whole base, but most of the town that it was in, including a historical cathedral that was built in the year 1250! The bomb was eventually removed using a crane designed to withstand the weight and was demolished for safety reasons.
