Beaches cleared of old munitions

The Army Corps of Engineers has removed World War I-era military munitions discovered on two Jersey Shore beaches, and officials expect the sand and surf will be ready for Memorial Day crowds.

The material was dumped at sea by the military decades ago, where it sat until it was sucked off the ocean floor and onto the sand by a dredge pipe during a beach replenishment project on Long Beach Island.

As work crews recovered 1,080 pieces of munitions at Surf City and Ship Bottom, merchants began selling T-shirts with slogans including “Our Beaches Will Blow You Away” and “I Got Bombed On Long Beach Island.”