GWINNETT COUNTY, Ga. — A pair of scuba divers who make their living by posting their adventures to YouTube found a World War II artifact in the Chattahoochee River.
Channel 2′s Berndt Petersen spoke with the divers about their latest find.
Jake Koehler and Britain Lockhart were diving in the river under Medlock Bridge in Gwinnett County when they discovered a mortar used in WWII.
“I knew you could find things like that, but I never thought I’d cross paths with one,” Koehler said. “It blew my mind away!”
They discovered the mortar about 10 to 15 feet below the water.
“I’m finding golf balls and little things and I see a WWII mortar in front of me,” Koehler said.
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The divers quickly called police.
The bomb squad determined the shell was not live and disposed of it.
The mortar wasn’t the only weapon the pair found while diving. Lockhart also located a pistol while diving in the same area.
“We found it in the rocks below the bridge,” Lockhart said. “That’s one of the craziest finds I’ve ever come across.”
Koehler and Lockhart say they picked the location after looking at some old maps that showed the United States Army once did training in the area. Still, nobody knows exactly how the mortar got there.
Koehler said in hindsight he would probably be more careful.
“Knowing what I know now I think we should have left it, but it was nice,” Koehler said.
The diving duo continues to update their YouTube channel with other adventures.
Cox Media Group
