Kids find artillery shell while magnet fishing in Lake Michigan

– Contributed photo

By Allison Scarbrough, News Editor

CLAYBANKS TOWNSHIP — Less than a month after artillery mortars from the former US Army training base, Camp Claybanks, were discovered at a residence, an artillery shell from the military camp was found in Lake Michigan, said Oceana County Sheriff Craig Mast.

The first mortars were uncovered in a culvert underneath a resident’s driveway, June 5.

The second discovery occurred Monday afternoon, June 30, while some kids and their mom were magnet fishing, said the sheriff. They dragged the shell to shore, and the police were notified. Michigan State Police Bomb Squad was called to the scene to investigate, and investigators determined it was an inert 120 mm artillery shell from the former military base. “Due to it being explosive in nature, they took it away from the scene,” said the sheriff.

The previous mortars were determined to be 100 mm rounds, and they were believed to be live. They were to be turned over to the National Guard base in Grayling for disposal.

In 2021, a resident discovered the foundation of a building that was part of Camp Claybanks which had been buried under a dune for 63 years until the waves washed it out.

Camp Claybanks opened in 1953, just as the Korean War was ending. It was situated just south of what is now Claybanks Township Park on both sides of Scenic Drive. Concrete walls on the east side of Scenic Drive still stand and are visible from the road.

The camp was used for training Army soldiers and reservists to shoot anti-aircraft missiles, using remote control airplanes as targets.

“The former Camp Claybanks Anti-Aircraft Artillery (AAA) Firing Range was established on March 1, 1953,” according to the US Army Corps. of Engineers Louisville District website. “It was solely used by the Fifth US Army units between 1953 and 1958 for training in anti-aircraft artillery firing at aerial targets over Lake Michigan, using .50 caliber, 40 mm, 90 mm and 120 mm anti-aircraft weapons. 

“The 438.43-acre training site extended along the east shore of Lake Michigan in Claybanks Township, Oceana County, Michigan. The Department of Defense also obtained permits from the State of Michigan for restricted water space danger zone in Lake Michigan for firing over the water. 

“The camp, located 20 miles north of Muskegon, trained 1,200 active duty personnel during its five years in operation. It also provided training for 2,800 reservists and guardsmen from Michigan, Illinois, Indiana, and Iowa. The camp was operated by five officers and 90 enlisted men. 

“On February 3, 1958, Camp Claybanks was placed in an excess status and is currently used as residential and recreational property.

“On June 19, 1992, a landowner of a portion of the former camp contacted the Detroit District, US Army Corps of Engineers. This landowner and other landowners reported that they found both expended and live belts of .50 caliber ammunition, and at least one unidentified projectile, presumably a mortar round. This suggested that the former use of the site as an AAA firing range may still have the presence of ordnance or explosive waste hazards. A site investigation consisting of ordnance sweeps to verify and quantify the presence of ordnance was recommended in June 1993.

“In May 1996, the Detroit District conducted a site visit and recommended hazardous, toxic, or radiological waste (HTRW) testing for possible lead contamination in the soil and groundwater. The site visit confirmed the possibility of contamination and identified specific debris used by the Department of Defense.

“This area is under the Formerly Used Defense Site Program and is currently managed by the US Army Corps of Engineers, Louisville District in Louisville, Kentucky.”

The base had a launch pad for planes that flew out over Lake Michigan. Soldiers fired range missiles at the planes that would fall to the bottom of Lake Michigan when struck. 

Camp Claybanks is not the location’s only claim to fame. The Daisy Day,  a 103-foot wooden, steam-powered, bulk freighter sank there in Lake Michigan Oct. 11, 1891. It was discovered just off the beach in 2004.

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