Coast Guard Creates "Safety Zone" Under Verrazano

Boaters traversing the Verrazano Narrows will now have to contend with a 110-yard “safety zone” implemented by the U.S. Coast Guard yesterday.

The temporary safety zone marks off the area where 1,500 artillery shells and munitions were discovered in October by local diver Gene Ritter. It sits just underneath the Verrazano-Narrows Bridge.

The discovery, which the New York Post just can’t stop calling the “bombshell revelation” – get it? – is thought to be a lost stockpile that spilled into the bay during a military accident in 1954.

Coast Guard officials said the safety zone will stay put at least until the end of June, or until the explosives are removed. But with the Navy claiming the shells aren’t their responsibility, it’s unclear who’s leading the cleanup effort.

Bonus: Ten points to any local boaters who can get me a photo of the safety zone!