During this period, 302 mine anchors, 37 mines, one torpedo, and two other historical ordnances were found. Together with previously discovered explosives, a total of 43 historical ordnances were countermined during the operation.

In addition to the historical ordnances, a 70-meter-long shipwreck was discovered near Hiiumaa. The Navy will share the locations and sonar images of these findings to the National Heritage Board and the Estonian Transport Administration.

"Over the course of two weeks, we have made Estonian maritime areas safer by disposing of 11 tons of old explosives. All participating units gained valuable experience in mine countermeasures operations, and overall, we have demonstrated NATO's capability to detect and countermined historical ordnances in the Baltic Sea," said Commander Ott Laanemets, Commander of the Open Spirit 24 Task Group.

Organized by the Estonian Navy, the exercise covered an area of nearly 300 square kilometers from April 15-26.

Open Spirit 24 involved 14 ships, 11 shore-based diver and Autonomous Underwater Vehicle teams, and a total of over 700 Estonian, Allied, and partner nations naval personnel from 16 countries.

The annual exercise has taken place since 1995 and rotates between Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania. 

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