As one resident put it, you never know what will wash up. And at first glance, it looked dangerous.
By the time people were finally allowed back on their boats, it was hours after the original call. A low tide, passersby reported, revealed what they thought was a bomb.
"We weren't really sure what we were dealing with," Kemah emergency management coordinator Bill Kerber said.
Kemah police and emergency crews were called to the marina, as was Baytown's dive team. Boats were evacuated, and for the next four hours, officials worked to pull the device from the water.
It was black and bomb-like, but harmless.
"It was finally determined it was a military aid training device when we got it up," Kerber said. "It's got a big hole in the side of it. It's not an active device and everybody's safe."
They believe the device came from an old salvage yard that lost it years ago during a flood.
We tried to talk to people who were affected by the evacuations, but were kicked off the property by marina security.
