Boom Watch — Explosions, artillery, or skyquake? Camp Pendleton live-fire booms & fast-sequence bangs in Portsmouth/Southsea.
TL;DR:
- Marine Corps Base Camp Pendleton will conduct live-fire explosive training from early December, so coastal residents in San Diego-area counties should expect loud booms and distant rumbles.
- Meanwhile in southern England — HMS Prince of Wales returned to Portsmouth Harbour with a 17-gun salute — yet local reports from Southsea describe 8–10 rapid explosions, 4 seconds apart, at ~12:51. That’s a far denser cadence than a typical ceremonial salute.
- Verdict: Some bangs are “official business.” Others? Still unexplained. Keep your speakers peeled. 👽
🎯 San Diego County: Official Warning — Explosions Ahead
If you live near Camp Pendleton or along the Pacific coast of California, expect to hear some shocking noises soon. The Marine base has issued a noise advisory for early December, warning that live-fire training with high-explosive munitions may produce loud bangs, booms and rumbling that could be felt or heard many miles away.
Training is scheduled around the clock — from midnight to 23:59 — and could be heard “any time throughout the day or night.” In some circumstances even windows could rattle.
So if you’re jolted awake by a thunder-like crack in the night — congratulations! It was probably just the Marines playing fireworks (with permission). But if those bangs begin to crawl across the Atlantic — that’s when things get interesting.
🇬🇧 Portsmouth & Southsea: Gun Salute or Something Stranger?
Across the pond, something loud woke up residents in Southsea / Portsmouth on the afternoon of November 30, 2025. Around 12:51, several folks reported hearing roughly 8–10 heavy booms, spaced by ~4 seconds — each “like an explosion,” louder than your average car backfire, “the kind you expect in war movies.” Eyewitness tone: baffled, curious, mildly terrified.
Coincidentally — or suspiciously — that same day, the Royal Navy’s flagship, HMS Prince of Wales, sailed into Portsmouth Harbour after her long deployment. To mark the return, the base planned a 17-gun salute around 12:30–12:45.
Now — a 17-gun salute firing once every few seconds is one thing. But 8–10 rapid-fire booms with ~4 seconds spacing? That’s pretty heavy. A “salute” firing pattern isn’t usually described like that.
Conclusion: maybe ceremonial — maybe not. For residents and conspiracy-minded weirdos alike: file under “unconfirmed loud noises with naval connection.” And maybe dust off those tin-foil hats. 🛸
📡 What Could Explain These Booms (Legit or Weird)?
- Military live-fire / training exercises: As with Camp Pendleton — obvious, documented, and warned. Fast, heavy, and expected booms. Military says: “don’t call the police.”
- Naval gun salutes or ceremonial firing: Gun salutes like that for HMS Prince of Wales are standard, but typically measured. A normal salute isn’t a rapid-fire 8–10-boom chain. Still — a plausible origin if timing matches.
- Atmospheric effects, sonic booms or “skyquake”-like phenomena: When weather, temperature inversion, or geological stress combine — sometimes people hear unexplained booms. For now, unnamed sources and rumor mills thrive. 🌀
- Old ordnance, demolition or accidental blasts: Unexploded munitions, planned disposal, or unauthorized detonations: always a candidate when no official word is given and fireworks don’t explain it. Classic weird-news territory. 🔥
Sources & Credits
