During World War II, buoys were used in Port Townsend in Washington to hold up steel nets that would protect the town against submarine and torpedo attacks. One of those buoys has been discovered and put to a creative new use for baking.

The 800-pound steel buoy now serves as a wood-fired oven to bake breads and pizzas for the Washington State University Bread Lab. It was installed over a month ago in a new beer garden in the parking lot, according to Bread Lab Director Stephen Jones.

Jones says that the design for the oven was inspired by a similar one at Dented Buoy Pizza at Finnriver Farm and Cidery in Chimacum, Washington. The cidery found this new buoy and gave it to the Bread Lab to turn into an oven.

Once it was found, the buoy was cut in half. Legs were added to it as well as a smaller dome from an old propane tank to fit inside the buoy. It was then insulated, and the parts were welded back together.