Sunken WW2 ships polluting the sea

Zip

Zip

Soldato
Joined
26 Jun 2005
Posts
20,224
Location
Australia
I was on Google earth and i was looking at pearl harbour and the ship that got sunk there looks like its emitting an oil slick.
Would this be oil and fuel coming from parts of the ship that have rusted and now its all going into the sea?
If it can happen to one ship it can happen to a lot of ship out there and there are 100s out in the pacific and they are all around coral reefs :eek:

Can anyone else see the oil slick :eek:

oilslick24vu.png
 
Soldato
Joined
2 Mar 2004
Posts
11,910
Location
SE England
That particular wreck is well documented for its loss of fuel oil, it's a vistor attractoin too (hence the dock on it!)

Trying to reclaim or remove the liquids could potentially cause a massive spill as the tanks could give way, so it is left as it is. Minimal damage is caused, I believe.

I can't remember the name of it mind :(
 
Permabanned
Joined
18 Oct 2002
Posts
7,394
Location
Leicestershire
Mr_L said:
Technically it's a war memorial not a tourist/visitor attraction.
But the viewing platform is a tourist attraction.[/pedant]

As the harbour is so contaminated anyway and the leak so small there isn't a great urge to cap the leak. In the long term though the tanks will have to be emptied cos there is a lot of fuel onboard. Though some nut job Veterans think that any interference with the wreck is disrespectful and that it should be left to its own devices to collapse and polute the harbour in the fullness of time. This is not a view shared by many.

Theres a similar ecological time bomb in Scapa Flow, Orkneys, except its a tanker not a warship. Its in such a bad shape nobody goes near it. Also in the Flow, the Royal Oak is monitored by the Navy for oil leaks.
 
Associate
Joined
28 Oct 2002
Posts
492
Location
Cumbria
Up here in Orkney oil has been leaking from the ''Royal Oak'' for many years, they are now starting to drain the 1500 tons that they reckon is still inside it.
Riever
 
Soldato
Joined
19 Oct 2005
Posts
10,465
Location
Kernow
Ive been there and its been turned into an attraction, they sit you down in a cinema and play nostalgic movies about the ambush then take you out on a boat to the dock, theres not much actually in the dock except names carved into the walls.
 
Soldato
Joined
9 Dec 2003
Posts
6,204
Location
Gone......
NathanE said:
Ironically, America wasn't actually at "war" when said memorial was created :~/


No, the reason for the memorial was what brought the US officially into WWII. And the memorial was built some years later. And if I remember rightly it was a survivor of the USS Arizona that designed the building.

And by the way, the oil that is leaking out is what is left AFTER the tanks have been drained. What's coming out is the stuff that seeped into the walls of the tanks while the ship was in operation, what was left in the pipes and pumps, etc. It seeps out about a teaspoon's worth a day. But because of the ability of oil to spread incredibly thin on the surface of water, it looks like a lot more than it actually is.

And to be totally pedantic, the whole thing isn't so much a tourist attraction OR a memorial. It is a sunken GRAVEYARD for almost 1,200 souls. THAT'S why it hasn't been disturbed. It is officially a military cemetary. It has nothing to do with the veterans (although they are the loudest supporters). It has to do with constitutional and military law. It also has to do with common decency and respect.
 
Caporegime
Joined
26 Dec 2003
Posts
25,666
Stretch said:
If you think that’s bad, check this out.

Link

I used to live in kent when I was a kid. It used to give me nightmares. :o

from that link said:
"It could blow up because of terrorism, somebody might target it, or it could blow up simply because of bombs moving in the tide."

nothing like giving them ideas, i hope they dont read bbc. :p
 

Mic

Mic

Soldato
Joined
4 Aug 2005
Posts
3,869
Location
Ireland
daveyj27 said:
Where do you think the bodies go after a ship sinks then?? :confused:
Id have thought a ship so close to the surface would have the bodies exumed and buried. But its military tradition. And a fine memorial.
 
Soldato
Joined
21 Oct 2003
Posts
13,608
Location
Back with a Vengeance.
Mickey_D said:
No, the reason for the memorial was what brought the US officially into WWII. And the memorial was built some years later. And if I remember rightly it was a survivor of the USS Arizona that designed the building.
O/T but i've always wondered if Pearl hadn't happened then at what point would the US have entered the war in a combat role as opposed to merely supporting us in a non-combat role.
 
Back
Top Bottom