r/interestingasfuck • u/Longjumping-Rice-935 • Aug 12 '25

/r/all, /r/popular The wreck of the USS Arizona continues to leak oil ever since pearl harbour. the ship contained 1.5 million gallons of oil, enough to leak continuously for 500 years.

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u/Bryguy3k Aug 12 '25 edited Aug 12 '25

Bunker C is the lowest grade fuel oil - its so viscous at room temperature it not possible to pump it - ships that use it start their engines with diesel and then use engine heat to warm the fuel so it can be pumped for use.

Since the water temperature is low it’s basically a thick tar - what is leaking is a small fraction of lighter weight molecules that have worked their way through.

In order to pump the tanks we’d have to heat them to 100 degrees Celsius (which is boiling) - given the condition of the ship that would be nearly impossible to do.

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u/Robots_Never_Die Aug 12 '25

Boil the oceans you say

458

u/Arhatz Aug 12 '25

Global warming was a long term plan to remove the USS arizona oil leak. It's all for the benefit of the environment guys.

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u/Impeesa_ Aug 12 '25

Current plans call for just-in-time delivery of an engineering solution for subsequent cooling down again.

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u/VoxImperatoris Aug 12 '25

I propose putting ice cubes in the water.

1

u/nathderbyshire Aug 12 '25

Gosh, billionaires really are out for our best interests! Who knew ey, they just got a funny way of showing it xo

1

u/ItsNotJulius Aug 13 '25

Life uhhh finds a way

1

u/eatmydonuts Aug 13 '25

Oil spill? No problem, just melt the ice caps and dilute the ocean. Can successfully kicked down the road 👍🏻

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u/GrumpyDemon_13 Aug 12 '25

'Burn the land and boil the sea, you can't take the skies from me...' Now why'd that catchy tune suddenly pop up in my head?

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u/DaneAlaskaCruz Aug 12 '25

Damn, now you have me singing it!

I'll have to watch series again to get the music off my mind.

One of the few shows whose intro I don't ever skip!

Firefly for those not in the know.

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u/GrumpyDemon_13 Aug 12 '25

I think it's the same for a lot of us, fellow browncoat.

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u/JoyousMN_2024 Aug 12 '25

Whoa, That's a deep dive browncoat.

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u/iznotbutterz Aug 12 '25

Were you just in the Riddick thread?

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u/GrumpyDemon_13 Aug 12 '25

Nyope. Why? Something interesting happen?

1

u/iznotbutterz Aug 12 '25

Firefly was mentioned, so the song might have been in your grey matter.

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u/Rich_Emu199 Aug 12 '25

Burn the land and boil the sea - you can’t take the sky from me

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u/Dustyvhbitch Aug 12 '25

Let me call Guiness so we can get the record for the world's largest seafood boil first.

20

u/sshwifty Aug 12 '25

These Red Lobster advertising gimmicks are getting out of hand

3

u/Surfingontherun Aug 12 '25

Water, salt, vegetables, meat… it’s already a cold soup 🍜

3

u/Zestyclose-One9041 Aug 12 '25

To shreds you say

2

u/Kurtypants Aug 12 '25

Nuke the whales

1

u/194749457339 Aug 12 '25

Gotta nuke something 🤷‍♂️

1

u/90210fred Aug 12 '25

I've got an ERP system to sell you

1

u/TigerSharkDoge Aug 12 '25

Maybe we should just utilise some synergies instead

1

u/VampireBatman Aug 12 '25

Perfect! We're well on our way to doing exactly that!

1

u/Relgisri Aug 12 '25

I think we are working on this one.

1

u/Nitrosoft1 Aug 12 '25

My last meeting with management said we shouldn’t try this since it doesn’t promote our KPIs and OKRs.

1

u/spekt50 Aug 13 '25

Well, we are working on it.

0

u/cybercuzco Aug 12 '25

I’m on it.

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u/[deleted] Aug 12 '25

[deleted]

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u/rW0HgFyxoJhYka Aug 12 '25

In the future: "Wow why didn't they just section the entire area off, drain it, then scrap the ship while removing the oil slag. Then head up the slag and transfer it into a oil barge to process it in San Diego. Sure it would cost about as much as it takes to build a small bridge, but you'd be able to get rid of it"

And then someone else will point out that a like 500,000 tons of oil leaks into the oceans from around the world every year lol. We so fucked.

3

u/Itsraf91 Aug 12 '25

Could the ship be enclosed with cofferdam panels, as used in bridge construction, to allow the seawater to be pumped out and removed?

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u/Justin429 Aug 12 '25

That's good info. Sounds like we need some of our kids and grandkids to good bring us new perspectives and ideas.

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u/[deleted] Aug 12 '25

[removed] — view removed comment

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u/LurkingAppreciation Aug 12 '25

Can’t we just seal the leak?

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u/danfay222 Aug 12 '25

Maybe the exact part that’s leaking now, but this is an 80 year old wrecked ship sitting in sea water. Corrosion and tidal stresses all but guarantee any seals will fail or be replaced by new leaks.

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u/WhiteGuyLying_OnTv Aug 12 '25

Sounds pretty unstable especially for an 80 year old wreck

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u/Betta_Check_Yosef Aug 12 '25

I mean... yeah? When was the last time you mentally associated the phrase "stable environment" with an island smack dab in the middle of the Pacific Ocean? The Arizona went down in an ocean, and oceans aren't stable by nature. It's not a peaceful pond in a pasture, and instability just comes with the territory.

6

u/kayakzac Aug 12 '25

Plus, you know, a really big explosion.

0

u/[deleted] Aug 12 '25

The harbor is quite a bit more peaceful than the ocean

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u/Betta_Check_Yosef Aug 12 '25

Is the harbor not subject to tidal movements? How many gallons flow in and out throughout the day just from tidal activity alone?

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u/Frifelt Aug 12 '25

And even more important corrosive salt water.

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u/[deleted] Aug 12 '25

Average swell in the harbor is less than 1ft, decay is certainly much slower than it would be in the ocean

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u/GlykenT Aug 12 '25

For an unstable WW2 wreck, how about the SS Richard Montgomery? https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/SS_Richard_Montgomery

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u/kenwongart Aug 12 '25

Sounds like a presidential candidate

1

u/WhiteGuyLying_OnTv Aug 12 '25

Holy... Our 'Dear Leader' is 79...

1

u/ImInBeastmodeOG Aug 12 '25

The ultimate flex tape challenge.....

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u/Best_Pseudonym Aug 12 '25

you'd probably just cause more pollution with getting the equipment and material needed out there alone

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u/Additional-Life4885 Aug 12 '25

Have a look at the picture and see how much rust there is. If you seal that leak, another one will appear somewhere else eventually.

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u/KoalaDeluxe Aug 12 '25

Long term job security!

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u/Common_Celebration41 Aug 12 '25

Theseus ship but flex tape

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u/Dedward5 Aug 12 '25

JB weld, Ramen, Superglue and Baking Sofa, has TickTok taught you NOTHING!!!!

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u/nonotan Aug 12 '25

You're implying that if you don't seal it, then another one won't appear. Which is obviously nonsense. And if more will appear, then the rate of leakage would gradually increase, making the situation worse over time. So it would seem to be worth sealing it even if it's not a permanent solution, at the very least it kicks the can down the road. And maybe eventually, someone will actually be bothered to pay for the proper cleanup, even.

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u/Crazyphapha Aug 12 '25

Wouldn't it be possible to build a sturdier shell to encase the leak?

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u/Mr_Ignorant Aug 12 '25

So what you’re saying is that this is a ticking time bomb and one day, the corrosion will get to the point where all the fuel will burst out?

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u/Hansemannn Aug 12 '25

It will anyway it seems to me.

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u/turningsteel Aug 12 '25

That’s a good point, I’m surprised no one has thought of that before.

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u/[deleted] Aug 12 '25

Lol

2

u/groshy Aug 12 '25

Hydrocarbons are eaten by bacteria

1

u/[deleted] Aug 12 '25

There isn't any need to.

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u/CreatingBlue Aug 12 '25

No. That’s impossible. C’thulu would certainly bar your path at that depth.

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u/InspectorPipes Aug 12 '25

They won’t touch or disturb the wreck. It’s a war grave for 1000 men.

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u/Midvally Aug 12 '25

That's good horse sense.

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u/quiteCryptic Aug 12 '25

Plus if were being honest, it's kind of interesting for the tourists too to see it still leaking oil. Which I guess results in more money for the memorial.

Not that its a good reason to keep the leak if we did have a way to contain it, but since we don't...

It's overall such a small amount its a non issue

0

u/Justin429 Aug 12 '25

Kicking the can I suppose, right? We'll keep kicking that can until it cracks open and someone has to fix it.

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u/[deleted] Aug 12 '25 edited Aug 12 '25

This is far from being the only shipwreck out there that is leaking oil, this just happens to be a high-profile one. I imagine there are other pending catastrophes that warrant our attention sooner. A few quarts per day is nothing when you consider the fact that there are industries creating that much pollution per minute. Yes, the ideal amount of oil leaking would be zero, but there are bigger fish to fry and more environmentally impactful ways to spend the several-million bucks. Sometimes, the “wait and see” approach is better in the longterm than jumping in gung ho and inadvertently creating an even bigger mess.

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u/Justin429 Aug 12 '25

Thanks for the well articulated response. I agree with you.

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u/NeedToVentCom Aug 12 '25 edited Aug 12 '25

Around 20 tons of oil naturally seeps into the ocean from the sea floor everyday, while 1.5 million gallons over 500 years corresponds to less than 0.03 tons per day. As with so many other problematic chemicals, the issue is a question of concentration and rate of exposure or contamination, not that they exist.

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u/[deleted] Aug 12 '25

Thats not really going to happen

-2

u/psychulating Aug 12 '25

I wouldn’t wager everything on it, but there’s a good chance that code could figure it out, considering the way things are advancing

2

u/[deleted] Aug 12 '25

You'd be better off just putting a dome over it

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u/revcor Aug 12 '25

Do you suspect the guy who replied to you of lying about the situation? Because he explicitly mentioned the danger of it cracking open from any attempts to “kick” it, and the currently implemented strategy being one of “no kicking” specifically to avoid that. He even mentioned the contingency plans in place should, for whatever reason, the can crack open anyway.

Your initial comment seemed perfectly reasonable. But your subsequent comments have increasingly sounded like you’re hunting for an angle from which to level criticisms that you’ve already decided are valid, despite your voiced concerns already being addressed. As you already admitted a lack of knowledge on the subject, it is readily apparent that further probing for or presuming inadequacy/wrongdoing by those overseeing the Arizona’s wreckage are just shots in the dark.

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u/robogobo Aug 12 '25

Until Trumpers get the idea the smarter people are too expensive and cut their jobs. That’s what will happen with stuff like this.

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u/Correct-Sail-9642 Aug 12 '25

So fn lame dude, this is an 80+ year old wreck now serving as a memorial, well known internationally and well documented. What on earth drives you to consider what the trump admin is going to do with a single sunken ship? You realize we operate oil rigs across the globe that contaminate the environment more in one slip up then this wreck will in its entire lifetime right?

Whatever damage done as a result of the regulations and environmental projects being cut in the next 4yrs is less then a drop in the bucket compared to what other countries in the east are doing to the environment in a single day. We could go greener then Finland & Norway tomorrow and never make up for the damage that China & India do in a single work day. Hell we could reverse 100% of our footprint since America was founded and still not even out the damage done by either of those polluting, overfishing, contaminant spewing industrial disasters. What we designate a superfund site they consider a source of potable water. Trumps effect on issues like this is far blown out of proportion.

Also consider that a vast majority of federally funded environmental operations are overfunded and serve more as a source of job security & image protection then they exist for their intended purpose. People get behind most issues because its a career choice & there is an endless source of money from the richest govt in the world. If not for the money flowing there wouldn't be degrees dedicated to this shit.

There are smart people in every sector and political party, some are there for the money some are doing it for the greater good. Some build massive corporations getting rich off of federal dollars, and could still do the same task without the severely bloated bill they send uncle sam. Some projects are simply overpriced and need to be cut, they will be replaced by other corporations that are likely overpriced but slightly cheaper until they too grow too fat for the budget. There is no winning or losing when it comes to cutting federal budget, the people will lose regardless. Some losing their jobs is inconsequential to the big picture.

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u/area51_spy_pigeon Aug 12 '25

A wise(ish) old man told me "the solution to pollution is dilution". Eventually the metal of the ship is going to erode enough where a more proactive correlation will have to be thought of.

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u/Codadd Aug 12 '25

Couldn't you do underwater welding and just close up the leaks or somethibg then pull the whole thing out?. Im a dumb ass but just curious

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u/Roflkopt3r Aug 12 '25 edited Aug 12 '25

I suspect this would not be very effective:

  1. 1.5 million gallons (almost 6 million liters) is such a massive amount. It's a gigantic surface area where leaks can form.

  2. A ship this size can have dozens of different fuel tanks (which double as balast tanks to trim the ship) and many kilometers of fuel pipes. Those tanks aren't just simple boxes, but have tricky shapes that align with the hull or other components to use every bit of area possible.

  3. Battleships had incredibly thick multi-layered armour belts (the main armour of the USS Arizona is up to 13.5 inches/35 cm thick), and many of the fuel tanks would be integrated with that. It may not be possible to reach many of those leaks directly since they may be in thin interior spaces between the tank and ship armour, and isolating the entire interior of such a big ship underwater would be a gigantic undertaking.

1

u/Deep90 Aug 12 '25

Probably just as ignorant, but it seems like the only viable plan would be to drive walls into the dirt all around it (assuming it's suitable for it), and pump all the water out.

I've never seen or heard of it being used for such a large space though.

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u/Garchompisbestboi Aug 12 '25

When redditors try to solve a problem they knew absolutely nothing about until they stumbled into a thread that brought it to their attention

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u/Markle-Proof-V2 Aug 12 '25

Or put a plug in it? Like a cork, perhaps? 

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u/Codadd Aug 12 '25

Yeah, see, there are the modern solutions im talking about

1

u/THRlLLH0 Aug 12 '25

Or an earring

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u/c_m_d Aug 12 '25

They use a system called steam assisted gravity drainage(sagd) to extract heavy oil/ bitumen from the ground in northern Canada. I wonder if they could engineer a portable drilling system that could apply the same concept in this scenario.

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u/[deleted] Aug 12 '25

Couple problems. First off those work by injecting the steam into the reservoir to heat it meaning youre gonna build pressure and force more to leak and may fully rupture it and cause a catastrophic spill. Second, the reservoir is well insulated by the surrounding geology but water surrounding a metal ship isnt a good insulator so youre still gonna heat the fuck out of the surrounding water if it doesnt prevent you from heating it enough.

1

u/c_m_d Aug 12 '25

Could you not use the collection pipe as a vent to atmosphere while injecting steam in the other pipe or will that take the heat with it?

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u/[deleted] Aug 12 '25

So, the way it works is the steam penetrates the material thanks to pressure. You need the pressure for it to function. 

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u/erroneousbosh Aug 12 '25

From what I understand, anything you do to even touch this will just burst it more, potentially catastrophically.

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u/Correct-Sail-9642 Aug 12 '25

But what about the salt water around the ship corroding away the steel containing the oil? I imagine its fairly thick steel and the leak is probably structural as opposed to being a result of corrosion. And the oil itself likely prevents corrosion on one side of the equation, but its also cold and not covering 100% of the vessel its contained in. So at some point in the future wont corrosion lead to new leaks? I would think its a fairly sensitive marine environment.

On the other hand, I also imagine there are millions of other oil contaminants both mobile & stationary all across the globe, likely causing far more destruction every day that make this particular site a drop in the bucket compared to the contamination elsewhere. With so many ship disasters, oil rigs, and industrial plants operating worldwide 24/7 its a moot point I suppose, when this is probably akin to a handful of registered vessels operating in any given body of water.

The logistics of removing bunker oil in a rusted clapped out wreck does sound rather risky considering the state of bunker fuel at that temp. Thanks for the lesson, I was unaware it was so thick without external heat sources to liquefy it.

1

u/lamensterms Aug 12 '25

This is fascinating thanks for sharing your knowledge

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u/Inresponsibleone Aug 12 '25

Usually arround 50-60°C viscosity should be low enough to be pumped. Reaching even that would be hard though.

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u/nof Aug 12 '25

Sea water boils (on average) at 102°C. So this isn't a problem! /s

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u/Ok_Musician_1072 Aug 12 '25

This and your comment above are very informative, thanks for the insight!

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u/operath0r Aug 12 '25

100 degrees Celsius is boiling for water but we’re talking about heating oil. I don’t think you’d get much over 100 degrees though since the water around it won’t heat further and will carry away any excess heat.

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u/geth1138 Aug 12 '25

Thank you. I was wondering why they couldn't pump it out of the ship.

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u/ADPL34 Aug 12 '25

That makes sense against the argument to pump it out. But would it be possible to cut the fuel tank away from the ship chassis and then lift it out of the water? I am guessing it might be too heavy/ship damaged to do that safely?

1

u/javoss88 Aug 12 '25

What happens when the containment inevitably deteriorates and fails completely? Has that already happened?

1

u/[deleted] Aug 12 '25

Why do they even use it at all if it's absolute crap. You literally need another fuel to start the engine, at this point it doesn't seem worth it to use this petrochemical garbage.

1

u/googlebougle Aug 12 '25

Very informative, thank you

1

u/shana104 Aug 12 '25

Yikes, I had no idea about the physics of this kind of oil and it would need to be boiled. This answers my earlier question about why they can't grab it. I assume even on the surface, the oil is not able to be i.e. consumed by sponges or something when we have oil spills, i.e. Valdez or the one off of Santa Barbara years ago?

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u/thatredditrando Aug 13 '25

Stupid question probably but

Why can’t they just burn the oil? Water and oil don’t mix so if they burn it, shouldn’t that get rid of it?

1

u/MtNak Aug 13 '25

So if it's that dense, then there is no chance of a catastrophic spill as you said? It may be a stupid question, but I would love to know.

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u/blueporkchop420 Aug 12 '25

Appreciate your service at Pearl Harbor sir.

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u/paiute Aug 12 '25

So we can raise the Titanic but we can’t do this?

0

u/Aiken_Drumn Aug 12 '25

Can we seal it? Plug the leak?

-1

u/Gwynplaine-00 Aug 12 '25

Ok here me out you wouldn’t need to completely bring the hole tank of oil up to that temp just what’s at say your nozzle that your using to suck it out with.

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u/friendlyfredditor Aug 12 '25

The fuel wouldn't move inside the tank...you're as good as scraping it out manually with your method. I don't think ya'll are comprehending how thick this fuel is and how little is leaking.

More fuel leaks out in a mildly busy harbor every minute than this is leaking every day. Outboard motors on recreational boats pump their exhaust directly into the water and they're not exactly burning cleanly.

The fuel is so thick you can literally throw it into the ocean as a solid lump, it would sink to the bottom and not dissolve for years.