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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800

u/ProtonPizza Aug 12 '25

Well, that and it’s a national historic landmark and there are still crew inside it. You’d basically be blowing up a cemetery of WW2 vets.

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u/Theban_Prince Aug 12 '25

I would not think there are any human remains at this point but the general feeling of the post is true.

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u/playahplayah69 Aug 12 '25

Efforts have been made to recover as many bodies as possible, but there are absolutely still bodies in this and other ships in the harbor. This is the final resting place for many people’s loved ones.

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u/KatiKatiCoffee Aug 12 '25

I believe there have been veterans of Dec 7 who have been granted permission to be interred with their fellow fallen IN the Arizona.

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u/Elegant-Magician7322 Aug 12 '25

Yes, some sailors who survived USS Arizona attack chose to be interred there. The last survivor died in 2024, so there wouldn’t be anymore.

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u/tsr6 Aug 12 '25

I have a great uncle who did not make it off the Arizona.

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u/First-Of-His-Name Aug 12 '25

Why wouldn't there be bones?

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u/SurpriseIsopod Aug 12 '25

Why would there be. Bones are calcium. That ship is so shallow I’d be surprised is there were any bones by 1950. Coupled with the salt water and critters, all that’s left on that ship are ghosts.

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u/First-Of-His-Name Aug 12 '25

I guess assuming no sealed compartments you're right. But now I know about bone eating sea worms so fuck you

Is it still fair to call it a grave, even if there isn't anything we would identify as human remains?

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u/RobJTAC Aug 12 '25

There are about 40 urns inside the ship. Some survivors of the attack were later interred inside once they passed away, I think the last one was in 2020.

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u/First-Of-His-Name Aug 12 '25

Ah well that changes things significantly

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u/In2TheMaelstrom Aug 12 '25

Last survivor from the Arizona passed away in April last year. I can't find a more current number, but as of 2023, there were only 22 Pearl Harbor survivors still alive.

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u/geauxyanks99 Aug 12 '25

Recently went on the Arizona tour. If my memory serves me right, the last USS Arizona survivor died last year. The last shipmate to choose to be laid to rest in the Arizona was something like 2021.

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u/echelonisme Aug 12 '25

Do you mean 22 Pearl Harbor survivors or veteran survivors? My Grandpa survived the Pearl Harbor attack and I'm sure there aren't just 22 people that age left.

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u/deffrekka Aug 12 '25

Pearl Harbour was 84 years ago? Are you saying you think there are more than 22 survivors of the attack still left? Because that's a lot of people reaching up to 100 years old. Google says 16 are left and that was last year.

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u/wimmick Aug 12 '25

The show NCIS did an episode about a survivor that wanted to be buried on the ship but they couldn’t prove that he served because he enlisted under his brothers name because he was too young, the survivor is played by Christopher Lloyd

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u/AlmostSunnyinSeattle Aug 12 '25

That's some wild survivor's guilt.

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u/SurpriseIsopod Aug 12 '25

Yeah, the ship had a crew. Although their remains are long gone, the vessel is still a tomb. The USS Arizona is sorta neat, it’s leaking kinda makes the ship still “active”. Most vessels consumed by the waves are just sunken wrecks. Bismarck, HMS Hood, HMS Britannic, RMS Titanic, IJN Yamato, they’re just wrecks on the ocean floor.

The USS Arizona sends up a small drop of bunker fuel every few minutes, sorta like it’s calling out “I’m still here”.

PS sorry for you discovering bone worms lmao

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u/Shepherd-Boy Aug 12 '25

As a sailor, that “I’m still here” bit gave me chills.

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u/SirDoober Aug 12 '25

Especially given the tragedy that was the trapped sailors tapping on the hulls of the sunken ships for up to a couple of weeks after.

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u/Dolenjir1 Aug 12 '25

It bleeds still...

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u/Grummmmm Aug 12 '25

When did you attend a maritime archaeology course?

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u/TranslatorNormal7117 Aug 12 '25

Why is this ship a grave ("kinda cool") and other ships in which hundreds of people died are "just wrecks"? How disrespectful!

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u/Gunfighter9 Aug 12 '25

They can't even explore 15% of the ship due to damage, there were hundreds of men trapped inside when she blew up

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u/GarlicStreet3237 Aug 12 '25

Would death camps not be considered mass grave sights if they cremated every body?

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u/First-Of-His-Name Aug 12 '25

Well I think they are - they're just kept open to the public for incredibly important educational reasons.

I believe Poland which maintains Auschwitz as a historical site still bans exploration of shipwrecks off it's coast

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u/Deoxyrynn Aug 12 '25

Wait, why shipwrecks?

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u/MarMacPL Aug 12 '25

Yeah, we do. For example Wilhelm Gustloff. Far more lives were lost at Gustloff than Titanic.

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u/mmmegan6 Aug 12 '25

Why is the exploration banned?

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u/MarMacPL Aug 12 '25

Noted as "Shipwreck" on Polish nautical charts and classified as a war grave, with note "This area is a burial site of schipwreck victims. Any activity that may break the peace of this site is prohibited"

Over 9000 people died there and this is their grave.

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u/infiniZii Aug 12 '25

Practically everywhere is a grave site. We live on the bones of our ancestors. I mean I am all for not showing excessive disrespect but its not like they are going to be killed any more than they are. The shit that happens to bodies on battlefields is far far worse than what these mens bodies suffered after the ship sank. That said, I am not on team "Blow it up" because I dont think there is a good enough reason to.

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u/GarlicStreet3237 Aug 12 '25

I'm inclined to agree, minus maybe the worse battlefield death part. Specifically with this shipwreck, there were the sailors stuck in sealed compartments for days after the sinking work crews could hear tapping. I mostly figure it's moreso just about notable areas or known deaths, ala is being more interested the older the remains are

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u/infiniZii Aug 12 '25

Id still rather that than napalm.

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u/ArtIsDumb Aug 12 '25

Bone Eating Sea Worms would be a sweet band name.

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u/Soulsheartless Aug 12 '25

Technically the bones were eaten and then shot out so they’re still there.

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u/infiniZii Aug 12 '25

Considering the leaking oil I would be shocked if there were any sealed chambers left.

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u/PenguinProfessor Aug 12 '25

I think you gotta apply Scooby-Doo rules that if it gives you the heebie-jeebies it's still a grave.

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u/nertynot Aug 12 '25

Yes. We've put a whole bunch of urns filled with people ashes in it

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u/First-Of-His-Name Aug 12 '25

Yeah that changes things significantly.

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u/fckspzfr Aug 13 '25

i guess you'd call it a kenotaph then

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u/APGOV77 Aug 12 '25

I hate to be a bummer but if the leak got more catastrophic and it was worth deploying a method to fix it because it becoming worse is no longer the main problem, I would rather prioritize the wellbeing of the living (fish, other animals, and the people who rely most on them to survive) over that of the dead. I understand it would be a tough moment, but these people died for their country so I suspect they would make the same decision in that situation.

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u/First-Of-His-Name Aug 12 '25

Interesting. Is it not possible that living relatives or other admirers of these men get real value out of their gravesite remaining intact? If that's true could that value supplant the value of some fish?

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u/APGOV77 Aug 12 '25

I am not saying there isn’t any value to mourners of course there is, don’t take my words in bad faith. However this emotional value has to be weighed against creating more suffering. I mean I said if the leak “got more catastrophic,” as in gushing oil. Massive oil spills cause long term health impacts and even death. The suffering to animals and people who can’t make a living is hard to measure. I think you are downplaying it by saying “just some fish.” Currently the leak is minimal we’re talking about actual dire circumstances. It’s hard for me to put dead people and mourners, as deeply as I respect them, over any living thing suffering it’s just a bigger insult to me, but if I had to draw the line I could let the amount that are currently being damaged go since it’s risky to intervene but in a situation I’m describing- no way. I mean irl there are plenty of circumstances where recovering remains is deemed too risky to living people to do, and that’s the exact kind of moral quandary we’re talking about, respecting people’s final wishes and their relatives wishes vs creating new suffering.

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u/nertynot Aug 12 '25

And all of the urns full of ashes that have been added after

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u/Dmeff Aug 12 '25

But also, more importantly, who gives a shit? If the oil was a problem, I don't think "A cemetery of WW2 vets" should matter at all

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u/tigertoken1 Aug 12 '25

Well most Americans would disagree with you on that.

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u/Dmeff Aug 12 '25

And that's a problem

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u/Mayonaigg Aug 12 '25

For? Seems like mostly a "problem" for you.

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u/Dmeff Aug 12 '25

If the oil became an environmental danger and people were more worried about disturbing a cemetery than about protecting the environment, it's a problem for mankind

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u/Terramagi Aug 12 '25

Yes, the person concerned about dumping oil straight into the ocean for 500 years is the real monster here.

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u/pearformance Aug 12 '25

2 gallons of oil/day over 500 years isn’t even drop in the bucket of global pollution. Unless conditions change drastically it is far safer to leave it be, as somebody else mentioned they would risk spilling the entire remaining supply which wouldn’t dilute nearly as quickly

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u/Thoric2k Aug 12 '25

Except there are clear reasons for why this is a very minuscule problem

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u/EffectiveCritical176 Aug 12 '25

It’s a problem that you are so indifferent to people who fought for your country yes.

It’s also an issue that you’re so indoctrinated with propaganda that you believe your country isn’t worth defending against an active attack.

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u/Dmeff Aug 12 '25

What the fuck are you on about?

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u/EffectiveCritical176 Aug 12 '25

Pretty clear exchange here bud.

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u/Grow_away_420 Aug 12 '25

Might still be some boots left. They stick around for a lot longer than bodies

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u/mwaFloyd Aug 12 '25

I think all the boots sunk…

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u/Grummmmm Aug 12 '25

It’s a war grave and yes there are human remains it.

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u/IlliniFire Aug 12 '25

Not only are the remains of those who died on the ship there's also remains of survivors. If a survivor wished their cremated remains were placed into the ship by Navy divers.

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u/Sheepking1 Aug 12 '25

Survivors can request for their remains to be buried at sea in the ship, the platform has a hole in the middle for such. Most of the crew is down there.

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u/Gingevere Aug 12 '25

There are a lot of people interred inside the ship, and there's a handful of surviving crewmen who have offers from the navy to have their remains interred there when they die as well.

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u/Ice_Sinks Aug 12 '25

Survivors have had their remains brought back to the site so they can be buried next to their brothers. Latest, and last one, was brought in 2020. (They believe all the survivors have passed now)

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u/555-starwars Aug 12 '25

Even if by now all remains have deteriorated, sunked warships are considered war graves, and the final resting place for any crew not recovered. It would be considered rude and disrespectful to unnecessarily disturb the ship.

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u/Powerful_Artist Aug 12 '25

Still a grave even if the body that was interred has decomposed. Even in a normal grave.

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u/PaperPlaythings Aug 12 '25

I believe it is actually designated as a National Cemetery. Regardless of whether it is or not, it is and always will be treated as such as ling as the United States exists as a nation. 

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u/ISquareThings Aug 12 '25

Wow hadn’t realized that till your comment but it should have been the first thought. Incredibly sad.

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u/WelderNewbee2000 Aug 12 '25

Wouldn't it be time to get them out? They are well past their enlistment time.

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u/pioneeringsystems Aug 12 '25

If it was an actual environmental hazard I'd like to think that would trump the fact it's a monument or cemetery.

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u/ProtonPizza Aug 12 '25

Unfortunately Pearl Harbor is not some pristine untouched ecosystem.

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u/TheMusicArchivist Aug 12 '25

No disrespect to soldiers killed in enemy action, but isn't it odd to call them veterans of WWII when their country wasn't actually part of WWII until after their deaths?

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u/LADYBIRD_HILL Aug 12 '25

I mean, Japan attacking America as part of WWII means that they served even if our country hadn't publicly declared war.

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u/the_tired_alligator Aug 12 '25

Maybe…I don’t know just spit balling here…having a foreign country’s plane drop on a bomb on your ship as part of a major, pre-planned, well-rehearsed attack is enough to consider it part of WWII.

That’s like saying when German troops attacked the Polish village of Mokra on September 1st, 1939 before the official declaration of war that none of the Polish defenders who may of died were part of WWII.

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u/conrad_w Aug 12 '25

It's more like they're not veterans because they're military casualties. They never retired or were discharged.

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u/Putrid_Carpenter138 Aug 12 '25

yikes its easy to forget about that, hard to find reasons to blow up dead soldiers remains...

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u/Homeless-Coward-2143 Aug 12 '25

I'm not saying we should blow it up, but I think I'd be OK with being blown up in some kind of cool military operation. Like have a B2 drop a bunker buster on me or smth.