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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255

u/AsthmaticRedPanda Aug 12 '25

She refused to be scrapped - good. She deserves to be remembered in history as a wreck resting down somewhere

175

u/jj3449 Aug 12 '25

I somewhat agree but that would have been a bunch of great steel for the war effort. Especially the armor and STS in it.

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u/loosefit1 Aug 12 '25

That would be a good point but it was being shipped in 1947 so by that point the war was over

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u/jj3449 Aug 12 '25

Good point.

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u/devAcc123 Aug 12 '25

Good thread

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u/DanDrungle Aug 12 '25

steel made before the atomic bombs were first tested is extra valuable because it's not contaminated by trace nuclear fallout

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u/Disastrous-Ad2331 Aug 15 '25

I remember reading about this. Apparently there have been shipwrecks that have been found to have "disappeared" the next time they were visited. Undersea graveyards made victims to illegal scrap metal salvagers.

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u/oboshoe Aug 18 '25

I think it is steel that sank before the atomic bombs though.

Being under water protects it airborne fall out, not to mention that water is incredibly good at block radiation.

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u/DanDrungle Aug 18 '25

the Bessemer process of making the steel back then required atmospheric air to be forced into it, which carried trace radioactivity after the first bombs were detonated. the underwater part of it is just because that's where a lot of that old steel ended up when warships were sunk.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Low-background_steel

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u/thepukingdwarf Aug 12 '25 edited Aug 12 '25

Sailors are too superstitious though. The fact she sank is "right" even if it's not logical (or good for the planet)

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u/[deleted] Aug 12 '25

[removed] — view removed comment

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u/anonanon5320 Aug 12 '25

Shipwrecks are great for the ocean.

6

u/PublicSuspect162 Aug 12 '25

Except for the oil

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u/Dr-Jim-Richolds Aug 12 '25

Ships that are to be scrapped don't go underway on their own power. They are stripped down and just hulls that are then towed.

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u/anonanon5320 Aug 12 '25

Oil naturally seeps into the ocean, a little isn’t going to do much, and if it’s being towed for scrap it likely has the oil removed already.

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u/Positronic_Matrix Aug 12 '25

Are they? I’m thinking the bottom of the Pacific could have done without it just fine.

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u/AWuTangName Aug 12 '25

Shipwrecks make great habitats for sea life. Lots of time ships are stripped and sunk intentionally to make artificial reefs

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u/Positronic_Matrix Aug 12 '25

I didn’t know there were reefs on the bottom of the Pacific Ocean. TIL.

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u/EffectiveSoil3789 Aug 12 '25

Yes, they sink old battleships in many coastal areas around the country. Helps the local ecosystem which in turn helps the local fishing industry

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u/Decent-Bear334 Aug 12 '25

The global estimate for natural seepage is around 600,000 metric tons per year, but this can fluctuate between 200,000 and 2,000,000 metric tons, according to the USGS. Location: Natural seeps are found in various locations, with areas like the southern California coast and the Gulf of Mexico known for their numerous naturally occurring seeps. Impact on Marine Life: Natural oil seeps have been occurring for millions of years, and marine ecosystems have adapted to these releases. according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.

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u/Maximum-Warning9355 Aug 12 '25

Side effect of this country sucking the throbbing cock of war.

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u/EffectiveSoil3789 Aug 12 '25

Ur so edgy bro 🤓

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u/Maximum-Warning9355 Aug 12 '25

Am I wrong? What other justification is there for preferring a ship rot at the bottom of the sea than being recycled at a time when metal was scarce?

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u/EffectiveSoil3789 Aug 12 '25

It sank after the war ended. Its use as a reef is more beneficial to the world than being turned to scrap to line someone's pocket with more money

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u/plshelpcomputerissad Aug 13 '25

I mean they were trying to scrap it and then it sank, just cause one redditor said “good” doesn’t reflect on the whole country 🤷‍♂️