193 dives later, World War II wreck gives up its dangerous cargo

Professional Mariner ^ | Oct 1, 2019 | Bill Bleyer

[artichokegrower]

In one of the largest operations of its kind ever undertaken in the United States, a salvage contractor working with federal and state agencies has removed 476,000 gallons of oil from a leaking tanker sunk off Long Island by a German U-boat during World War II.

[artichokegrower]

Coimbra was one of the many merchant vessels lost off the East Coast during what German submarine commanders referred to as the “Second Happy Time,” when Axis subs destroyed more than 600 Allied ships in eight months. On the first day of the recovery project, there was a moment of silence to honor those who lost their lives on the tanker 77 years ago. Only 10 of the 46 crewmembers survived.

RIP brave mariners.

[rfreedom4u]

If we added up the amount of oil from all the ships that were sunk during WW2 how much would it be?
And where did it all go?

[Rummyfan]

RIP sailors.

[crz]

Quite a lot of it was burned up by the fires as a result of the sinkings.

But, I would bet that all the oil, gas, munitions, etc, were added up the eco fruits would have a stroke.

[Rummyfan]

If we added up the amount of oil from all the ships that were sunk during WW2 how much would it be?

The USS Arizona is still leaking oil, seventy-eight years after being sunk.

[duckman]

“And where did it all go?”
It’s my understanding that over time bacteria consumes the oil. This was said regarding that massive oil leak in the Gulf of Mexico several years ago.

[ryderann]

I was a little kid during WWII living in Daytona Beach. There were days the Shore Patrol closed the beach to the public when “things” floated to shore following a ship being blown up.

[laplata]

Thanks for sharing that. did you ever see blazes of ships afire at night?

[artichokegrower]

Check Tuck Lagoon. Estimated 32,000 tons of oil still remaining there.

What Lies Beneath: The World War II Relics of Chuuk Lagoon

http://www.slate.com/blogs/atlas_obscura/2013/11/21/chuuk_truk_lagoon_is_filled_with_the_remains_of_japanese_world_war_ii_ships.html

[ferret_airlift]

Well, in Sheerness there’s a sunken ammunition ship that most likely will go off at some point and take out that bit of coast.

Then there’s the lost mines from WW1 that have thousands of pounds of explosives, waiting to go up...

[Jeff Chandler]

Axis subs destroyed more than 600 Allied ships in eight months.

As I understand it, after the Krauts declared war on the U.S., the merchant ships on our side of the Atlantic were then targeted by the U Boats. Unfortunately, the Navy brass decided to ignore the experience of the British, and chose NOT to use convoys. Hundreds of ships were sunk before they relented and used convoys.

BTW, do you know what Douglas MacArthur actually said to the Filipinos as the Japs closed in?

"You'll hang in there. I'm going to Australia."

[Hugh the Scot]

My own Grandfather Hugh was a merchant Mariner in WWII. With God’s help he survived.

[stationkeeper]

I live in Charleston SC and I worked in the maritime field before I retired. That out of the way, I have a naval atlas of WW2 ship sinkings by theater and of course the U.S. East Coast was active early on with +/- 100 ships sunk between north Florida
and just south of New York. At least 60 percent were fully laden oil tankers...hell, the Germans wouldn’t have wasted a torpedo on a empty ship.
Point is, whenever there is even a small <100 gallon spill from a ship or workboat in Charleston harbor, you would think the world is coming to the end based on the way people react to it.
I tell them if WW2 didn’t permanently harm the ocean then nothing can.

[ryderann]

No, when the ships went by, we were under blackout conditions. If there was a light coming from your house, a warden would come around and yell at you to put the light out. There were high towers every few miles all along the sand dunes for the coast watchers. I imagine they saw a few explosions and fires. There was also a bunch of huge searchlights all along the shore. Civilians weren’t allowed to take photographs while on the beach. Your camera would be confiscated. Those of us who lived on the beach side were stopped by the SP to have our car searched before we could drive over the bridge to the mainland. Us kids thought it was a lot of fun.

[BradyLS]

Still in holds or spilt on the bottom of the ocean, I’d say. Anything that leaked out has long since dispersed, I imagine.

...Wait!...Oh, no!... *sobbing* Beating the Nazis and Imperialist wrought a CLIMATE DISASTER and triggered the oncoming CLIMAPOCALYPSE!!!

[hanamizu]

BTW, do you know what Douglas MacArthur actually said to the Filipinos as the Japs closed in?
“You’ll hang in there. I’m going to Australia.”

---

If we had had the capability to take all of the Filipinos to Australia, we would easily defeated the Japanese in the Philippines. As it was MacArthur and his family had to use PT boats and submarines to get out.

Reading Hornfischer’s “Neptune’s Inferno” right now about the Navy at Guadalcanal. Even in late ‘42 we didn’t have the oil transport available to fuel our fighting ships effectively. And as it turns out neither did the Japanese.

I doubt we’d have been able to effectively defend the Philippines even had our battleships survived Pearl Harbor.

[JudgemAll]

Yes. They even have clams consuming it. Gulf of Mexico has cracks with natural oil slicks in quantities greater than all the oil tanker slicks in the world.

[JudgemAll]

Same for the natural oil slicks due to oil seeping from natural cracks in the Gulf of Mexico. They amount to much more than what man kind causes in the area.

[laplata]

Thank you.

[Captain Rhino]

Also check the Ulithi anchorage.

The USS Mississinewa, AO 59, was sunk by a Japanese Kaiten suicide submarine with a loss of 63 officers and sailors. 1.8 million gallons of fuel were recovered from the upside down wreck in 2003 and sold in Singapore for $0.50/gallon to help cover some of the recovery costs.

https://www.pacificwrecks.com/ships/usn/AO-59.html