USS Arizona still leaking oil?

[snopes]

Comment: We recently visited Pearl Harbor and were very impressed to see
that the Arizona is still leaking oil all these years later (supposedly 2
liters per day according to the guides). When we came home, though, a
friend told me that this is just a publicity stunt and that the tanker is
not still leaking oil. She said she was told this by a WW2 vet. I cannot
find anything definitive on the subject. I would love it if you could
help me find out.

USS Arizona contains an estimated 500,000 gallons (2,300 tons) of Bunker C fuel oil, which has been slowly escaping since its loss.

More here http://www.pastfoundation.org/Arizon...2.htm#StillOil
They're studying hull thickness etc to determine future and possible impacts etc.

Warlok

[Malruhn]

Every couple years, the Coast Guard gets yelled at for not cleaning up the oil - and when the topic is broached to the memorial backers, the lawmakers immediately scream that, "You CAN'T!! It is a memorial and you have to leave it like it is!!"

I'm just waiting for a seam to blow - and let loose with 10,000 gallons of oil in a day - THEN we will be able to run some hoses down there and suck the tanks dry.

(This ends today's lesson on politics and environmental protection. Brought to you by a frustrated eco-warrior.)

[Delta-V]

I believe they were successful at pumping most of the oil out of the USS Mississinewa at Palau. Should be possible to do the same to the Arizona, particularly since it's in such shallow water. They need to get over the 'it's a memorial' thing. Gravesites are regularly tended and memorials are maintained all the time. I don't think the sailors who's bodies are still on board would have wanted their final memorial to be a 500,000 gallon oil slick.

[ET1 (SS)]

Originally Posted by snopes

Comment: We recently visited Pearl Harbor and were very impressed to see
that the Arizona is still leaking oil all these years later (supposedly 2
liters per day according to the guides). When we came home, though, a
friend told me that this is just a publicity stunt and that the tanker is
not still leaking oil. She said she was told this by a WW2 vet. I cannot
find anything definitive on the subject. I would love it if you could
help me find out.

I have been on subs that tied-up on Ford Island across from the memorial.

I was told about the oil leak. though I have not witnessed it.

[Seaboe Muffinchucker]

Originally Posted by Malruhn

I'm just waiting for a seam to blow - and let loose with 10,000 gallons of oil in a day - THEN we will be able to run some hoses down there and suck the tanks dry.

I know that as an eco-warrior, you're supposed to hate the EPA (because they aren't harsh enough on the evil, nasty corporations that are the cause of all our environmental ills), but that is a nightmare scenario for them, too. It's very high up on their anxiety list.

Seaboe

[Lainie]

Originally Posted by Delta-V

I believe they were successful at pumping most of the oil out of the USS Mississinewa at Palau. Should be possible to do the same to the Arizona, particularly since it's in such shallow water. They need to get over the 'it's a memorial' thing. Gravesites are regularly tended and memorials are maintained all the time. I don't think the sailors who's bodies are still on board would have wanted their final memorial to be a 500,000 gallon oil slick.

Indeed. If I were to find out that the soil in the cemetery where my relatives are buried had been contaminated by, say, USTs used to store gasoline for the cemetery's maintenance vehicles, I wouldn't object to efforts to clean it up. And that's leaving aside the issue that the "cemetery" in question in the OP is in the Pacific Ocean.

[Troodon]

Originally Posted by Lainie

Indeed. If I were to find out that the soil in the cemetery where my relatives are buried had been contaminated by, say, USTs used to store gasoline for the cemetery's maintenance vehicles, I wouldn't object to efforts to clean it up. And that's leaving aside the issue that the "cemetery" in question in the OP is in the Pacific Ocean.

I do think that the oil needs to be removed, but I think a better analogy would be if your relatives' coffins were leaking poisonous chemicals into the soil.

[Lainie]

Originally Posted by Troodon

I do think that the oil needs to be removed, but I think a better analogy would be if your relatives' coffins were leaking poisonous chemicals into the soil.

You're right, that is a closer analogy. And if that were happening, I wouldn't object to mitigation being done, even if it involved temporarily disinterring my relatives.

ETA: Assuming it were done appropriately and with respect. I'm not overly sentimental about graves, but I think a certain amount of deference (?) is appropriate.

[firefighter_raven]

USS Arizona oil leak

As for "getting over the memorial" idea... give it time. There are only a few men left for whom that twisted hunk of metal is more then just a potential oil leak... For them it is a symbol of what they survived and what so many of their friends and comrades did not. Not just the attack on Pearl Harbor but all that happened after.

And from what I read they are studying what they did with the USS Mississinewa to help in figuring out the best way to deal with both issues....

[Giant Communist Robot]

Originally Posted by snopes

Comment: We recently visited Pearl Harbor and were very impressed to see
that the Arizona is still leaking oil all these years later (supposedly 2
liters per day according to the guides). When we came home, though, a
friend told me that this is just a publicity stunt and that the tanker is
not still leaking oil. She said she was told this by a WW2 vet. I cannot
find anything definitive on the subject. I would love it if you could
help me find out.

Leaking oil as a 'publicity stunt' seems pretty lame, especially since those people are park rangers and U.S. Navy personnel. Does the Navy feel they have to intensify the drama? Why would a WW2 vet be privy to stunts like this anyway?

I live in the immediate area and have been to the Memorial many times (its free). I usually check for evidence of oil; sometimes I see what may be an oil slick.

[Zorro]

I have pictures showing blobs of oil on the surface of the water around the memorial, from 2001, when I was on my honeymoon. (Sorry, they were taken from a 35mm, and I don't have a scanner.) The guides told us the leaking oil story, too. I actually saw one blob of oil come up to the surface while there.

[Skeptic]

I have seen a few times in boating magazines that fuel oil contaminates at the rate of one part polluting one million parts of water.
Not sure if this is true, but it sounds plausible.

One thing that needs to be taken in to account is deterioration of the tanks holding the fuel. We could have a massive spill if a tank ruptured. The wreck is now over 60 years old, by comparison, experts have noticed rapid deterioration in the Titanic, which is only some 30 years older.

[Roadie]

Originally Posted by firefighter_raven

As for "getting over the memorial" idea... give it time. There are only a few men left for whom that twisted hunk of metal is more then just a potential oil leak... For them it is a symbol of what they survived and what so many of their friends and comrades did not. Not just the attack on Pearl Harbor but all that happened after.

You're probably right. As soon as that last geezer kicks off, we oughta haul that rust bucket up and drag it to the dump.

[CannonFodder]

Originally Posted by firefighter_raven

USS Arizona oil leak

As for "getting over the memorial" idea... give it time. There are only a few men left for whom that twisted hunk of metal is more then just a potential oil leak... For them it is a symbol of what they survived and what so many of their friends and comrades did not. Not just the attack on Pearl Harbor but all that happened after.

It's not just a symbol for those veterans who survived the attack on Pearl Harbor, but for every veteran. Its status as a memorial is not likely to ever diminish.

[DemonWolf]

In a way, I like that she still "bleeds" after all these years. It is kind of poingiant in a way.

However, there is a real environmental hazard there and it should be cleaned up. If the thought of the Arizona bleeding is important, perhaps the oil can be replaced with something environmentally friendly.

[firefighter_raven]

Originally Posted by CannonFodder

It's not just a symbol for those veterans who survived the attack on Pearl Harbor, but for every veteran. Its status as a memorial is not likely to ever diminish.

I'm of the leave it alone it's a memorial group but can understand others concerns.. very similar to dealing with Ground Zero...
I hope to eventually visit and pay my respect someday
I'd just be interested to watch the "who cares about the memorial save the fish" group have shown up to a Dec 7th service and tell those men that the ship below doesn't matter....

[Hapax Legomena]

A tale has been told for years that once the last survivor has died, the oil leak will stop. It would be rather fitting if a cleanup could be delayed until the final ashes are interred and so would make the story come true...yeah, I'm kind of a sucker for stories like that.

[Squirt]

HMS Royal Oak is still leaking oil into Scapa Flow, and was about the same size as USS Arizona. Presumably they both still have a large amount of ammunition on board, but I guess that's gradually getting less risky as the water seeps in and it starts breaking down.

[Salamander]

Originally Posted by firefighter_raven

I'm of the leave it alone it's a memorial group but can understand others concerns.. very similar to dealing with Ground Zero...
I hope to eventually visit and pay my respect someday
I'd just be interested to watch the "who cares about the memorial save the fish" group have shown up to a Dec 7th service and tell those men that the ship below doesn't matter....

How about the "the memorial is important but so are the fish so let's work out a solution that does the least harm to both" group? Because based on the posts in this thread thus far, there are no "who cares about the memorial" people.

I'm sure some exist, but they aren't here.