bill clarke
05-29-06, 04:20 AM
This is a copy of a thread in a forum on modelwarships website, thought I'd put it here for comment discussion. The first part deals with the desecration and the second gives a possible motive for it.
First.
One of our customers recently attended a university lecture by Dr. Eric Groves on the Jutland battle and the site today. Unfortunately, there are things now going on in the North Sea that should be of concern to all of us who honor the past. I quote from the e-mail I received:
"The wrecks are being systematically destroyed by Commercial (not British I may add) salvage companies for the non Ferrous metal. The bow of HMS Indefatigable has actually been blown up on the sea bed to split open the hull to gain access to the material inside. These ships are war graves for over a thousand men. The theme all day today at the University is what can be done on the Legal front to prevent this, There are enough ship modelers on this planet, who I believe would share my disgust at what is happening & maybe if we all shout together we may be heard. I have lost the link to SMML at the moment but as soon as I can get restored I am going to post my thoughts. There are a lot of good people on that mailing list."
There are a lot of good people on this board, too. Clearly, international law is being flouted. It would be nice if the RN could send a warship through the area regularly, but I suspect that's not a high priority at the MoD.
All the best,
John Snyder
Second
In the book 'The Great Scuttle', detailing the story of the scuttling of the High Seas Fleet in Scapa Flow, it is stated that there is value in the steel of ships sunk before 1945, that is, before the atmospheric atomic bomb explosions started. It says that metal created before that time is "pure" in terms of traces of radioactive elements that are now in the atmosphere, and enter the post-1945 produced steel during the production process.
Such pure, high quality steel finds uses in radioactive detectors and/or shielding applications. Some of the post-1945 salvaging of the High Seas fleet scuttled in Scapa Flow went to for such uses.
I do not know if the disturbance of the war graves now taking place is in any way connected to such an economic motive, but in such a case I wonder who the final recipients of the steel are.
I will contact the local GreenPeace office on this, to see if they may wish to follow up on it.
Your'e thoughts ladies and gents ?
First.
One of our customers recently attended a university lecture by Dr. Eric Groves on the Jutland battle and the site today. Unfortunately, there are things now going on in the North Sea that should be of concern to all of us who honor the past. I quote from the e-mail I received:
"The wrecks are being systematically destroyed by Commercial (not British I may add) salvage companies for the non Ferrous metal. The bow of HMS Indefatigable has actually been blown up on the sea bed to split open the hull to gain access to the material inside. These ships are war graves for over a thousand men. The theme all day today at the University is what can be done on the Legal front to prevent this, There are enough ship modelers on this planet, who I believe would share my disgust at what is happening & maybe if we all shout together we may be heard. I have lost the link to SMML at the moment but as soon as I can get restored I am going to post my thoughts. There are a lot of good people on that mailing list."
There are a lot of good people on this board, too. Clearly, international law is being flouted. It would be nice if the RN could send a warship through the area regularly, but I suspect that's not a high priority at the MoD.
All the best,
John Snyder
Second
In the book 'The Great Scuttle', detailing the story of the scuttling of the High Seas Fleet in Scapa Flow, it is stated that there is value in the steel of ships sunk before 1945, that is, before the atmospheric atomic bomb explosions started. It says that metal created before that time is "pure" in terms of traces of radioactive elements that are now in the atmosphere, and enter the post-1945 produced steel during the production process.
Such pure, high quality steel finds uses in radioactive detectors and/or shielding applications. Some of the post-1945 salvaging of the High Seas fleet scuttled in Scapa Flow went to for such uses.
I do not know if the disturbance of the war graves now taking place is in any way connected to such an economic motive, but in such a case I wonder who the final recipients of the steel are.
I will contact the local GreenPeace office on this, to see if they may wish to follow up on it.
Your'e thoughts ladies and gents ?