Warship Wrecks - Found Or Not Found?

[Type941]

Originally Posted by Dowly

Or are they just too lazy to do it?

Yup, that's it.

[swifty]

Originally Posted by Type941

Yup, that's it.

She just has not started leaking enough to pose any major danger to the environment.

The Navy MUDSU 1 along with NAVSE SUPSALV recently offloaded 2 million gallons of oil from the WWII tanker USS Mississinewa (AO 59), destroyed by a suicide torpedo.

A Power Point of the salvage can be downloaded here: http://www.supsalv.org/essm/ppt/MISS_Web_Summary.ppt

As of 2007, 66 years after the explosion that destroyed Arizona, oil leaks from the hull still rise to the surface of the water. The USS Arizona continues to leak about a quart of oil per day into the harbor.[1] Survivors from the crew say that the oil will continue to leak until the last survivor dies. Many of the survivors have arranged for their ashes to be placed in the ship, among their fallen comrades, upon their death and cremation. The Navy, in conjunction with the National Park Service, has recently overseen a comprehensive computerized mapping of the hull, being careful to honor its role as a war grave. The Navy is considering non-intrusive means of abating the continued leakage of oil to avoid the further environmental degradation of the harbor. This abatement may very well occur when the last surviving crewmember dies.

[bookworm_020]

Originally Posted by swifty

She just has not started leaking enough to pose any major danger to the environment.

The Navy MUDSU 1 along with NAVSE SUPSALV recently offloaded 2 million gallons of oil from the WWII tanker USS Mississinewa (AO 59), destroyed by a suicide torpedo.

A Power Point of the salvage can be downloaded here: http://www.supsalv.org/essm/ppt/MISS_Web_Summary.ppt

They are planning to do a simmlar operation with the Royal Oak http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/HMS_Royal_Oak_%2808%29

[authorshop]

I know this topic was first mentioned a while ago now, but I am new to the site so here goes, I hope this is of interest to someone: With regards to the Nazi aircraft carrier Graf Zeppelin; the wreck was located in 2006. It lies in some 85+metres in the Baltic sea. She is fairly intact, and stands tall off the sea bed. There are signs of extensive damage to her bow, superstructure and flight deck. If you are interested, I have written a book that is available through my website on www.withoutwingsonline.co.uk it contains 28 images and includes photo's of the wreck. I also provide a bit of background information on my site if you want to know more about the ship.

Regards, Steve Burke

[Kapitan_Phillips]

What about the Gneisau (sp?)?

[joea]

Originally Posted by Kapitan_Phillips

What about the Gneisau (sp?)?

Scrapped wasn't it? IIRC the RAF hit her with a bomb while she was unloading ammo, there was talk of re-arming her with 15 inch guns (6 instead of the 9 11 inchers) but it came to naught. I do believe some of her turrets were installed as coast fortresses in Denmark or Norway, someone will correct me.

[AntEater]

Gneisenau was hit by the RAF in Kiel shortly after the Channel dash in 1942.
One of the luckiest hits of all times: the bomb detonated on the anti-bomb armour deck just beside the air vent of the propellant charge magazine for A turret. Hot splinters fell through the air vent and caused a detonation which lifted the A turret out of its bearings, destroyed a major part of the forecastle and killed 112 men.
While the whole forecastle was gutted she could still move under her own power and tranferred to Gotenhafen assisted by icebreaker "Stettin", which still exists as a museum ship.
That was to be part of a major reconstruction, in which the 15 cm secondary guns and the 10,5 cm flak were to be replaced by 12,8 cm dual purpose turrets, so the secondary artillery was landed as well.
Hitler was not content with the original 28 cm armament anyway (after insisting on it in the first place!) so the barbettes were constructed to take heavier calibers as well.
The forecastle was pretty much gutted.
The conversion scheme fell through after the Kriegsmarine shifted all priorities to U-Boats in 1943.
The old 28 cm turrets and secondary armament were installed in Norway, where one turret ("C", I think) and some 15 cm guns are still existing as museums.
Gneisenau was used as a Blockship in Gotenhafen in 1945, and was apparently torpedoed by both sides, last time by german S-Boats because a soviet artillery spotter had taken up residence in her main mast.
The Poles raised her in 1950 and scrapped her.

Scharnhorst was discovered in the Barents sea a few years ago, but is not in good shape.

[seafarer]

Did you check wrecksite?

http://www.wrecksite.eu/wrecksite.aspx

also http://www.ukdiving.co.uk/wrecks/index.php

[HMS Hood]

They raised Oklahoma from Pearl then scrapped her. Also don't go diving at Graf Spee it is covered in fishing nets and the waters muddy so you might die. NOT KIDDING!!:dead : Graf Zeppelin was raised by the Soviets and the Germans let them keep it for scrap.

[bigboywooly]

Originally Posted by HMS Hood

They raised Oklahoma from Pearl then scrapped her. Also don't go diving at Graf Spee it is covered in fishing nets and the waters muddy so you might die. NOT KIDDING!!:dead : Graf Zeppelin was raised by the Soviets and the Germans let them keep it for scrap.

Not quite true
Under the Allied Tripartite Commission, a "Category C" ship (damaged or scuttled) should have been destroyed or sunk in deep water by August 15th 1946 Instead, the Soviets decided to repair the damaged ship and it was refloated in March 1946.

Last known pic in April 47 leaving Swinemünde

http://neverhost.net/grafzeppelinn8.jpg

Pictures of her find in 2006

http://www.hss.mw.mil.pl/index.php?akcja=galgraf#nogo

[AG124]

@ HMS Hood - BBW already addressed your point on the Graf Zeppelin, but I would like to take the opportunity to make a minor correction on your point about the USS Oklahoma - she was indeed raised and sold for scrap (or just the bare hull, actually) but she was never actually scrapped, as she foundered and sank off the coast of Hawaii while under tow back to the mainland in 1946.

[nikimcbee]

Then there are all those missing midget subs that they have found! The one off Oahu and Syndey Harbor.

[iambecomelife]

Originally Posted by AG124

@ HMS Hood - BBW already addressed your point on the Graf Zeppelin, but I would like to take the opportunity to make a minor correction on your point about the USS Oklahoma - she was indeed raised and sold for scrap (or just the bare hull, actually) but she was never actually scrapped, as she foundered and sank off the coast of Hawaii while under tow back to the mainland in 1946.

IMO the wreck won't be much to look at, because they removed most of her upperworks and probably the turrets before the scrap tow. The top 10 WWII warship wrecks that I would like to see found are:

1. Indianapolis
2. Glorious
3. Juneau
4. Akagi
5. Barham
6. Kaga
7. Helena
8. Shinano
9. Hiei
10. Dorsetshire

EDIT - you probably realized she was stripped, based on your "bare hull" comment.

[nikimcbee]

Originally Posted by iambecomelife

IMO the wreck won't be much to look at, because they removed most of her upperworks and probably the turrets before the scrap tow. The top 10 WWII warship wrecks that I would like to see found are:

1. Indianapolis
2. Glorious
3. Juneau
4. Akagi
5. Barham
6. Kaga
7. Helena
8. Shinano
9. Hiei
10. Dorsetshire

I say, find the U-47, end the mystery.

[SavoIsle]

Just a quick note going out to AG124 Grey Wolf.
I've also been doing some extensive research on the events of 9 August 1942, on the occasion of the 1st Battle of Savo Isle. I've been able to obtain some info (however limited) from various wreck divers out of Tulagi, (Florida) on wreck locations for at least a few of those ships you had listed.


Some limited info (and a pretty good map) has surfaced to provide for diver accouints for the Quincy, Astoria, Vincennes, DeHaven, Northampton, HMAS Canberra, and even USS LST 342 in Tokyo Bay. Wish I had some way to attach the map image here. Pretty cool actually.


If you guys get a chance, read up on the Quincy and the Laffey, and their sad fates. All fascinating stuff! You might also want to catch Richard Seaman's classic "342" Tokyo Bay photos at:
http://www.richard-seaman.com/Travel/SolomonIslands/NgellaIslands/Lst342/index.html


Just thought I'd share with you guys and pass along.

SavoIsle