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SS Montebello (sunk near San Simeon in WWII) contains no oil
I thought this was kind of interesting; I've heard over the years that the wreck may be an oil spill just waiting to happen, but it seems like a survey last October found that the cargo has leaked away and dissipated. Good news!
The mission called for an underwater remotely operated vehicle to travel 900 feet to the wreck, survey the site, drill and plug several small holes in the cargo tanks and take cargo and sediment samples. The massive list of difficult objectives needed to be completed within a two-week timeframe.
...
Over the next 11 days, the ROV returned to the final resting place of the Montebello using cleaning tools, nuclear imaging technology and a drilling system to tap cargo tanks. It drew samples after drilling a one-inch hole through the ship’s hull to the tanks – at the same time it sealed any gaps to avoid potential spillage. A sample was extracted into the drill, and the remaining hole was sealed.
After the samples were collected and examined by scientists, it was determined Montebello posed no risk to the environment because it had lost its cargo sometime in the past. After examining the evidence, the mission was called a success.
...
Over the next 11 days, the ROV returned to the final resting place of the Montebello using cleaning tools, nuclear imaging technology and a drilling system to tap cargo tanks. It drew samples after drilling a one-inch hole through the ship’s hull to the tanks – at the same time it sealed any gaps to avoid potential spillage. A sample was extracted into the drill, and the remaining hole was sealed.
After the samples were collected and examined by scientists, it was determined Montebello posed no risk to the environment because it had lost its cargo sometime in the past. After examining the evidence, the mission was called a success.
http://www.military.com/news/article/coast-guard-news/coast-guard-year-in-review-pacific-southwest.html
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http://cambriahistoricalsociety.com/history_montebello.html
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http://www.independent.com/news/2010/aug/30/could-sunken-wwii-tanker-leak-oil/