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03/25/10(Thu)16:55 No.583941>>583901
>http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/USS_Scorpion_%28SSN-589%29
inb4wiki:
>The U.S. Navy has periodically monitored the
environmental conditions of the site since the sinking and has reported
the results in an annual public report on environmental monitoring for
U.S. nuclear-powered ships and boats. The reports provide specifics on
the environmental sampling of sediment, water, and marine life that is
done to ascertain whether the submarine has significantly affected the
deep-ocean environment. The reports also explain the methodology for
conducting this deep sea monitoring from both surface vessels and
submersibles. The monitoring data confirm that, by the standards of the
U.S. Navy, there has been no significant effect on the environment. The
nuclear fuel aboard the submarine remains intact and no uranium in
excess of levels expected from the fallout from past atmospheric testing
of nuclear weapons has been detected by the Navy's inspections. In
addition, Scorpion carried two nuclear-tipped Mark 45 anti-submarine
torpedoes (ASTOR) when she was lost. The warheads of these torpedoes are
part of the environmental concern. The most likely scenario is that the
plutonium and uranium cores of these weapons corroded to a heavy,
insoluble material soon after the sinking, and they remain at or close
to their original location inside the torpedo room of the boat. If the
corroded materials were released outside the submarine, their large
specific gravity and insolubility would cause them to settle down into
the sediment. |
