Europe's worst drought in years exposes explosives-laden, World War II Nazi shipwrecks in Danube Ri

Europe's worst drought in years has pushed the mighty river Danube to one of its lowest levels in almost a century, exposing the hulks of dozens of explosives-laden German warships sunk during World War II.
The vessels were among hundreds scuttled along the Danube by Nazi Germany's Black Sea fleet in 1944 as they retreated from advancing Soviet forces, and still hamper river traffic during low water levels.

Europe's worst drought in years exposes explosives-laden, World War II Nazi shipwrecks in Danube River

hope no one gets hurt from that stuff

wonder how much is salvageable

maybe they can settle the fates of some of their lost sailors

a reply to: ElGoobero

If they were scuttled, there are no bodies. The steel is very valuable for scientific instruments because it was made before the first atomic bombs were detonated. The steel can be used making very sensitive radiological instrument that are not contaminated by atomic bomb materials.

That would be interesting to explore.

Yes, if scuttled by those retreating…that means they were sunk by the owners deliberately. However, that does not mean that there are absolutely no bodies. To assume such would be a logical fallacy.

How would steel made before atomic bomb drops, somewhere on the globe, be any different than after? Once dropped…any existing fabricated items would have been subject to similar exposure, as any of the nearby components needed to forge new.

a reply to: Alignment

en.wikipedia.org...

Low-background steel is any steel produced prior to the detonation of the first nuclear bombs in the 1940s and 1950s. Typically sourced from shipwrecks and other steel artifacts of this era, it is often used for modern particle detectors because more modern steel is contaminated with traces of nuclear fallout.[1] Since the cessation of atmospheric nuclear testing, background radiation has decreased to very near natural levels,[2] making special low-background steel no longer necessary for most radiation-sensitive applications, as brand-new steel now has a low enough radioactive signature that it can generally be used in such applications.[3] However, some demand remains for the most radiation-sensitive applications, such as Geiger counters and sensing equipment aboard spacecraft, and World War II-era shipwrecks near in the Java Sea and western South China Sea are often illegally scavenged for low-background steel.[4]

this is the basics for it but the air they use to forge new steel also plays a part in it and can lead to limited contamination . water is also one of if not the best shielding agents for radiation

a reply to: Alignment

Molten steel will absorb atmospheric radiation, any steel forged before the first atomic tests is worth far more than modern steel.
Generally it's used for shielding and other scientific purposes.

originally posted by: lordcomac
a reply to: Alignment

Molten steel will absorb atmospheric radiation, any steel forged before the first atomic tests is worth far more than modern steel.

I'm not convinced that is still true, though it might have been true in the 1960s. Who exactly will buy it and how much will they pay for it today? Supporting links? I searched and only found stories about how it used to be wanted, but no concrete information that it still is in demand like it was in the past.

Generally it's used for shielding and other scientific purposes.

It was decades ago, is it still? Recent examples?

Here's a thread where someone has a client with steel forged before the first atomic tests, and his last post mentions telling his client he missed the window by decades:

"Good info. Now I get to inform the property owner that he missed his window by a few decades lol. Thanks everyone.

This was one of the links provided:

Is steel from scuttled German warships valuable because it isn’t contaminated with radioactivity?

Sorry, the market for old steel is now pretty much sunk. Reduced radioactive dust plus sophisticated instrumentation that corrects for background radiation means new steel can now be used in most cases.