China Accused of Salvaging WWII Ships

news.usni.org...

The Malaysian coast guard detained a Chinese bulk cargo ship carrying unexploded shells that may have been looted from United Kingdom Royal Navy World War II wrecks HMS Prince of Wales and HMS Repulse, which were both sunk by torpedoes days after the attack on Pearl Harbor.

The Malaysian Maritime Enforcement Agency is questioning the 32 member crew about the ship’s recent activities in its waters. Investigators from several Malay law enforcement agencies and the Malay Heritage Department are searching the ship for suspicious cargo that could be connected to the illegal scavenging of other World War II wreckage sites or taken from unexploded ordnance caches discovered in a recent raid on a Johor scrapyard.

First, shame on China for looting grave sites. Let those sailors rest in peace.

second, hard for me to believe that this is cost effective. I understand marine hardware and materials have value. Apparently the wrecks are only about 200 feet deep, so I guess that's manageable.

I wonder; is there something ELSE on those ships worth seeking? sounds like something from a Clive Cussler book.

a reply to: ElGoobero
I hate to admit it… the 1st image that came to mind was of one of those metal scavengers pickup 🛻 trucks in Chicago back in the 80s and 90s, no rear coil springs, missing a bumper and a quarter panel, limping to the recycle yard with old trundle bed box springs, manhole covers and radiators…. But in this case in a boat with a red flag

a reply to: ElGoobero

The steel of these ships are extremely valuable for two main reasons; valuable scrap and more importantly, low background radiation in the metal.

Archeologists believe the criminals might be turning a profit because the hulls are one of the world’s few remaining deposits of “low-background” metals. Having been made before atomic bomb explosions in 1945 and subsequent nuclear tests, the steel is free of radiation. This makes even small quantities that have survived the saltwater extremely useful for finely calibrated instruments such as Geiger counters, space sensors and medical imaging.

Source

It's pretty sad that people would sink this low. But when it comes to China, nothing surprises me.

Chinese culture doesn't care about gave sites, they'd pull the fillings from your teeth before you were dead just to make a buck.

The steel in those ships is before most of the nukes were set off, making it one of the most valuable metals in the planet. We should have been salvaging them decades ago.