UNL TEAM: USS ARIZONA INTACT, CORROSION STUDIED; 'PEARL HARBOR' MOVIE WILL RENEW INTEREST
Lincoln (Neb.) -- Researchers studying the USS Arizona anticipate the release of the blockbuster "Pearl Harbor" will have a renewing effect on nostalgia and interest in the future of the sunken battleship.
Now a tomb for servicemen who perished Dec. 7, 1941, the USS Arizona is encrusted with layers of sea deposits and corroding, leaking oil into Pearl Harbor. After 60 years under water, metallurgical engineers from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln are helping predict the remaining life of the battleship wreckage.
Professor emeritus Donald L. Johnson, associate professor William N. Weins and research specialist John D. Makinson, all in the Department of Mechanical Engineering at UNL, are in their second year of a research project to help determine the condition of the USS Arizona.
"Anytime you have a movie like this that reconnects generations with history, I think you have a renewed or refreshed interest," said Makinson, a USS Arizona researcher at Nebraska. "You have a lot of younger people who don't know what Pearl Harbor is or what it stands for, and what importance memorials like the Arizona have. I think the movie will generate interest in the memorial and our research."
Makinson is one of several divers who have ventured to the Arizona to recover metal samples and determine the stability and longevity of the wreckage. They find that thick layers of concretion or biofoul have acted as a barrier to metal corrosion, while accurately pinpointing the ship's metal content. They will determine how much the metal has corroded during the last 60 years and its weakest points. With that information, they will work with structural analysts to determine the future stability of the wreckage.
The Arizona was one of six ships destroyed during the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor, the subject of a major motion picture being released nationwide May 25. Struck by four lethal 1,800 pound bombs, its forward magazine exploded. Casualties aboard the warship numbered 1,177, many remaining entombed in the sunken ship. Efforts to raise the ship failed, and it was named a national war memorial. On Memorial Day in 1962 the USS Arizona War Memorial and Pearl Harbor Historic Landmark was dedicated, and has become a popular tourist site.
"The most important issue we've come up with so far is that the concretion or biofoul on the surface of the ship is protective and that the rate of corrosion appears to be very dependent on the biofoul or the concretion, and that concretion acts as a barrier," said Dr. Don Johnson. "The 'biofoul' consists of calcium carbonate, barnacles, mollusks and other deposits that have excreted on to the surface. That concretion varies across the surface."
Since the biofoul is acting as a protectant, the researchers have been interested in how and why the amount of material varies. They will be comparing the USS Arizona biofoul and metallurgy to those of the USS Missouri, which was recently moved to the harbor, and that of the submarine USS Bowfin, now also a floating museum.
Since initial salvage efforts in 1942, little research or observation on the Arizona had been done until an expedition in 1983 of the Submerged Cultural Resources Unit for the National Park. The UNL metal engineers are advising the park service, the U.S. Navy, and memorial staff.
Weins and Makinson became dive-certified and have accompanied divers on numerous inspections of the ship. Makinson and Johnson will return to Pearl Harbor June 17-29 for additional dives. The recent resurgence in publicity about Pearl Harbor because of the movie, a National Geographic magazine article and a National Geographic Explorer documentary has prompted additional interest in their research, which also could shed light on the expectations for other sunken vessels.
"There doesn't seem to be any immediate danger that it will break up or collapse," Weins said. When it does, thousands of tons of fuel which have remained onboard the sunken vessel, and have been leaking at a rate of a quart per day, could be released.
"We just don't have enough information at this point to put a handle on how long it will last. Is it 10 years? Is it 20 years? 200? That's one thing they're interested in getting a jump on." Weins said. "There is conflicting information about the thickness of the steel at various locations, and there are only theories on how much fuel remains on board, but it could be as much as 1 million gallons."
"None of what they find out will be bad news because we know one day, the ship will not be there. That is the course of nature. But the memories will always be there," said Kathy Billings, memorial director at Pearl Harbor. "The life of the ship is one of the number of questions we get frequently from visitors, as is what effect a catastrophic release of oil on board the ship would have to this harbor. We are grateful this Nebraska team showed up and offered to help. They have the expertise we have been needing."
30
Contacts: William N. Weins, associate professor, metallurgical engineering -- (402) 472-3088; Donald L. Johnson, professor emeritus, Mechanical Engineering -- (623) 975-1657; John D. Makinson, materials research specialist -- (402) 472-1681
Kelly H. Bartling, Public Relations -- (402) 472-2059http://www.unl.edu
RSS