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Re: Radioactivity???

Posted by Jim on Tue Jul 30, 2002 11:29:34 AM

In reply top Re: Radioactivity??? posted by Cees on Tue Jul 30, 2002 03:42:50 AM


I'm not a scuba expert, but I'm under the impression that wreck diving will give you somewhere between 15 and 30 minutes of dive time, depending on your tanks. Am I right? That said, I theorize that this amount of time being exposed to residual radiation might not be enough to be harmful. But, if an airframe was brought up and restored, I (personally) would not be comfortable sitting or flying in it without wearing some lead underwear. ;-)

And I agree that the US Navy will never permit salvage of these airframes. Strangely, they don't seem the least bit bothered by digging up the remains of Civil War sailors who perished in the USS Monitor, though. (Human remains were found in the gun turret that was recovered last year.) They do what they want, I guess.






: Hi Jim,
:
: I remember seing a program on television years ago about a
: diving investigation into Saratoga. It showed divers sitt
: in in the cockpit of a Hellcat and also swimming around th
: e Helldivers. It appears that the level of radioactivity h
: ad decreased drastically and made it possible to approach
: the many wrecks which were used for the atomic tests.
:
: But as you also remarked the chances that one or more of t
: hese airframes will be recovered are very slim.
:
: Cees

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