YAP (28 Aug 2001) -- About a dozen Navy-contracted divers have plugged an oil leak from a sunken World War II ship in a lagoon off Ulithi Atoll in Yap State, officials reported yesterday. The divers found the source of the leak -- a cracked 4-foot pipe -- and despite heavy winds Sunday were able to seal the crack with a concrete plug, officials said. "The Navy is extremely pleased that the divers were able to locate and fill the cracked pipe so quickly," said Lt. Monica Richardson, the local Navy spokeswoman. The divers arrived Friday and Saturday. About 700 people live on Ulithi Atoll and depend heavily on the lagoon's fish for food and income, according to Yap officials. The divers, six of whom are from Guam, will now determine how much oil is left on the ship, whether there are other potential leaks, and whether any oil that might remain needs to be pumped out, Richardson said. The source of the spill is the USS Mississinewa, a 553-foot Naval fuel ship sunk in 1944 by a "kaiten" one-man Japanese suicide submarine. Officials from Yap State, which is part of the Federated States of Micronesia, said the spill began after a storm shifted the boat's position about three weeks ago. Yap officials then reported that the boat was leaking 300 to 500 gallons of oil per hour. Kaiten type 4 sub - top speed: 40 knots | | Anchored in Virginia, May 24, 1944 But a Coast Guard team that assessed the spill last week reported that conditions in the lagoon "were not consistent" with that volume and said the environmental impact was "minimal." No determination has been made yet about whether a clean-up effort is needed, officials said. The Coast Guard team reported that the spill is mostly contained in a slick in the lagoon and has not greatly impacted the shores. Yap officials said their government does not have the money to pay for the assessment or for a clean-up, if one is needed. © CDNN - CYBER DIVER NEWS NETWORKCDNN Editor's NoteThe USS Mississinewa was relocated earlier this year by a team of California divers. For details, go to CDNN news report: US dive team finds USS Mississinewa AO-59, sunk in WWII by Japanese kaiten suicide torpedo submarine |
