OSLO, Norway (20 Dec 2006) -- More than 60 years after being torpedoed by the British navy, a German submarine built to attack allied shipping continues to spread fear off the coast of Norway. The wreckage of the U-864, sunk on a desperate mission to supply Japan with advanced weapons technology, now poses a major environmental threat because of its poisonous cargo: 70 tons of mercury. Residents on the tiny island of Fedje, in the North Sea on about the same latitude as Scotland's Shetland Islands, want the sub removed. But authorities say that a salvage operation could result in a catastrophic spill, and suggest entombing the wreck in the seabed with rocks, cement and sand. "Local people are very concerned," Fedje's Mayor Erling Walderhaug said yesterday. "They wanted it taken away so the danger would be gone for good." The U-864 tried to skirt allied navy patrols on a last-ditch secret mission code-named "Caesar," to deliver jet-engine parts, missile-guidance systems and mercury for weapons production to Germany's ally, Japan. British experts discovered the mission by breaking a German code. In a rare underwater duel, the British submarine HMS Venturer stalked the U-864 for three hours before it finally sank it Feb. 9, 1945, about 21/2 miles off Fedje. The German submarine was only 14 months old when it sank with a crew of 73 in 500 feet of water. The wreck lay undisturbed for almost 60 years until Norway's Royal Navy found it in March 2003. Oslo's newspaper Dagbladet has called it "Hitler's secret poison bomb." The mercury containers are rusting, and some are leaking. Studies found elevated mercury levels in the silt around the wreck, but so far only fish that live inside have been contaminated, according the Norwegian Food Protection Authority. Fishing is not allowed in the waters nearby. After spending three years and about $6.5 million researching the problem, the Norwegian Coastal Administration recommended encasing the submarine with sand to prevent the spread of mercury. The method, it said in a report released Tuesday, has been successfully used 30 times worldwide and would probably be less risky than attempting to lift the nearly-2,000-ton submarine. | | Spotted off Maui last year was this humpback calf with severe injuries to its back that experts believe were caused by a boat's propeller. "Encasing and covering are seen as permanent environmental measures," said Gunnar Gjellan, who leads the government's U-864 project. "The coastal administration recommends that the parts of the wreck be covered with a type of sand as an absorption material and an armoring layer on top to prevent corrosion." The Ministry of Fisheries and Coastal Affairs said it will review the report before making a decision. For the people of Fedje, near Bergen, Norway's second-largest city, leaving the wreck where it lies means that the toxic cargo will continue to threaten their port - possibly for generations. When released into the ocean, metallic mercury, the silver fluid once used in thermometers, can become more dangerous organic mercury. Through fish, organic mercury can be passed on to humans in food. Mercury poisoning can be fatal, and even small amounts can damage the nervous system. The Norwegian environmental group Bellona has asked that the submarine be removed, but Bellona's Marius Dalen, who has followed the project from the start, said that the group would review the report. "We wanted to see it raised to be sure that it does not become an environmental risk over time," Dalen said by telephone. There is concern, he said, that the torpedoes aboard might explode if an attempt is made to raise the vessel. Experts are also worried about the condition of the U-864's keel, where the mercury bottles were stored. "We would not want to have something happen halfway through the lifting operation that would spread mercury," he said. 
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