The story of the Nazi ship that sank 80 years ago and became toxic at the bottom of the sea

the remains of a nazi ship sunk by British warplanes in the North Sea in 1942 they are still leaking hazardous chemicals 80 years later, according to a study published in the journal Frontiers in Marine Science.

The study confirms that the pollutants carried by the ship, including polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) from its fuel, heavy metals and explosive traces are affecting seafloor microbiology and geochemistry around the site of the shipwreck.

Researchers suggest that the thousands of shipwrecks of the Second World War in the North Sea, between Great Britain and the European continent, pThey could likewise threaten the marine environment.

The Nazi ship that continues to pollute

“Heavy metals can come from various sources: metalwork, but also fuels (coal), paints and lubricants,” explains project manager Maarten De Rijcke of the Flemish Marine Institute in Belgium.

However, there are some indications that marine life is adapting to the wreck, with some bacteria possibly feeding on the wreck.

De Rijcke said the remains of V-1302 John Mahn are under consideration because her location in the North Sea offers good hydrological conditions to ship her from the coast of Flanders; it is away from shipping lines, with good visibility and at an accessible depth; and was known to contain ammunition, which had been mentioned by recreational divers.

The Belgian scientist and his colleagues wanted to know if these wrecks were still affecting the surrounding microbial communities and sediments on the seabed. where they are found, giving researchers a unique insight into the environmental threats they pose.

What was the Nazi ship that sank in the North Sea like?

The John Mahn was a German trawler, but after the outbreak of World War II in 1939 she was requisitioned by the German Navy – called the “Kriegsmarine” under the Nazis – as a “vorpostenboot”, or patrol boat, under the designation V-1302.

The Kriegsmarine established its base in the occupied Dutch port of Rotterdam, and in February 1942 he served in Operation Cerberus, a major naval action also known as the “Channel Dash”- as part of a convoy escorting the heavy cruiser Prinz Eugen and to the battleships Scharnhorst and Gneisenau across the Channel to the ports of Germany.

But V-1302 John Mahn was sunk by British bombers in action on February 12, 1942.; twelve of her crew perished, while 26 others were rescued by German vessels nearby.

The latest study is part of a project to catalog thousands of WWII-era shipwrecks in the North Sea and prioritize the most dangerous ones for closer inspection.

​ Wrecks, such as the John Mahn V-1302, can act as an artificial reef for marine life, but they can also filter dangerous chemicals that affect the underwater environment around them.

“The ammunition and fuel found on this sunken ship were in common use on all Kriegsmarine vessels,” he said. the leader of the Belgian team.

As for the chemical leaks, the study showed that although many of the chemicals were dangerous,

The highest levels of metals such as nickel and copper were found in samples taken near the ship’s bunker, its fuel supply, while the highest concentrations of PAHs were found in samples taken closest to the vessel.