Underwater assessments of the sunken World War II tanker Montebello have found no oil onboard.
The announcement follows 11 days of surveys and sampling by a remotely operated dive vehicle at the wreck site more than six miles off the coast of Cambria. Samples of cargo and fuel tanks found no quantifiable amount of oil onboard.
“After careful evaluation of the data, we have concluded with a high level of confidence that there is no oil threat from the S.S. Montebello,” said Coast Guard Capt. Roger Laferriere , one of two on-scene commanders of the expedition.
Although it will never be known exactly what happened to the more than 3 million gallons of crude oil that were onboard the tanker when it was sunk in December 1941, computer modeling by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration indicates that the oil leaked gradually from the wreck over a long period of time.
“Such modeling indicates that most of the oil remained offshore and headed south. Some would have evaporated within the first few days, and the remainder may have washed ashore but may have been so widely scattered that it went unnoticed,” said Jordan Stout, NOAA scientific support coordinator.
The dive vehicle took a variety of samples from the ship’s tanks, from sediment around the wreck and from the hull. Ultrasonic testing of the hull indicates that it is structurally sound, and metallurgic sampling will help determine its corrosion status.
The final report on the Montebello assessment is expected to be released next spring. Tank and sediment samples are being sent to laboratories for further analysis. However there was no visual evidence of contamination in the sediment.
The Montebello assessment was a joint operation between the Coast Guard and the state Department of Fish and Game Office of Oil Spill Prevention and Response. State Sen. Sam Blakeslee, R-San Luis Obispo, praised the multijurisdictional cooperation and described the results as a huge relief.
Officials feared that if large amounts of oil remained on the wreck, it could leak catastrophically, causing a widespread oil spill along the coast.
“The U.S. Coast Guard and OSPR deserve enormous credit for leading this complex and technically challenging project,” Blakeslee said. “The team brought to bear the best minds and most advanced tools to ascertain the condition of this 70-year-old shipwreck.”
Capt. Chris Graff, the state’s on-scene commander of the mission, said researchers used new technology that gave them surgically precise control over the dive vehicle and research vessels. Those techniques could be used to assess the ecological danger of other sunken vessels.
Cost of the operation is estimated to be $5 million. It was funded by the Oil Spill Liability Trust Fund, using fees paid by the oil industry and not general taxpayers.
SanLuisObispo.com is happy to provide a forum for reader interaction, discussion, feedback and reaction to our stories. However, we reserve the right to delete inappropriate comments or ban users who can't play nice. See our full terms of service here.
Here are some rules of the road:
You should also know that The Tribune does not screen comments before they are posted. You are more likely to see inappropriate comments before our staff does, so we ask that you click the "report abuse" button to submit those comments for moderator review. You also may notify us via email at webmaster@thetribunenews.com. Note the headline on which the comment is made and tell us the profile name of the user who made the comment. Remember, comment moderation is subjective. You may find some material objectionable that we won't and vice versa.
If you submit a comment, the username of your account will appear along with it. Users cannot remove their own comments once they have submitted them, but you may ask our staff to retract one of your comments by sending an email to webmaster@thetribunenews.com. Again, make sure you note the headline on which the comment is made and tell us your profile name.
Be the first to know what's going on in San Luis Obispo County. Just tell us how you want to find out — we'll take care of the rest.
Sign up for breaking news alerts from SanLuisObispo.com and get the latest news sent to your cell phone via text message.
By signing up for alerts from this site, you are signing up for a program that may include up to 5 SMS text alert(s) per alert category per day. There is no service fee charged per month but your carrier's standard text messaging and other charges may apply. You may stop this subscription service at any time by sending the text message "STOP" to 72737. You must be at least thirteen (13) years of age to use our alert services. If you are between 13 and 17 years old, you agree that you have received parental permission both to complete the registration process and to receive SMS content on your cell phone. For help, send the text message "HELP" to 72737. This service will work with ATT, Verizon, Sprint, Nextel, Alltell, US Cellular, Cincinnati Bell, Boost, Virgin Mobile USA, Celluar South, Telos, Centennial, East Kentucky Network, Cellcom, Immix and Rural Celluar.
E-mail »
Twitter »
Facebook »
iTribune »
Subscribe »
RSS »
About comments
Reader comments on SanLuisObispo.com are the opinions of the writer, not The Tribune. If you see an objectionable comment, click the "report abuse" button below it. We will delete comments containing inappropriate links, obscenities, hate speech, and personal attacks. Flagrant or repeat violators will be banned. See more about comments here.