Metallurgical and Corrosion Assessment of Submerged Tanker S.S. Montebello

Authors

Dana Medlin, Engineering Systems, Inc.Follow
James D. Carr, University of Nebraska - LincolnFollow
Donald L. Johnson, National Park Service Submerged Resources CenterFollow
David L. Conlin, National Park Service Submerged Resources Center

Document Type

Article

Date of this Version

2014

Citation

NACE INTERNATIONAL: VOL. 53, NO. 1

Comments

This document is a U.S. government work and is not subject to copyright in the United States.

Abstract

The Union Oil Tanker S.S. Montebello was torpedoed and sunk six miles (9.7 km) off the coast of Cambria, California by a Japanese submarine on December 23, 1941, two weeks after the attack on Pearl Harbor. With close proximity to the National Monterey Bay Marine Sanctuary, concern about possible crude oil contamination led to the most recent expedition to the site in October 2011. Assessment of the shell plate found that the average corrosion rate was very low and the structure will remain stable for many decades.