I was reading this article about how Chinese vessels have been illegally salvaging steel from sunk British vessels. The article, at one point, says the following:
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>News reports from the U.K. and Australia say salvage vessel Chuan Hong 68 was dredging with a deep-reach crane for the “high-quality steel” used to build the two warships. The steel could be smelted for other uses. The value comes from the steel’s production before the use of nuclear weapons and testing and is important for use in manufacturing some scientific and medical equipment.
So, what impact has nuclear weapons had on steel that makes old steel valuable?
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Look up “Pre-War Iron” and it’ll have everything you need to know.
When we make modern iron from ores a lot of air gets mixed through it, depositing atmospheric radioisotopes leftover from the atomic age that makes the iron a little radioactive. It’s fine for your kids swing set, but sensitive radiation detection equipment needs to not be radioactive itself, so any iron smelted prior to the nuclear age commands a higher premium.
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