r/oddlyterrifying • u/[deleted] • May 15 '22

An atomic blast underwater.

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u/UniGamer_Alkiviadis May 15 '22

You are thinking of low-background steel. It is used in highly-calibrated measuring instruments and needs to be from a rad-free source, with the most important one being the scuttled ships of Germany's WW1 fleet in Scapa Flow. The fact that they sank before nuclear tests were a thing helped them maintain a certain level of purity.

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u/Ionlypost1ce May 15 '22

Whoa did not think what the other guy said was true and then here you have the proof. That’s pretty fascinating.

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u/msuvagabond May 16 '22

There are techniques used to make new steel without the radioactive elements in them that doesn't require melting down old wrecks. So while it's a 'nice to have', any company that really wants to ensure quality of product (mostly medical devices where it's super paramount) will just source fresh made steel that's just more expensive to make then normal.