Searching for a Lost PPW: SS William Rockefeller

Possibly the most unfortunate legacy of the Battle of the Atlantic is the great number of wrecks lying in coastal and marine waters that still contain oil, unexploded ordnance, and other pollution or safety hazards. This has become an increasingly pressing issue in recent years, as these wrecks are now entering their eighth decade underwater and many are experiencing significant structural degradation due to natural corrosion and anthropogenic causes. While some of these potentially polluting wrecks have been located and steps taken to mitigate their pollution risk, many more remain missing, particularly those which sank in deep water (NOAA, 2013a, b; Symons et al., 2014; Hoyt et al., 2021; Brennan, Chap. 1 , this volume).