Show Date: May 4, 2005
Pam Eastlick for the Marianas Variety

FINDING A GHOST SHIP
AND
LAUNCHINGTHE SHUTTLE

Greetings and welcome to The Deep column and the deepest radio show on Earth. The Deep is the science talk radio program that takes you from the depths of the ocean to the farthest reaches of the universe. This week on The Deep, aired at 6:00 this evening on K-57, we feature the eerie story of a doomed rescue ship in the last days of World War II. Then we’ll have some expedition calls. Maybe we’ll hear from Bob Silvers in the Mediterranean or talk to the crew of the Ranger. Then we’ll chat a little about the latest delay in the launch of the space shuttle Discovery and what it means. We’ll also have some science news updates and we’ll be taking your phone calls. Tune in tonight and join host Jim Sullivan, Pam Eastlick and our expedition coordinator Peter Melyan for the latest in scientific news! Then log on to www.thedeepradioshow.com for more information on all the latest and deepest news!

DIVING THE STEUBEN
In the waning days of WWII, the Germans knew things weren’t going well. The Russian army stormed into territory in Eastern Europe the Germans had held and wounded German soldiers and civilian refugees began a flight of terror back toward the German homeland.

In the middle of January 1945, the Germans began Operation Hannibal, a naval withdrawal. As the invading Russian army advanced, the flood of refugees eventually turned Operation Hannibal into one of the largest evacuations by sea in history. Over a period of four months, some 1,100 German ships would transport over two million people across the Baltic Sea to Germany.

All kinds of ships were pressed into service; ore haulers, freighters, naval vessels and fishing boats. But the most sought after were the ocean liners because of their great size and capacity for carrying thousands of people.
In the early afternoon of 9 February 1945, the former luxury ocean liner Steuben left the Polish port of Pillau for the three hundred mile trip to a port in northern Germany. Although she had an official capacity of 1,110 passengers, when she left port, the Steuben was carrying over 5,000 people. Many of them were wounded soldiers and surviving passengers recalled that all the cabins, halls and corridors were filled with wounded soldiers. Just when it seemed that the ship could hold no more, the captain took aboard an addition 1,000 refugees who were ordered to leave their baggage on the pier.

Night fell and the Steuben was well underway in a calm sea when the lights from the smokestacks of one of her torpedo boat escorts were spotted by the crew of the Russian submarine S-13, commanded by Alexander Marinesko. The submarine approached the Steuben, but one of the escorts turned and headed straight for S-13. The sub went into a crash dive but resurfaced later and at 2:50 a.m., the submarine launched two torpedoes at the Steuben. They scored a direct hit on the bow and 20 minutes later, it was over. The great ocean liner Steuben and her load of human cargo had vanished beneath the waves. Only 659 people survived.

The Steuben was discovered over 60 years later on the floor of the Baltic Sea by the Polish Navy. It lies on its side in 235 feet of water and is remarkably intact. Divers have reached the Steuben but they don’t linger long. The entire area in and around the wreck is covered with human remains, skulls and bones. Join us tonight on The Deep as we discuss this monument to the horrors of war.

PROTECTING THE SHUTTLE

The launch of the space shuttle Discovery has been postponed from the end of May to July. NASA scientists are not only worried about foam insulation for this launch but also the ice that forms on the shuttle's external fuel tank because of the low temperature of the fuel. Videotapes of earlier shuttle flights show the ice breaking off on liftoff, and NASA engineers are concerned that it could damage the shuttle as it flies into space. The launch windows for Discovery are much narrower than normal because NASA wants the first two post-Columbia launches to be in daylight. This is to insure good photography of the shuttle and its fuel tank, which has been modified to prevent it from shedding big pieces of foam insulation. NASA engineers also want it to be daylight over the North Atlantic so they can get good pictures of the fuel tank as it plunges earthward eight minutes after liftoff. The next launch window is from 13 to 31 July. If problems prevent the launch then, Discovery can’t launch until September and the window for visiting the space station will be very narrow then because of a scheduled Russian resupply mission.

In addition, problems with Discovery's fuel sensors will have to be fixed. One of the pre-flight tests on the shuttle was to fill its fuel tanks with 500,000 gallons of fuel, and NASA engineers discovered that two of its four fuel sensors were malfunctioning. The delay means Discovery will be removed from its launch pad and returned to its hangar to make the adjustments.

NASA’s new director says the delay is disappointing, but necessary to make the launch of Discovery the safest launch ever. Here’s hoping we return to space soon!

Whether we’re learning about old tragedies or looking to tomorrow, The Deep, hosted by Jim Sullivan with Pam Eastlick and Peter Melyan is the place to be on K-57 tonight at 6:00 p.m. Don’t miss it!