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Also the Scorpion wreck has been surveyed twice and imaging shows the nuclear weapons are still there in the wreck. Wreck is ~3k meters deep, so no one is goi

Also the Scorpion wreck has been surveyed twice and imaging shows the nuclear weapons are still there in the wreck. Wreck is ~3k meters deep, so no one is going down there to get themselves a 1960s vintage nuke whose only value is the fissile material. An entity capable of executing that recovery operation is capable of making their own, buying one from a less savory nation state, etc.

alex_sf 4y ago
I would hope even small nation states have greater resources than James Cameron.
- 7952 4y ago
  The difference is that for James Cameron's projects could rely on buying existing expertise from contractors. A small nation has to build that themselves in secret.
- moffkalast 4y ago
  One would, but well he is James Cameron.
- throwaway4aday 4y ago
  If you think about it, the actual disposable wealth of a lot of small nations is probably less than what Cameron himself could marshal and spend if he wanted to. A nation in the best case needs to get the buy in of its people and administrators in order to spend a large sum of money on an expensive project. The budget for that project has to compete with all of the other expenses and ambitions that the nation has.
londons_explore 4y ago
Any determined nation could take that. In fact, I wouldn't be surprised if someone hasn't already taken it, and left a dummy weapon in its place. Sure, deep sea exploration by humans is hard... But using unmanned craft, they're mostly impervious to pressure.
- devoutsalsa 4y ago
  Why bother? You could get uranium much more easily from other sources.
  - londons_explore 4y ago
    It's already enriched and comes with a working design. For a non-nuclear nation, that would be all they'd need to become a nuclear nation. Then blow it up in a test explosion to show the world, and then they could work slowly on making another bomb while bluffing that they have lots ready to go.
- jl6 4y ago
  They could be nice honeypot locations for the US to continuously monitor, to see who turns up with robotic submersibles. An early warning system for identifying actors with nuclear aspirations.

alex_sf 4y ago

I would hope even small nation states have greater resources than James Cameron.

7952 4y ago
The difference is that for James Cameron's projects could rely on buying existing expertise from contractors. A small nation has to build that themselves in secret.
moffkalast 4y ago
One would, but well he is James Cameron.
throwaway4aday 4y ago
If you think about it, the actual disposable wealth of a lot of small nations is probably less than what Cameron himself could marshal and spend if he wanted to. A nation in the best case needs to get the buy in of its people and administrators in order to spend a large sum of money on an expensive project. The budget for that project has to compete with all of the other expenses and ambitions that the nation has.

londons_explore 4y ago

Any determined nation could take that. In fact, I wouldn't be surprised if someone hasn't already taken it, and left a dummy weapon in its place. Sure, deep sea exploration by humans is hard... But using unmanned craft, they're mostly impervious to pressure.

devoutsalsa 4y ago
Why bother? You could get uranium much more easily from other sources.
- londons_explore 4y ago
  It's already enriched and comes with a working design. For a non-nuclear nation, that would be all they'd need to become a nuclear nation. Then blow it up in a test explosion to show the world, and then they could work slowly on making another bomb while bluffing that they have lots ready to go.
jl6 4y ago
They could be nice honeypot locations for the US to continuously monitor, to see who turns up with robotic submersibles. An early warning system for identifying actors with nuclear aspirations.