Lead Bars Found in Boat

[Leocat]

Hi, I am new to this forum, which I discovered while attempting to determine what I have found. My son bought an old Hatteras Motor Yacht to restore. In the boat were stored 11 large very fine uniform bars of lead weighing 54# each. They are all identical in shape, 2" square and about 2' long. They are apparently designed as movable ballast with what appears to be a ledge handle on each end. This may give them the ability to be stored on some sort of bar rack, or may just serve as a handle for two men to lift by. The strange thing is they all contain two identical marks near each end on the top, resembling a NAZI Swastika.

I have searched the net and feel that they must have come from a WWII German Sub, but that is a guess at best as I have not been able to learn anything. I will try to upload a photo but have no experience at that.

[mold maker]

If its really just soft lead, you've got 590+ lbs of $1./lb trading material. Can you mark it with your fingernail?
You may also have a collectible if from a WWII sub.

[thegreatdane]

I wanna see pictures!

[Thecyberguy]

I wanna see pictures!

I bet a bunch would like to see them.

I think you have a very nasty material on your hands and need to take care of it by sending it all to me and I will dispose of it properly for you at no charge....LOL


Just kidding!

Sounds like you have a good find there.

[Defcon-One]

Nazi ship, maybe. Nazi Sub, Not likely.

The Nazis used Mercury as ballast in their subs (U-Boats). It was contained in sealed metal cans and then place into the keels, etc. There are still many under the ocean leaking this toxic metal into the water and bottom soil. Every time we sunk one, we made things worse.

It is really much more of a threat than lead ever will be.

**********

Update: I got curious and found this online which indicates that I was only partly right:

Mercury is an extremely expensive metal and the cost to ballast one U-boat would be more than to construct 5 new ones. It was thus never used to ballast any U-boat. However, at least three U-boats did in fact carry Mercury in place of at least part of its ballast, the U-234 that surrendered to the US in May, 1945 with a $5 million worth of Mercury in flasks. Another was the U-859 that had Mercury on board when it was sunk in 1944 near Penang. The metal was for Japan and was salvaged in the sixties, probably 32 tons. U-862 possibly had some Mercury in flasks too. The third was the U-864 recently discovered off Norway is also loaded with tons of mercury and of great concern to the Norwegian authorities who are working on raising or sealing the boat.

**********

Hope that clears things up!

DC-1

[Marlin Junky]

Hi, I am new to this forum, which I discovered while attempting to determine what I have found. My son bought an old Hatteras Motor Yacht to restore. In the boat were stored 11 large very fine uniform bars of lead weighing 54# each. They are all identical in shape, 2" square and about 2' long. They are apparently designed as movable ballast with what appears to be a ledge handle on each end. This may give them the ability to be stored on some sort of bar rack, or may just serve as a handle for two men to lift by. The strange thing is they all contain two identical marks near each end on the top, resembling a NAZI Swastika.

I have searched the net and feel that they must have come from a WWII German Sub, but that is a guess at best as I have not been able to learn anything. I will try to upload a photo but have no experience at that.

Your substance is probably the radio active isotope, Naziranium. PM me and I'll send you a map indicating precisely where to bury it in the desert.

OSHA

[Trey45]

It's Nazi gold that's been painted grey!

[CATS]

Pictures with a yard stick next to them would help the fine guys on this site ID them. Try to get good shots of any letters, numbers or marks.

[JesterGrin_1]

I am a bit lost as Leocat indicated that his son brought him a old Hatteras Motor Yacht to restore. Thus I think they should be left alone to be used for what they were meant for.

That is unless Leocat feels they will not be needed. Then he can cast a few BOOLITS from them. :)

I think he really just wishes to know a bit of history behind them is all.

[Centaur 1]

I am a bit lost as Leocat indicated that his son brought him a old Hatteras Motor Yacht to restore. Thus I think they should be left alone to be used for what they were meant for.

That is unless Leocat feels they will not be needed. Then he can cast a few BOOLITS from them. :)

I think he really just wishes to know a bit of history behind them is all.

If he needs weight for ballast, new weights could be made from cement or concrete that will fit where the lead weights were.

[Leocat]

I tried to upload the photos with quick upload. I cannot find them now. Will try again later. Well it seems that one took.

[Leocat]

I have been told by others that the swastika is backwards. Maybe the mold was correct and it reversed on the bar. The tape reads 22".

[clodhopper]

The backwards swastika is an ancient good luck symbol.

Fallen out of favor since WWII.

[tomme boy]

The Nazi sub thing?? The one sub I have heard about that had mercury in it was being sent to Japan. The mercury was in canisters, but that was the way to transfer them. This sub was retrofitted for the mercury. They took out the lead so it could be stored. Mercury was used in primers back then and Japan did not have any. The only way was to get it from Germany. The brits actually sank it. I know I watched a show on it a few years ago, can't remember were it was at though.

[tomme boy]

The swastika was also an american indian symbol.

[firebrick43]

The swastika was in uses for three thousand years before hitler corrupted it

It was used by many cultures in Asia and Europe and even by our Indians on NA
During ww1 some of our(USA) troops had it on their uniforms.

Many times it was displayed in the direction shown. It mention life, good luck, or symbolized the sun. I saw a 1920's Mennonite church had the symbol on the tiles in the foyer. They were covered up with linoleum during the war and revealed when remoldeling

So who knows? It sad a religious symbol for many people was destroyed in a few years by a thug.

[Leocat]

Very interesting read. I never knew any of that, my interest has been peaked and will see if I can learn more. The Hatteras is a 1967, not mine but my son's. The lead does not belong with the boat according to other Hatteras owners.

I am surprised to hear that the value of lead is what it is. I do not believe that my son will want to part with it until at least he finds the source of the bars.

Thank you all so much for your interest in my post and your replies.

[Shepy]

Looks like a Sacrificial Anode witch are bolted to boat hulls to stop corosion. If it is it will be made of zinc.

[Leocat]

Shepy, that is certainly a real option. Now is there an easy at home test to determine zinc or lead? Seems very logical when one consideres that those are used on boats.

[garandsrus]

Leocat,

Search for zinc on this site and you will find several tests. The hardness can be a clue. The muriatic (I think) acid test is probably the best one.

Your son could also take a bar to a metal recycler and they can use a special tester that identifies all the metal components. It takes all of 5 seconds.

John

[shotman]

If they are pure lead , finger nail will scratch it . If zinc it will be hard to scratch with a screw driver. Bet it it not pure as the way the handle/{most likely locks} would be too soft.
I have a couple that look like that {without the symbol} and have 2 holes for bolts? anyway they were used on an elevator and are hard lead. about lino type

[John Boy]

I am surprised to hear that the value of lead is what it is. Unless you sell it privately near the going market price - no scrap yard is going to buy @ the market price

[mold maker]

Scrap yards don't buy at market price, but sure want sell it that way, especially if in the form in question. Check Rotometals (Cast Boolit Sponsor at the top of the page) for the selling price of pure lead.
Aren't we accustomed to paying about a buck a lb for ingots of WW's and soft lead??

[snowshooze]

It sure looks like a zinc to me.
If so, you would wind up with fouling levels you couldn't believe should you cast bullets out of it.

[Jal5]

I thought about it being a zinc anode too, all boats have them I believe. I think I have seen some shaped just like that too. Probably could google boat+zinc anode and see some pics online. Should be easy enough to do a simple test to see if it is zinc.

[tomme boy]

The German sub was U-864. If anyone want to find out more about it. I don't think it would be zinc. I have had about 20 differant boats, and all of the anodes were on the out side of the boat. Not saying that they did not put any into the hull, but I have never seen any. The anodes on the outside of the boat will more than likely have a white scale on it, and be very corrroded and pitted. I don't see anything like that.

[mebe007]

speaking as a marine mechanic i have never installed an anode inside a boat. we have put anodes inside the saltwater side of heat exchangers on freshwater cooled motors. everything else goes on the trim cylinders, lower units, out drives, trim tabs prop shafts etc. there are both zinc anodes (we call them zincs) and aluminum anodes. they are designed to protect against electrolysis. you would be amazed how fast the get eaten up when a boat is in the water at marina with shore power.

[David2011]

My first thought was that it was probably ballast and needed to be there.

David

[Cap'n Morgan]

If you're lucky your bars could be made of keel lead - a 50:1 lead/antimony alloy.

[clodhopper]

If zinc anodes is what those are, perhaps they were spares stored in the hold.
Or just new ones the the owner never got around to installing.