All is not quite as it seems , while most of the wrecks are probably being salvaged for bare value of scrap steel copper and bronze , friend of mine who develops laser tech , says some of the salvaged metals likely find their way into high end instruments and sensors. as the undersea wrecks are some of the premium sources of metals not irradiated by the atomic age

Heartbreak as large-scale salvagers loot Southeast Asia’s WWII shipwrecks, war graves

https://asiatimes.com/2023/05/wwii-grave-robbers-on-the-loose-in-se-asian-waters/

https://www.channelnewsasia.com/cnainsider/heartbreak-salvage-loot-southeast-asia-wwii-shipwreck-war-graves-1829531

The Worldwide Scavenger Hunt For Vintage, Low-Radiation Metals

https://www.good.is/articles/the-search-for-low-background-steel

Yes, its likely for Low Background Steel:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Low-background_steel

Mr. T (MrT4) said:

while most of the wrecks are probably being salvaged for bare value of scrap steel copper and bronze , friend of mine who develops laser tech , says some of the salvaged metals likely find their way into high end instruments and sensors

Either way, it's logical to make use of all that metal instead of just letting it all sit there and go to waste.

Plenty of it in much shallower water by Oahu

Yup.

Still looks like expensive way to recover steel scrap ,compared to Indian beached ship opeartion 

Here you need divers to lay cutting charges

https://www.straitstimes.com/asia/se-asia/malaysia-firms-plunder-sunken-wrecks-for-rare-steel-used-to-make-sensitive-medical