Saving Princess Carolina: Current Condition and Treatment Research of Sulfur-affected Maritime Timbers

Summary

This is an abstract from the session entitled "Boxed but not Forgotten Redux or: How I Learned to Stop Digging and Love Old Collections Part III" , at the 2021 annual meeting of the Society for Historical Archaeology.

Princess Carolina was an 18th century transatlantic trading vessel that was partially excavated and conserved in the early 1980’s. In 1985, over 330 timbers from the ship’s bow structure were brought to The Mariners’ Museum and Park where they have remained in storage since. In recent years, staff have noticed precipitates forming on the wood that are indicative of an issue common in recovered shipwrecks: acidification of marine wood due to sulfur oxidation. A condition analysis of the timbers showed high levels of acidity in the wood linked to sulfuric acid formation catalyzed by iron ions in the wood. Current research focuses on potential treatment options to mitigate this acid formation in the timbers and provide long-term stabilization of the Princess Carolina.      

This Resource is Part of the Following Collections

• Boxed but not Forgotten Redux or: How I Learned to Stop Digging and Love Old Collections Part III   •
• Society for Historical Archaeology 2021

Keywords

Individual & Institutional Roles

Contact(s): Society for Historical Archaeology