Artifact Conservation

Artifact conservation for waterlogged maritime finds centers on stabilizing wood and organic material that would shrink, crack, and disintegrate if simply dried after centuries underwater. The standard treatment impregnates the cellular structure with polyethylene glycol, a water-soluble wax, before slow controlled drying or freeze-drying, the method used on the hulls of Mary Rose and Vasa over decades. Metals, leather, and textiles need their own treatments. The work is the essential, costly counterpart to recovering a wreck rather than preserving it in situ.