Conservation Laboratory

A facility that stabilizes waterlogged organic and metal artifacts recovered from wrecks before they dry and disintegrate. Waterlogged wood is bulked with polyethylene glycol (PEG) to replace water in the cell structure, then freeze-dried; the Vasa in Stockholm and the Mary Rose in Portsmouth were both PEG-treated over decades. Iron is treated by chloride extraction to halt corrosion. Labs also run X-ray, X-ray diffraction, and dendrochronology to identify and date material. Without controlled treatment, oak from a wreck can crack apart within weeks of lifting.