Conservation of Archeaological Ships and Boats

Behind each archaeological shipwreck recovery lies a team of highly skilled specialists: divers, archaeologists, engineers, scientists, conservators, curators, historians, designers etc. While each boat found presents a unique combination of problems to be overcome, the most challenging aspect of all these projects has been the conservation of the degraded wood, iron and other materials that make up a ship's hull and its contents. The materials and techniques used in this branch of conservation now are very different from those known about and used in the early 1960s when a truly scientific approach to conservation had yet to appear. The technology of waterlogged wood preservation has advanced enormously over the past five decades.