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One free scan finds every outdated or missing driver and matches the right update for your exact hardware.Free scan · exact hardware matchAncient shipwrecks are preserved by controlling water, salts, oxygen, temperature and humidity—not by simply letting recovered objects dry. Waterlogged wood normally stays saturated until conservators can replace or remove its water without collapse; iron and other metals are desalinated and dried under controlled conditions; ceramics are washed to remove salts before gradual drying.
The correct treatment depends on the material, how badly it has degraded, its size, the salts it contains, whether it is attached to another material, and the environment planned for storage or display.
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Why a shipwreck cannot simply be left to dry
Years or centuries underwater can leave wood looking solid while its internal structure is severely weakened. Bacteria and other organisms consume parts of the cell walls, leaving voids and thin, fragile frameworks. Water fills those spaces and temporarily supports the remaining structure. If evaporation begins without a treatment plan, the unsupported cells can collapse.
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The resulting damage includes shrinkage, cracking, distortion and warping. The Mary Rose Trust warns that, without continuous spraying, recovered wood could have shrunk by “anything up to 50%, warped and cracked.” That figure is a warning about uncontrolled drying in a particular archaeological project, not a universal prediction for every wreck.
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Water is also a carrier for dissolved marine salts. Chlorides trapped in iron can continue to react with oxygen and moisture after excavation, while salts inside porous ceramics can crystallize as water leaves. Crystals exert pressure inside pores and may cause flaking, cracking or loss of surfaces. Conservation therefore starts by keeping materials stable, then removing the chemicals that will cause damage during drying and storage.
What conservators do immediately after recovery
- Keep wood saturated. Timbers are placed in wet storage or kept under spray so evaporation does not begin at the surface.
- Separate and document materials. Conservators record construction details, joins, coatings, corrosion products and the condition of each object before treatment. A wood-and-iron fitting may need a different plan from a loose wooden plank.
- Control water quality. Fresh or treated water is used for long-term storage and washing. The Mary Rose hull was initially covered with water-saturated foam and sprayed with seawater, then sprayed with recycled, filtered fresh water.
- Test salts and degradation. Sampling and repeated measurements indicate how much chloride or other soluble salt remains and whether a treatment is working.
- Choose a drying and storage climate. The final relative humidity, temperature and display conditions influence the treatment selected. Conservation choices must account for the wood’s properties, the stabilizing agent and the future climate in which the object will live.
Wet storage is not an indefinite substitute for conservation. It buys time while the team designs a treatment, prevents mold and biological growth where possible, and provides a stable baseline for examination.
Waterlogged wood: the main treatment pathways
Water sprays and wet storage
Large hull sections cannot usually be submerged in a tank. They are supported on purpose-built structures and sprayed continuously or at programmed intervals so the wood remains saturated. Spraying must reach all exposed surfaces; missed areas can dry and deform while the rest remains wet.
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PEG impregnation
Polyethylene glycol (PEG) is a water-soluble synthetic polymer used as a bulking agent. In degraded wood it enters voids and cell lumens, replacing water and supporting the weakened cellular framework. Once enough PEG is present, conservators can remove water more safely through controlled air-drying or freeze-drying.
The Mary Rose selected PEG for its hull because a tank large enough to submerge the entire structure was impractical. Conservators applied the polymer by spraying, allowing treatment of a structure that remained in position rather than being immersed.
PEG is not a single formula or a one-time application. Concentration, molecular weight, temperature, circulation and application time are adjusted to the wood’s density and condition. The treatment can take years for a large structure, and the treated surface may need ongoing environmental monitoring after drying.
Tank treatment and the Vasa example
The Vasa Museum reports that its spray treatment lasted 17 years, from April 1962 to January 1979, followed by another nine years of slow air-drying. Wooden objects from the wreck were treated in tanks containing PEG 4000. The concentration was increased gradually to 40–45%, and the solution was heated to 60 °C. These are documented Vasa project parameters, not a universal recipe for all shipwreck wood.
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Gradual concentration changes reduce steep moisture and chemical gradients that could stress the object. Heating lowers solution viscosity and improves penetration, but it also increases energy demand and requires careful control so the wood, coatings and associated materials are not damaged.
Freeze-drying
Some objects are too fragile for ordinary evaporation. In freeze-drying, the PEG-filled object is frozen and placed under reduced pressure. Ice changes directly into vapor by sublimation instead of passing through a liquid-water stage that could pull fragile cell walls together.
The Vasa project found that fine-grained beech and alder objects did not respond well to its earlier treatment and were later freeze-dried. The method can preserve delicate shapes, but it requires large freeze-drying equipment, reliable refrigeration and vacuum systems, long cycles and careful loading. It is therefore selected for objects whose condition justifies the extra energy, cost and handling risk.
Comparing preservation methods for waterlogged wood
| Method | Best suited to | Strengths | Limitations and requirements |
|---|---|---|---|
| Wet storage or spraying | Newly recovered timbers awaiting a treatment plan; large hulls | Prevents immediate shrinkage and keeps the original shape supported by water | Requires continuous monitoring, water management and protection against evaporation and biological growth; it is a holding method, not final stabilization |
| PEG spraying | Large structures that cannot fit in immersion tanks | Delivers a bulking agent over a hull in place and replaces part of the structural role of water | Long treatment periods, large volumes of PEG, pumping and spray systems; compatibility with attached metals must be assessed |
| PEG tank impregnation | Small and medium wooden objects | Concentration, temperature and circulation can be measured and adjusted precisely | Needs tanks, heated solution, space and prolonged management; objects must tolerate immersion and handling |
| Controlled air-drying after impregnation | Objects whose cell structure is sufficiently supported | Uses less specialized equipment than freeze-drying | Humidity and airflow must be controlled; evaporation can still cause distortion if treatment is incomplete |
| Freeze-drying | Extremely fragile or fine-grained objects that may collapse during evaporation | Removes ice by sublimation and can retain delicate morphology | Requires industrial-scale freezing and vacuum equipment, high energy use and careful cycle design |
The planned relative humidity is part of the decision, not an afterthought. A treatment that appears successful in the laboratory can fail if the finished object is later exposed to repeated humidity swings, condensation or an environment outside the range for which it was stabilized.
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Metal conservation: removing chlorides before corrosion accelerates
Iron
Iron is often the most challenging shipwreck metal. Chloride ions can remain in pores and corrosion layers. After recovery, access to oxygen and fluctuating moisture may trigger rapid, aggressive corrosion. Conservators therefore use desalination before final drying.
At the Mary Rose, iron objects are placed through cascade baths of water. The water is changed or circulated, and salt levels are measured to determine when desalination is sufficiently complete. Only then are objects dried in a controlled manner. The endpoint is based on measurements and the object’s condition, not on a fixed number of baths or days.
Historical hydrogen reduction
The Vasa Museum documents a historical hydrogen-reduction treatment in which iron corrosion products were reduced in hydrogen at 600–800 °C. Treated objects were then sealed in paraffin wax. The high-temperature step can stabilize some corrosion products, but it can also alter the internal metal structure and destroy evidence of how the object was manufactured. For archaeological iron, that loss of technological evidence can be as serious as visible corrosion, so any thermal treatment requires a clear research and conservation justification.
Copper alloys, lead and pewter
Vasa reports that copper, bronze, lead and pewter generally survived in better condition than wrought iron. Its treatment included mechanical cleaning and air-drying. “Better condition” does not mean risk-free: each object still requires examination of corrosion products, salts, coatings and structural strength before a method is chosen. A green or white corrosion layer may contain information about burial conditions and should not be removed automatically.
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Ceramics, glass and other porous inorganic objects
Porous ceramics can absorb seawater and retain soluble salts in their pores. As the object dries, salts may crystallize and generate internal stresses. The visible result can be powdering, surface flaking, glaze loss or cracks that appear weeks or months after recovery.
Desalination is therefore the standard first treatment for many marine ceramics, glass objects and other inorganic materials. Conservators rinse objects or use cascade washing in fresh water, replacing the water and checking salt levels until the soluble load is sufficiently reduced. Objects are then dried gradually, with support for weak edges and joins. Rapid heating, direct sunlight or a low-humidity blast can move salts toward the surface and intensify damage.
Cleaning is deliberately limited. Removing every stain or corrosion product can erase manufacturing traces, decoration or evidence of the wreck’s environment. The treatment objective is stability, not a modern-looking surface.
Composite objects force difficult compromises
Shipwreck artifacts often combine wood, iron, copper alloy, leather, textiles and ceramic. A single bath or chemical regime may help one component while damaging another. The Mary Rose identifies a critical conflict: PEG can accelerate iron corrosion, while alkaline solutions used for some metal treatments can degrade wood.
When practical, conservators separate components mechanically and treat them with compatible methods. Separation is not always safe; corrosion may be holding a fragile assembly together, and dismantling can destroy evidence of how it was made. If separation is impossible, the team may prioritize the predominant material or the component judged most significant, documenting what cannot be optimized for every part.
Composite treatment should therefore begin with questions about structure and significance:
- Can the components be separated without losing joins, tool marks or structural support?
- Which material is most vulnerable to the proposed chemical, temperature or humidity?
- Will residual PEG, salts or corrosion products affect the neighboring component?
- What relative humidity can the complete object tolerate in its intended display or storage location?
How a conservation team chooses a method
- Identify materials and condition. Use visual examination, microscopy and appropriate analytical tests to distinguish sound wood from bacterially degraded wood, active iron corrosion from stable corrosion, and porous ceramic bodies from glazed surfaces.
- Measure the hazard. Record soluble salts, chloride activity, moisture content, corrosion rate and any biological growth. A heavily salted iron fitting needs a different sequence from a bronze ornament with stable corrosion.
- Match scale to equipment. A hull may require spray systems and a building-sized support frame; a bead or tool may fit a laboratory tank or freeze-dryer.
- Test compatibility. Small samples or less significant objects can reveal whether PEG, alkaline solutions, waxes, heat or drying conditions will harm coatings or mixed materials.
- Set the endpoint. Define measurable desalination targets, PEG concentration, moisture level and drying rate rather than relying on appearance alone.
- Plan the post-treatment climate. Specify storage and display humidity, temperature, lighting and inspection intervals. Preventive conservation reduces risk across the whole collection instead of treating an object only after damage appears.
- Document every intervention. Record solutions, temperatures, concentrations, bath changes, analytical results, repairs and any material removed. Future conservators need that history to interpret corrosion or modify the climate.
Major project lessons
| Project and material | Documented approach | What it demonstrates |
|---|---|---|
| Mary Rose hull and timbers | More than 3,000 loose timbers were moved into wet storage; about 700–800 were considered suitable for reuniting before conservation treatment. The hull was kept wet by spraying, then treated with sprayed PEG because a full-size tank was impractical. | Large archaeological structures need continuous wet support, custom infrastructure and triage before treatment. |
| Vasa wooden structure | PEG spray treatment ran from April 1962 to January 1979, followed by nine years of slow air-drying. | Stabilizing a large hull is a multi-decade project, not a quick drying operation. |
| Vasa wooden objects | PEG 4000 tanks were increased gradually to 40–45% concentration and heated to 60 °C; some fine-grained beech and alder objects were later freeze-dried. | Different wood species and densities can require different drying routes within one wreck. |
| Vasa iron | Historical hydrogen reduction used 600–800 °C, followed by paraffin sealing. | Thermal stabilization can carry an archaeological cost by changing metal structure and erasing manufacturing evidence. |
Common mistakes and how to avoid them
- Leaving wood exposed during transport: Use sealed wet wrapping, tanks or controlled spray and keep the time outside water as short as possible.
- Assuming a dry surface means a dry object: Water and salts can remain deep in pores. Measure moisture and soluble salts rather than judging by touch.
- Applying one treatment to every material: Separate wood, iron and ceramics in the plan, then test composite interactions.
- Drying iron before desalination: Residual chloride can drive corrosion once oxygen and fluctuating humidity are available.
- Using heat without considering evidence: High temperatures may change metallurgy, coatings and manufacturing traces.
- Choosing a treatment without a climate plan: The final relative humidity and its stability determine whether a conserved object remains stable.
- Over-cleaning: Corrosion layers, salts and deposits can contain information. Remove only what threatens stability or prevents interpretation.
The practical verdict
Shipwreck preservation is a staged process: keep waterlogged wood wet, remove soluble salts from metals and ceramics, replace or remove water in a controlled way, and maintain a stable climate afterward. PEG remains useful for many degraded wooden structures, including large hulls treated by spraying, but it is not automatically suitable for iron-bearing composites. Freeze-drying protects some exceptionally fragile objects when ordinary evaporation would collapse them. Iron may need lengthy desalination, while ceramics usually need washing before gradual drying. The safest method is the one that matches the material, its degradation, its size and the conditions in which it will be stored and displayed.
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