Conservation of the Warship Mary Rose Continues
PORTSMOUTH, ENGLAND–According to a statement released by Diamond Light Source, Eleanor Schofield of the Mary Rose Trust and Donna Arnold of the University of Kent utilized high-tech tools at Diamond Light Source to analyze bricks recuperated from the wreck of Mary Rose, King Henry VIII’s wooden battleship that sank during a battle in the Solent in 1545 and was recuperated in 1982.
Over 3,000 bricks composed two brick ovens in the ship’s galley. The bricks were cleaned in clear water and dried when they were recovered. However, salt crystals showed up on their surfaces at some point, Schofield claimed.
Since the crystals might have harmed the bricks, primarily made of silicon oxide, the scientists studied their composition with scanning electron microscopy, electron-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy, and synchrotron-based X-ray diffraction.
The tests found the crystals as iron and calcium salts. As they dissolve, the salts develop an acidic environment that might break down the structure of the bricks, the researchers explained.
The research study also discovered no sign of sodium or chlorine from sea salt, suggesting that the early work to clean the bricks stopped some damage to them. Schofield, Arnold, and their colleagues will now work to establish strategies to combat the damages brought on by the salts.
Read the original scholarly article in the Journal of Cultural Heritage. To read about the recent isotope evaluation of the remains of some of Mary Rose’s sailors, go to “Tudor Travelers.“
Read the original article on Archaeology.
Read more: 19th-Century Whaling Shipwreck Identified in the Gulf of Mexico.
