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International Handbook of Underwater Archaeology pp 697–714Cite as

In Situ Corrosion Measurements and Management of Shipwreck Sites

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Part of the book series: The Springer Series in Underwater Archaeology ((SSUA))

Abstract

The overall impression of an iron shipwreck site is often dominated by the remains of the boiler, engine, and frames that once gave the vessel its form. In warm tropical to subtropical seawater, corroding iron and steel rapidly become encapsulated by encrusting organisms such as coralline algae and bryozoa (North, 1976). This encapsulation begins the process of separating the anodic and cathodic sites of the corrosion cell, with oxygen reduction generally happening on the outer surface and oxidation of the metal occurring underneath the marine growth (MacLeod, 1989a). Under such conditions, the cathodic reduction of dissolved oxygen is the rate-determining step in the overall corrosion process.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Museum Services, Western Australian Museum, Fremantle, Western Australia, WA 6160, Australia

    Ian D. MacLeod (Director)

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  1. Ian D. MacLeod
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Editors and Affiliations

  1. Arizona State University, Tempe, Arizona, USA

    Carol V. Ruppé (Librarian Emeritus) (Librarian Emeritus)

  2. Prose and Images, Tempe, Arizona, USA

    Janet F. Barstad

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© 2002 Springer Science+Business Media New York

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MacLeod, I.D. (2002). In Situ Corrosion Measurements and Management of Shipwreck Sites. In: Ruppé, C.V., Barstad, J.F. (eds) International Handbook of Underwater Archaeology. The Springer Series in Underwater Archaeology. Springer, Boston, MA. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4615-0535-8_41

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4615-0535-8_41

  • Publisher Name: Springer, Boston, MA

  • Print ISBN: 978-1-4613-5120-7

  • Online ISBN: 978-1-4615-0535-8

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