A Minimum-Impact Method for Measuring Corrosion Rate of Steel-Hulled Shipwrecks in Seawater

Authors

Matthew A. Russell, National Park Service, Submerged Resources Center
David Conlin, National Park Service, Submerged Resources Center
Larry E. Murphy, National Park Service, Submerged Resources Center
Donald L. Johnson, University of Nebraska-LincolnFollow
Brent Wilson, University of Nebraska-LincolnFollow
James Carr, University of Nebraska-LincolnFollow

Document Type

Article

Date of this Version

2006

Comments

Published in The International Journal of Nautical Archaeology (2006) 35 .2: 310–318 doi: 10.1111/j.1095-9270.2006.00101.x Copyright © 2006 The Authors. Used by permission.

Abstract

Current research on USS Arizona is focused on a minimum-impact technique for calculating corrosion rate of the battleship’s steel hull by analyzing physical and chemical properties of marine encrustation covering the exposed hull. An equation is derived that allows concretion thickness, density, and total iron content to be used to calculate corrosion rate of steel hull plate.