Corrosion of Steel Shipwreck in the Marine Environment: USS Arizona—Part 1

Authors

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

Document Type

Article

Date of this Version

2010

Citation

Materials Performance 45(10), pp. 40-44

Comments

This document is a U.S. government work and is not subject to copyright in the United States.

Abstract

The USS Arizona has remained submerged in Pearl Harbor, Hawaii, since the Japanese attack on December 7, 1941. The ship presents a potential hazard from fuel oil still present in the ship’s hull. As an important factor in management decisions, the effect of corrosion after nearly 65 years is being studied to determine the integrity of the ship’s structure. Coupon samples from the hull revealed decreasing corrosion rates from ~1 to 3 mpy (0.03 to 0.08 mm/y) from just below the water surface to the mudline. This is about one-third of that expected in the absence of biofouling or concretion. Methods of determining the corrosion rate, including correlation of chemistry and properties, are discussed.