Artifacts from The USS Monitor, a U.S. Civil War era warship, have been recovered from the site where
the Monitor sank and are presently undergoing archeological study and preservation at The Mariners’
Museum. Of concern is the continued degradation of the artifacts due to corrosion. The present
condition, corrosion rate, and other characteristics of the artifacts were assessed. Based on these
assessments, the corrosion rate of the artifacts is generally higher in the museum than was likely
experienced when the artifacts were still submerged in the ocean, due primarily to the increased
availability of oxygen and concentration of any salts present during dry-out periods. In order to help
mitigate further corrosion, cathodic protection and corrosion inhibitors have been evaluated for possible
use.
Additional Authors: E. Klechka and D. Cook