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Preservation
The types of artifacts preserved in a sunken vessel depend on the condition of the ship at the time it sunk and the type of environment in which it came to rest. Metal artifacts will corrode in seawater and may be unrecognizable because of concretions, deposits of leached metal that form on the surface of the object. Organic material may be consumed by marine life. Even if it is preserved, it may begin to deteriorate as soon as it is exposed to the air. However, modern chemical preservation techniques allow archeologists to restore artifacts from sunken ships.
The Mary Rose
Built in 1511, the Mary Rose was an English warship. She was rebuilt in 1536 and sank north of the Isle of Wight in 1545 during action against a French fleet. The wreck was salvaged in 1982, revealing a wealth of artifacts that provided information about life on a Tudor ship. Preservation of organic material was good, although wood had softened and had to be treated to preserve it. Finds from the Mary Rose included weapons such as cannon and bows and arrows, musical instruments, navigational tools, surgical implements, items of clothing and religious artifacts such as rosaries. The hull of the ship itself was raised and carefully treated to preserve it.
RMS Titanic
RMS Titanic, an ocean liner touted at the time as "unsinkable," sank after being struck by an iceberg on April 15, 1912. The wreck has been visited several times by divers and submersibles. Many artifacts have been recovered, most of which are on display in the National Maritime Museum in Greenwich, London. These artifacts include both parts of the ship itself, such as lights and wall fittings, and items belonging to the passengers and crew, such as items of clothing and luggage. In addition, there is a collectors' market in items associated with the shipwreck but which never actually sunk, such as life jackets or documents carried away by survivors.
The Uluburun Shipwreck
In 1982, a sponge diver discovered the wreck of a wooden vessel near Uluburun in southwestern Turkey. The ship proved to be a Bronze Age merchant vessel that was wrecked some time in the 14th century B.C. Its cargo contained copper and tin ingots, glass, jars that had been used to transport resin, jewelry and a variety of trading equipment such as weights for scales. Weapons, drinking vessels, eggshells, amber and even whole pomegranates were also recovered from the wreck. The artifacts from the Uluburun ship give a vivid picture of life aboard a merchant vessel more than 3,000 years ago.