Ann Fernholm

The royal warship Vasa, which sank on its maiden voyage in 1628, spent a few centuries decaying under water before being raised in the 1960s; a decades-long project of preservation and restoration followed. In the late 1990s and early 2000s, a white residue appeared on several locations around the ship; this turned out to be the result of destructive acids, and had to be taken care of immediately.

This booklet is a popular-scientific explanation of the chemical processes that Vasa’s waterlogged wood underwent both before and after the salvaging: absorption of various corrosive contaminants underwater, the effects of oxygen and the various preservatives used, the build-up of acids inside the wood. Fernholm also delves into the measures taken to protect the ship from developing similar issues in the future.

Fernholm herself is a journalist, and much of this book is her write-up of interviews with various experts on waterlogged wood and scientists and carpenters working on the Vasa herself -- which is a good thing: making expert knowledge available to a wider audience is precisely what Fernholm set out to do.… (mais)