conservation of warship vasa

8/13/2019 Conservation of warship Vasa

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Conservation of warship Vasa

Kateina Dvokov

18.11.2013

the most powerful warship of its time; the

grandiose symbol of a king and nation; a giganticdisaster;

a daring experiment,


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CONTENTS

History

Vasa in numbers

Conservation

Evaluation

Estimated costs

Ship, nowadays


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HISTORY

Swedish warship built 1626-1628

Sank in 1628, during maiden

voyage lack of stability - ship with so

many heavy-calibre cannon

3050 people died


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Salvaged in 1961, at depth 32 m

no wooden ship as large andcomplex as Vasa had been raisedand conserved successfully

30-year conservation process 1988 transfered to new museum

Vasa

The Vasa Museum opened in1990


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VASA IN NUMBERS

Length69 m

Breadth - 11.7 m

Height52.5 m

Draught - 4.8 mDisplacement

1210 tonnes

Sail area

1275 square meters

Number of sails

10 (of which six survive)

Armament

64 bronze cannon

Crew

Mariners145 men

Soldiers300 men

16 skeletons


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Restoration

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bmE3dhg

elKU


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CONSERVATION

Wood suprisingly in good shape

Bolts corrodediron compounds in wood

drying out the wood, while stabilizing the size and shape of the object

avoiding or minimizing shrinkage and collapse of the cell structure

Brushing or spraying the consolidant on the surface

at high humidity => microorganism growth=> fungicide

800 tons of waterlogged wood

surface area of 15,000 square meters


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CONSERVATIONPolyethylene glycol Consolidantsubstitutes water,

stregthen the structure

synthetic polymer

Problem with recycling PEG

1979spraying discontinued => 9 years

drying

Humidity reduced from 95 % to 60 %

EVALUATION

shrinkage 6 to 8 %

dark in color with a shiny, waxy finish

due to the surface layer of PEG 4000

The content of PEG as a function of depth indifferent ship components


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A pine plank from the Vasa. From left to right: before, during and after extraction of iron .

Far right: part of the plank after re-conservation by PEG-impregnation and freeze-drying (2

magnification).


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ESTIMATED COSTS

1959 - mid-1973 - 35 million Swedish crowns (15% preservation costs)

275 million dollars (= 41 432 600 Swedish crowns) 1980s tourists

SHIP, NOWADAYS

Attraction of Vasa museumyellowish white acidic outbreaks - the fluctuating of relative humidity,

migration of sulfur compoundsiron and acids

Degradation of PEG, extraction of iron, freeze - drying

1720 C and 5155% RHconditions in the museum


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AIRTICKET : 3 000 CZK +

OPENING HOURS

Every day 10.00-17.00

Wednesdays 10.00-20.00

ADMISSION

Adults 130 SEK

Students 100 SEK

0-18 years free of charge


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Sources

http://www.vasamuseet.se/en/

http://www.vasamuseet.se/sv/Skeppet/Skeppsbloggen/?tags=English

The Vasa experience with polyethylene glycol: Aconservator's perspective

http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1296207412000313

HOCKER, E., ALMKVIST, G., SAHLSTEDT, M. TheVasa experience with polyethylene glycol: Aconservator's perspective.Journal of CulturalHeritage, 2012, vol. 13, no. 3, p. S172S182

conservation of warship vasa

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