How do shipwrecks interact with the marine environment and how can maritime archaeologists uncover how the cargoes and vessels degrade with time?
As part of the Western Australian Museum’s second year of the Harry Butler Lecture Series: In the Wild West, Executive Director of Fremantle Museums and Maritime Heritage Dr Ian MacLeod will explain how chemists and conservators are working to prevent recovered waterlogged and heavily corroded materials from rapidly falling apart.
“Such research is important to provide not only historical information on the vessels and their cargoes, but also to help us to better manage our marine environment,” Dr MacLeod said.
In his lecture Shipwrecks and chemists, Dr MacLeod will take you on a journey into the world of decay and the chemistry of corrosion and conservation by telling the stories of some famous shipwrecks off the WA coast and the tales of shipwreck sites around the globe.
WA has a shipwreck heritage dating back to 1622 with the wreck of the Trial and the infamous wreck of the Batavia in 1629.
The famous Dutch East Indian Batavia (1629), will feature in the lecture as will HMS Sirius (1790) which was the flagship of the First Fleet to Sydney and HMS Pandora (1791) which recovered the mutineers from the wreck of the Bounty in Tahiti. Closer to home, the wreck of the state's first steamship, SS Xantho in 1872 has lead to the development of a whole new field of shipwreck archaeology and conservation and the wreck of the American China Trader Rapid (1811) tells the tale of official corruption amongst the coin makers in Mexico in 1796.
“From studies of decayed historic artefacts, museum shipwreck conservators are able to ‘read’ the corrosion products that began to form within hours of the ship sinking and were recorded when the objects were recovered from the deep,” Dr MacLeod said.
“These decay patterns are very sensitive to subtle changes in the microenvironment of the object and can help the archaeologists understand how the wreck-sites came to be formed and the objects scattered across the seabed.”
Dr Ian MacLeod is an executive director at the WA Museum and has recently been made responsible for operations at the Fremantle Maritime Museum and the Shipwreck Galleries and the HMAS Ovens submarine. Ian came to conservation from an electrochemistry background and it was the minerals that formed on the copper sheathing of ship hulls that drew Ian to a Research Officer position at the WA Museum in 1978. For nearly 33 years, the focus of Ian’s work has been the shipwreck and rock art programs and collections. He currently manages the museum collections of more than 4.5 million objects.
The Harry Butler lecture series: In the Wild West is proudly presented by the WA Museum in partnership with Chevron Australia. The series showcases the work of Museum scientists, curators and associates in the areas of natural and social sciences.
While in Geraldton, Dr MacLeod will also present the International Year of Chemistry keynote lecture at the Youth Science Forum at the Queen Elizabeth II centre during the day. Additionally, he will be discussing his career as a chemist with senior science students from Geraldton who attend the Forum.
LECTURE: Shipwrecks and chemists
WHEN: 7.00pm Wednesday 29 June, 2011
WHERE: WA Museum – Geraldton, Museum Place, Batavia Coast Marina, Geraldton.
BOOKINGS ESSENTIAL: or online at www.museum.wa.gov.au/inthewildwest
COST: By gold coin donation.
Teresa Belcher, Western Australian Museum: T. 9212 3856
