Saving the Mary Rose

A sample of wood taken from the Mary Rose. [Image: Diamond Light Source]
Research into the chemical processes that cause wood to degrade over time has uncovered new information vital to the conservation of the wreck of the Mary Rose.Henry VIII’s flagship sank in the Solent on 19 July 1545, where it remained for 400 years until the hull was raised from the seabed in 1982 (see CA 85). The newly salvaged wreck was sprayed with cold water and received a series of polyethylene glycol spray tre