A team of researchers at the University of Copenhagen used advanced new X-ray scanning technology to help identify the material that was quietly swallowed in the wreckage of the 510-year-old British warship Mary Rose. The technique can be used
University of Copenhagen-Faculty of Science
Picture: Shipvreck Mary Rose See more
Image source: Mary Rose Museum
The crown jewel of Henry VIII's 16th century fleet is its flagship, the noble Mary Rose. More than 500 years after launching, this ship is still a precious cultural treasure. Although she farmed on the Atlantic Ocean and fought heavy artillery for 34 years-and buried under the turbulent English Channel for 437 years, bacteria and chemicals have begun to erode her remnants, which are in Portsmouth, England. On display at the Mary Rose Museum. Fortunately, the steward of this ship was helped.
A new X-ray method has allowed an international research team to identify zinc sulfide nanoparticles in ship wood that cause ship decay. Until now, it was impossible to know this information from wood.
Participants in the project include Kirsten Marie Ørnsbjerg Jensen, a 36-year-old chemist at the University of Copenhagen. Jensen leads the nanostructure group of the Department of Chemistry. Her research focuses on the internal structure of materials, down to the nanometer level. Here, she uses advanced X-ray technology and other techniques to scan materials. This puts her on the home field of this atypical research project.
"We analyzed the wood of Mary Rose through a new technology that is somewhat similar to how a hospital CT scanner works. The difference is that our scanning method combines CT scanning with so-called X-ray scattering . It allows us to analyze the structure of materials at the atomic level, which makes it possible to find and map substances in ship wood. It provides us with information on the causes of wood decay so that it can be better preserved in the future," Associate explained Professor Kirsten Marie Ørnsbjerg Jensen.
Photo: Mary Rose Museum.
• Researchers from Denmark, France, the United Kingdom and the United States used a new X-ray technique to find many destructive substances in the wooden hull of the 510-year-old British warship Mary Rose-information that was once impossible get. • New technologies open up the possibility of improving archaeological protection methods. • The Mary Rose is a Karak-type naval ship, the flagship of Henry VIII's Tudor Navy. • The Mary Rose was one of the largest naval ships of the British fleet in 40 years of sporadic war. It is one of the earliest examples of dedicated warships built. • During the battle with France, the ship sank off the coast of Portsmouth with 500 people on board. • The ship weighs 500 tons and is equipped with heavy artillery hidden behind the muzzle. • Read more about the battleship Mary Rose on the museum website and Wikipedia
The Marie Rose sank in a naval battle with France in 1543 and was excavated in 1982. It is still the most expensive salvage operation in the world-60 million viewers watched the event on live television. At that time, 19,000 Tudor objects were salvaged from the sea along with the sunken ship.
Today, the wreck of the ship is on display at the Mary Rose Museum in Portsmouth. But after more than 400 years at the bottom of the English Channel, the hull of this wooden ship is very easy to rot. Threats include deposits on metal parts on ships and bacteria that cause wood acid corrosion. The same threat also applies to other cultural relics that will degenerate when discovered around the world.
Thanks to a new technology called "X-ray Computed Tomography with Paired Distribution Function Analysis" (ctPDF), this legendary ship and other cultural and archaeological relics around the world remain promising. This method has helped researchers identify many destructive substances that will decompose the wood when the wood reappears and is exposed to oxygen again. These include zinc sulfide.
"To find a way to stop these decomposition processes, it is important to know what sulfides are made of and where they are. This technology allows us to do this," explains Kirsten Marie Ørnsbjerg Jensen.
Mary Rose Trust is the foundation of a museum built specifically for old warships, and it is excited about the new X-ray technology. "Being able to peek into Mary Rose's wood can not only decode the structure of the wood, but also the degree of wood degradation, how the wood has been treated in the past, and the impact of the marine environment, providing fascinating insights. It shows that we have a wealth of knowledge , We can use this knowledge to understand how materials respond to specific treatments and environments, and to develop strategies to protect our cultural heritage for future generations,” explains Professor Eleanor Schofield, Deputy CEO of the Mary Rose Trust.
The article was published in the scientific journal Matter. The project was carried out in collaboration with the University of Sheffield, the University of Copenhagen, Columbia University, the European Synchrotron Radiation Facility and the Mary Rose Trust Fund.
Location and characterization of alien phases in Mary Rosewood
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Michael Jensen University of Copenhagen-Faculty of Science Msj@science.ku.dk Office: 459-356-5897
University of Copenhagen-Faculty of Science
Copyright © 2021 American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS)
Copyright © 2021 American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS)