Assessing conservation options for wrought iron RML cannon found submerged at Fort Ricasoli, Malta

Abstract

Marine iron artefacts are particularly vulnerable to rapid corrosion due to factors pertaining to their metallurgy and manufacture, surrounding environmental conditions, and when in the contact with other metals exhibiting higher electrochemical potentials (more noble). In order to preserve them for future generations, active strategies aimed at prolonging their lifespan involving stabilisation and conservation, must be implemented. Three historic 19th-century iron Rifled Muzzle Loading cannon may presently be found in an underwater setting beneath a natural rock formation off Malta’s Fort Ricasoli. This thesis explores their history, chronology, deposition, and current status. Three feasible solutions are hereby proposed for their conservation including: recovery and conservation, temporary relocation and future recovery, or permanent relocation and the creation of a recreational dive trail site. These options take into consideration the environmental factors affecting their stability, their assessed level of significance, and the relative expense entailed for each option. Due to a number of reasons that will be explained, the most advantageous option in the near future is for these cannon to be relocated, and then revisited with funding for a long-term plan.