The Use of Refurbished Marine Containers as A Permanent Storage Solution for the Maritime Collection of The H.L. Hunley Submarine

Abstract

The Civil War submarine H.L. Hunley was delivered to the Warren Lasch Conservation Center in Charleston, South Carolina, for study and treatment. The interior excavation uncovered the remains of the crew and a wide array of artifacts that reflect life in the 19th century. In the past 15 years, thousands of artifacts have been excavated and, once treated, transferred to storage rooms for their long-term care. Owing to the lengthy and sometimes invasive treatment process that Hunley-related artifacts have experienced, they required specific and stable environmental conditions during their long-term storage. This presented challenges due to the volume of materials to store, the size and weight of some of the artifacts, and the costly storage requirements that the Hunley collection needed. These issues led to the development of several cost-efficient methods, including the use of refurbished marine containers. This paper addresses the advantages of using these containers for long-term artifact storage.

Keywords:

• H.L. Hunley submarine
• maritime collection
• storage
• refurbished marine containers
• relative humidity

Acknowledgments

The author thanks the Warren Lasch Conservation Center’s staff, scientists, and Friends of the Hunley, Inc. for their hard work throughout the years in making this project happen, as well as former Senior Conservator Paul Mardikian, the “brain” behind the whole conservation operation. The author also thanks Nikkie Markle for her detailed work with Patterson Pope. The author specially thanks Dana Delk and John Klie from CMCI, and Ben McCollum and Beth Garber from Patterson Pope for providing vital information and the images for this paper. Finally, the author thanks Liisa Nasanen, Emily Schwalbe, and Michael Scafuri for their editing skills and suggestions.

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Johanna Rivera

Johanna Rivera obtained her Bachelor’s degree in Fine Arts from the Universidad de Chile in 2001 and continued her studies at the University to obtain her Postgraduate degree in Conservation and Restoration of Cultural Heritage. In 2011, she completed a graduate certificate in Museum Collections Management and Care from George Washington University. Johanna joined the H.L. Hunley Submarine Project in Charleston, South Carolina, in 2005. She assisted during phase 4 of the excavation of artifacts, and her work has included the conservation and treatment of marine archaeological artifacts associated with the H.L. Hunley: She is the manager of the Hunley's collection, as well as being responsible for the upkeep of the storage rooms, and performs preventive conservation. On November, 2015, Johanna took over as the new Radiation Safety Officer for the Lasch lab. Johanna has also worked as a conservation consultant for several other projects, performing tasks as an instructor in preventive conservation and assessor of collections. Address: Warren Lasch Conservation Center, Clemson University, 1250 Supply Street, North Charleston, SC 29405, USA.