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https://timesofmalta.com/articles/view/home-and-dry-a-conservation-unit-worth-its-salt.941499

Home and dry: a conservation unit worth its salt

Sunk objects find their way to Underwater Cultural Heritage laboratory in Bighi

17 hours ago| Press Release, Daniela Attard Bezzina|0

6 min read

The bell of HMS Oakley. Photos: Heritage Malta

A large airplane propeller, encrusted and worn after spending decades in the cold stillness of the seabed, lies in the centre of one of Heritage Malta’s laboratories in Bighi. Once brand new and part of a functioning aircraft, it is today being patiently treated by Heritage Malta experts. 

In the hushed silence of the laboratory, the propellor struggles to adapt to the warmer temperature, oxygen levels and humidity that now dominate its current environment. Every inch of its heavy frame tells a story, as yet unknown, and the two conservators working quietly in a corner are determined to help extricate it from those old blades to which they are giving a new lease of life.

Ninette Sammut, senior conservator at Heritage Malta’s Underwater Archaeology Conservation Department, and her colleague, Lucia Gutierrez speak with passion about the objects under their care and the delicate processes entailed in the various phases of their lengthy sojourn in the department’s laboratory. 

First of all, Sammut explains that no object of historical value may be removed from the seabed without the approval of the Superintendence of Cultural Heritage. As she points out, when such an object is taken away, it is being displaced from its context. Therefore, its story − along with the rest of the site – are being tampered with.

This holds true particularly for wreckage where people lost their lives during wars, which are therefore considered as war graves. Such instances call for the involvement not only of the superintendence but also of the victims’ families and countries of origin, as well as strict adherence to international maritime laws and conventions.

An object recovered from HMS Nasturtium

The main feature distinguishing the objects sent to the Underwater Archaeology Conservation Department is whether they are freshly recovered or whether they have been out of seawater for a long time, without ever having received the appropriate treatment. In this respect, close collaboration with colleagues of the Underwater Cultural Heritage Unit is of utmost importance. 

The Underwater Archaeology Conservation Department also collaborates closely with the University of Malta’s Maritime Archaeology Research Project. A variety of objects from the university’s excavation at Salina Bay are currently undergoing treatment under Sammut’s supervision.

“If it’s a fresh recovery, the most important thing is to prevent the object from drying,” Sammut says.

“I must admit, though, that the helm of MV Moor is rather special because my grandfather was one of the victims of that explosion. He was my mother’s father and she was only one year old when he left for work that day, never to return”

“The reason is that once an object dries, the salt from the seawater crystallises, expands and causes damage. Objects that are freshly recovered are, therefore, sent to us immersed in seawater, so that they retain the same concentration of salt. We then start to gradually lower the concentration by adding purified water. 

A broken artefact

A broken artefact

“During this process, which can take several months – depending on whether the material we’re dealing with is organic or inorganic, we constantly monitor the amount of salt discarded by the object in order to keep it in check. If an object loses its salt too quickly, it may crack.”

Following this initial phase, the delicate process of drying ensues. As with the previous stage, drying an object too swiftly may cause it to crack and so each object is dried gradually, in a controlled environment and for a specific duration each time.

The type of material that an object is made of also comes into play during the drying process. As the material dries, it ideally retains its original volume, since minimising shrinkage prevents cracking. Objects are, therefore, weighed regularly during the drying process.

“Once the object is dry, we think of it as a fish out of water, a creature that used to have gills but now breathes through its lungs like the rest of us. Now it must adapt to life on dry land, exposed to oxygen and other gases in the air, which may harm it as much as the salt crystals. Our next job is, therefore, to create a barrier against these elements. This treatment once again varies according to the object’s material and state of preservation. There is no fixed rule, each object is treated according to its specific needs, much like a human being,” Sammut explains.

“Our final recommendations, drawn up after extensive research on each object in our care, are a further expression of our respect for that object"

She stresses the importance of documenting each step in the conservation process and of disseminating the information gathered. Great care is also taken not to compromise in any way the future interpretation of the object. This is achieved by remaining completely loyal to the context in which the object was found and to its story. By way of example, Sammut says that if an object is found broken, the pieces are not necessarily fused together again. Decisions to ‘repair’ objects is taken on a case-by-case basis. 

Due consideration to the object’s destination after treatment is also given. If an object is not going to be exhibited, it is packaged appropriately for long-term storage, thus ensuring a micro-environment that keeps it protected and that is regularly monitored from then onwards. 

If, on the other hand, the object will be put on display, Sammut and her team draw up a list of recommendations as to how the object should be handled and exhibited, including the kind of environment it needs to thrive. 

“Our final recommendations, drawn up after extensive research on each object in our care, are a further expression of our respect for that object,” Sammut notes.

If a long time has elapsed since an object’s recovery from the seabed, the drying phase is obviously skipped. The object would have dried unattended and salt crystallisation would have already caused damage. Conservators then have to assess the extent of the damage and decide the best way forward accordingly.

A porthole of SS Ohio

All kinds of objects have found their way to the unit’s laboratory. Among others, there is an old firearm; an 18th-century cannon ball; the helm of MV Moor, which blew up in the Grand Harbour in 1941 and claimed the lives of 28 Maltese men; and even one of the portholes of SS Ohio, which brought much-needed supplies to Malta in August 1942. And, of course, the old propeller, which probably dates back to the 1930s but, other than that, not much has yet been discovered about it.

“Even if I wanted to, I could never forget any of the objects I have taken care of. They are all somehow anchored to my heart”

Sammut speaks fondly about all of them, much like a mother speaks of her children. 

The helm of MV Moor

“Most of the objects brought here stay with us for a long time. By the time an object is ready to leave, I will have scrutinised it through a microscope countless times and know its contours inch by inch. Even if I wanted to, I could never forget any of the objects I have taken care of. They are all somehow anchored to my heart. 

Daniela Attard Bezzina is communications executive at Heritage Malta.