Condition assessment of historic wooden ships

Abstract

This paper summarizes work conducted to assess the condition of members in historically significant timber sailing vessels. Four ship assessments are described, the USS Constitution, the USS Cairo, and the Wapama. Launched in 1797, the USS Constitution was nicknamed “Old Ironsides” and was a combat vessal used by the US Navy. “Old Ironsides” is a three-masted heavy frigate with a hull primarily constructed of live oak. The USS Cairo is a city class ironclad river gunboat. It was built in 1861 and commissioned in January 1862. It was used in combat by Union forces during the American Civil War along the Mississippi River and connected waterways and sunk in December 1862. It remained submerged for 100 years and was recovered in 1964. Currently the USS Cairo is on display at the Vicksburg National Military Park. The Wapama was launched in 1915 and was used for the Pacific Coast lumber trade and coastal service. It was declared a National Historic Landmark in 1984. It is a wooden steam-powered schooner. Given the historical signifigance of the vessals, it is important that inspection methods employed do not degrade their conditions. Three categories of nondstructive inspection techniques are employed: accoustic based, moisture detection, and micro-drilling resistance. The specific applications of these techniques for each vessel is described.

Citation

Senalik, C. Adam; Wang, Xiping; Spinelli Correa, Laurice M.; Shmulsky, Rubin; Ross, Robert J. 2024. Condition assessment of historic wooden ships. In: Gonçalves, R.; Wang, X.; Ross, R.J., eds. Proceedings: 23rd International Nondestructive Testing and Evaluation of Wood Symposium. Campinas, São Paulo, Brazil. September 17-21, 2024. General Technical Report FPL-GTR-305. Madison, WI: U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, Forest Products Laboratory: 20-27.