A Maryland lab will soon begin the delicate task of piecing together the remains of a wooden sailing ship found buried at the World Trade Center site.
Workers found the vessel July 13 during excavation of the site. It was about 20 to 30 feet below street level. Archaeologists believe it dates back to the 18th or early 19th century and was likely placed there as landfill.
The fragile timbers will be shipped Monday afternoon to the Maryland Archaeological Conservation Laboratory in St. Leonard.
The lab specializes in the treatment, conservation and storage of shipwrecks and other artifacts recovered from Maryland waters.
The timbers will be treated and eventually reassembled, if possible.
The lab’s director, Patricia Samford, told the Baltimore Sun that this will be the largest shipwreck project the lab has taken on. The process will involve a year of soaking in antifreeze, and then freeze-drying to preserve the wood.
Samford described working on the project as an honor.
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