Old NID
72394
In July, the remains of a wooden ship were unearthed at the World Trade Center construction site. Since then, researchers have sought clues as to why 'the Ground Zero ship' was there and how to preserve it.
Did it sink or was it junked to make a foundation for Manhattan? No one is sure. The 32-foot-long piece is the back end and bottom quarter of what researchers believe was a two-masted sloop, many of which traveled the Hudson River and perhaps the Atlantic coast taking goods to and from the Caribbean or colonies north.
Along with the ship, they found food remains and a coin, all remarkably well-preserved due to the lack of air.
Up next:
if the LMDC gives the ship preservation process the green light, the wood will probably be soaked with polyethylene glycol or PEG, a chemical used in everything from toothpaste to eye drops. The PEG will slowly replace the water in the wood's cellular structure. The timbers would be frozen, and then vacuum freeze-dried, transforming the wood and making it easier for scientists to study without damaging it.
