Corrosion mitigation of USS Monitor artifacts

USS Monitor artifacts, including the gun turret, gun carriages, Dahlgren guns, engine, condenser, and several smaller artifacts, have been examined and assessed from a corrosion perspective. Based on these assessments, the corrosion rate of the artifacts is generally higher in the museum than was likely experienced when the artifacts were still submerged in the ocean, primarily because of increased availability of oxygen and concentration of any salts present during dry-out periods. It was also observed that the corrosion rate in concreted areas tended to be lower than deconcreted areas and was often quite rapid in freshly exposed areas. CP systems have been designed and installed on several of the artifacts, including the gun turret, that have been demonstrated to be effective in mitigating corrosion.