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17th century shipwreck to be rebuilt after freeze drying

Wednesday, August 22, 2012 15:30

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(Before It's News)

A 17th century shipwreck found in the Gulf of Mexico is set to be rebuilt after undergoing a complex free drying operation.

By placing the ship – La Belle – in a constant environment of up to 60 degrees below zero, more than 300 years of moisture will be safely removed from hundreds of European oak and pine timbers and planks.

The freeze-dryer, located at the old Bryan Air Force base several miles northwest of College Station, is 40 feet long and 8 feet wide – the biggest such machine on the continent devoted to archaeology.

Researchers will then rebuild the 54 ½-foot vessel, which will become the centrepiece of the Bob Bullock Texas State History Museum in Austin.