USS Maine 6" Gun

 
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  • uss-maine_treatment-february-2017.jpg
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Conservation Treatment of the USS Maine 6-inch, 30-caliber, Mark III Gun.



History:
The USS Maine was a battleship commissioned into the United States Navy in 1895. The Maine sank in Havana Harbor, Cuba after an explosion occurred onboard in 1898. Several guns and parts of the ship were recovered during salvage operations conducted in 1898 and 1912. One of these guns, a 6-inch, 30-caliber Mark 3 was placed at the United States Navy Yard in Washington DC as a memorial. In 2016 the Warren Lasch Conservation Lab transported the gun from Washington DC to North Charleston, South Carolina for conservation treatment.

Transportation to the WLCC:
In August of 2016 a team from the Warren Lasch Conservation Lab transported the gun from Washington DC to North Charleston, South Carolina for conservation treatment. The gun was on display outside within the Navy Yard, contributing to degradation of the coating and corrosion of the metals beneath. The gun was displayed approximately two feet above ground level, inside of a wooden rail-road tie planter. Before removal of the gun, the wood planter was dismantled and removed. The gun had many layers of coatings including a layer of lead-based coating that may have started to leach into the mulch and soil surrounding the gun. The top layer of soil was removed and contained before removal of the gun. Parker Rigging Company of North Charleston performed and supervised the rigging of the gun, lifting the gun safety onto a flatbed truck that would be transporting the gun back to the WLCC. Once the gun was removed from the ground of the Naval Yard, the team collected the soil remaining of the above ground planter to transport to Charleston to safely dispose of it.

Treatment Progress to Date:
The WLCC developed a treatment plan that successfully mitigated harmful lead coatings and utilized the ThermaTech, © Restorative Techniques system.

The blast shield of the gun has a copper alloy plaque and was treated using a crystalline wax. A three-step coating system was applied.

Transportation to Richmond, VA:
Parker Rigging Company of North Charleston performed the rigging and lifting of the gun on to a flatbed truck to be taken to a naval facility in Richmond, VA once treatment was completed.