Welcome to the second installment of our miniseries on Nishimura 3746, a Japanese midget submarine. We’re deep diving into an on-going project to resupport this one-of-a-kind vessel.

The first step in a project to assess the condition of La Isabel, a Jábega boat, a traditional fishing trawler from Málaga, Spain. It was built in 1925 and came to The Mariners’ Museum and Park in 1933 not long after the Museum opened.

Nishimura no. 3746, a Japanese midget submarine built in 1940. There were only four of these submarines ever built, only two of which were built by the Imperial Japanese Navy, and it is the only surviving example of its kind.

Electrochemical treatment set-ups need constant attention in the “wet lab” and outdoor tanks, and environmental conditions in dry object storage also require our steadfast attention.

The agents range from everyday environmental issues to unlikely, but devastating, events. It’s important to remember, and you’ll see it as we go through the list, that often these agents work together.

When salt gets into things it’s not meant to get into, it almost always causes problems, but the nature of the problem varies by material: organics (like wood, leather and cloth), metals (like iron and copper), and other inorganic materials (like ceramics, glass and stone).

Details on the paper treatment and common conservation techniques for a print that came to the lab due to its fragile condition.

A brief history of the Bronze Doors at The Mariners’ Museum and Park, commissioned in 1932. They once graced the main entrance and now are part of the collection.

An update on the conservation treatment for a bone-handled knife found in the concretion of the turret.

In order to conserve these complex pieces of machinery, a large part of our job is to disassemble them. This allows for appropriate treatment of the different materials.