By Warren Lasch
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Source Credit: Wiki Media
When Senator Glenn McConnell asked me to serve as Chairman of Friends of the Hunley in 1996, I had no idea where that path would take me. Over the next nine years, I became immersed in the project, learning not only the amazing history of the Civil War submarine, but also much of the science behind preserving an iron vessel that had spent more than 130 years submerged in salt water and silt.
Salt water will preserve iron as long as the material remains submerged, and silt further protects it. As soon as iron makes contact with air, however, the rapid process of oxidation begins. In some cases, when salvagers have removed old cannonballs from the sea, they have spontaneously combusted because of the heat associated with rapid oxidation. Metal shavings from some rivets on the Hunley became so hot they burned through the plastic bags containing them.
Another problem following iron preservation in saltwater is the chloride penetration. While in the water, the chlorides penetrate the metal. When removed from the water and exposed to air, those chlorides crystallize and expand the iron’s surface, causing it to flake away.
In order to remove the chlorides from the Hunley’s metal, conservators placed the submarine in a 55,000-gallon bath of chilled fresh water, where they desalinated the iron using electricity. According to Paul Mardikian, the Hunley’s senior conservator, without this process, the Hunley would have reverted to a pile of iron flakes shortly after its excavation.
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About warrenlasch
Warren Lasch, the Vice-Chairman of Precision Motor Transport Group, LLC, is an Ohio native with long-standing ties to the automotive industry. For the previous two decades, Mr. Lasch was the President of Precision Motor Transport Group, LLC. During his time as the President of Precision Motor Transport Group, LLC, Warren Lasch was responsible for increasing the firm’s top line from USD $3.2M in 1992 to USD $70.2M in 2008. Warren Lasch had a much wider impact on the automotive transport industry as a whole by being the first to use enclosed vehicle delivery systems. His two companies that utilized this strategy, Bavarian Motor Transport Inc. and Tri-Star Transport, Inc., were part of a successful contract and specialized motor carrier network. Mr. Lasch promoted timely delivery, damage-free goods, and increased truck safety activities under the auspices of the Michigan Truck Safety Commission.
Mr. Lasch’s work with Precision Motor Transport Group, LLC allowed him to leverage his strength in strategic planning to develop innovative car hauling services that were fully enclosed. These systems benefited directly from Warren Lasch’s general governance of Precision Motor Transport Group, LLC, and the firm in turn earned a reputation for responsible handling of luxury automobiles like BMWs and Mercedes-Benzes.
Warren Lasch earned his Bachelor of Science in Business Administration while married and receiving minimal financial assistance from John Carroll University in University Heights, Ohio. Mr. Lasch currently resides in South Carolina with his wife.
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