At this point, only the exterior of the submarine has been extensively analyzed. The interior excavation will most likely produce a large number of artifacts taken on board by the crew including weapons, tools, navigational instruments, paper, clothing and personal items. In addition, the potential presence of human remains trapped in this 'iron tomb' makes the conservation of the H.L. Hunley a unique and somewhat daunting task. Any action undertaken on the submarine must be balanced and controlled so that the impact on the fragile artifacts and organic remains is minimized. Conservators Claire Peachey and Paul Mardikian working on the Mark s Tide during the excavation of the submarine.
Conservation is extremely important in the field of underwater archaeology.
The uncontrolled exposure to air of any material recovered from a marine environment can lead to irreversible damage and the disastrous loss of archaeological data. Iron artifacts in particular are susceptible to rapid deterioration when exposed to an oxygen rich environment. Moreover, chlorides from the seawater penetrate the iron on the molecular level. When in solution, these chlorides present no real problem. However, when exposed to air, they slowly dry in crystal form.