The wood panels, riddled with marine borers, were soaked in an alcohol 

 solution to prevent decay and were placed in plastic bags. The wood panels used 

 for fungi determination were placed directly into sterile plastic bags, sealed, and 

 stored in the ship's refrigerator. Rope specimens for the isolation of marine micro- 

 organisms were also placed in sterile plastic bags and stored in a refrigerator. A 

 3-inch section was cut from each end of the plastic rods and tubes and then placed 

 inside individual plastic containers filled with fresh seawater. This was to retain 

 the moisture in the plastics recovered from the sea for conducting moisture and 

 hardness tests in the laboratory. 



Marine Growth on Test Materials 



Metal Panels. Generally there was very little fouling growth on metal panels. 

 Most of the fouling growth found on the panels were species of hydroids (Figure 7). 

 Some species with treelike branching growths were caught on the surface of the 

 panel (Figure 8). Hydroids were found on panels such as stainless steel and titanium, 

 which were not covered with corrosion products. Very little or no growth was found 

 on panels such as mild steel and copper-based alloys, which were covered with 

 corrosion products. 



Several tubeworms (3-inch-long tubes made of mud and bottom debris) were 

 found on stainless steel panels which were partially buried in the sediment (Figures 9 

 and 10). Another variety of tubeworms (tubes made of white calcareous materials) 

 were found on stainless steel and titanium panels (Figure 1 1). A small pecten about 

 1/8 inch in diameter was also found attached to a titanium panel which was partially 

 buried in the sediment (Figure 12). Several deep sea crabs (Figure 13), gastropods 

 (Figure 14), and a large sea anemone (Figure 15) were found on various test panels. 



Typical fouling organisms such as barnacles, bryozoa, mussels, and tunicates 

 found on submerged materials in shallow waters were not found on panels submerged 

 on the ocean floor in 2,370 feet of water. 



The corrosive effects of the deep ocean environment on various metallic spec- 

 imens from previous STUs are presented in Reference 7. 



Wood Panels. Various kinds of untreated wood panels (l/2x2x 6-inch) such 

 as pine, fir, ash, maple, cedar, oak, and redwood were exposed to determine the 

 effects of marine organisms on different woods. All the wood panels were attacked 

 by marine borers and sustained light to heavy damage. Redwood and cedar were the 

 most severely damaged; maple, pine, oak, and ash were moderately damaged; and fir 

 sustained the lightest damage (Figures 16 & 17). 



The diameter of the shells of the majority of the borers In these woods measured 

 about 1/8 inch. Some borers In cedar and redwood had penetrated about 3/4 inch 

 into the wood from the cut end of a panel (Figures 18 & 19). The loss In weight of 

 each of these panels due to borer damage Is presented in the Appendix. 



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