Thanks Esther.  The state of preservation of the wood is remarkable,  The Vasa
is a similar story - sunk on her maiden voyage less than 1.4 mile from her
departure point, she lay on the bottom of Stockholm Harbor for 333.  The iron
bolts holding on the nearly 1000 carvings rusted away and they fell inot the
muck below.  The water was cold, brackish, and polluted, and some of the
carvings still have paint chips on them.  Many of the carvings still show enough
detail that conservators can tell which of the 3 carvers made a piece.

Here are a couple of blocks, among the 40,000 items found:

https://www.flickr.com/photos/ruby1638/29263387322/in/album-72157664112
173282/">https://www.flickr.com/photos/ruby1638/29263387322/in/album-72157664112
173282/ <https://www.flickr.com/photos/ruby1638/29263387322/in/albu
m-72157664112173282/">https://www.flickr.com/photos/ruby1638/29263387322/in/albu
m-72157664112173282/>

Amazing

Ed Minch