Shipwrecks and Salvage > 2. Corrosion of Iron >
Identify iron and steel as the main metals used in ships
- Iron: A transition metal and the most widely used metallic element.
- Steel: An alloy of iron, containing less than 2% carbon, and varying amounts of other elements.
- Iron and steel are the main metals that have been used to construct ships since the late-eighteenth century.
- Iron and steel have been used to construct ships because they:
- Are relatively hard.
- Are mechanically strong.
- Can be worked into different shapes and structures.
- Can be welded.
