In the early 1980s the author was asked to investigate the newly discovered wreck of the Xantho, an iron screw steamship active off the Australian coast during the period 1848 to 1872, and to develop a strategy to stop the looting that was occurring at the site. This relatively straightforward assignment turned into a long-term research program for applying maritime archaeology to the conservation of iron-hulled wrecks.

Acknowledgements. Preface. 1. Description, Analysis and Explanation. 2. The Context of the Find. 3. A Wealth of Information. 4. Processes in Wrecksite Analysis. 5. Post-Depositional Processes. 6. The Archival and Material Record at Odds. 7. Excavation Processes. 8. Deconcretion: Excavation and Experiment. 9. Iron Wrecks as Archaeological Sites. 10. Appendix 1: Horsepower. 11. Appendix 2: Wages and Salaries in 1870. 12. Bibliography.