Which outcome occurs when an 18th-century wooden ship undergoes prolonged immersion in saltwater, despite copper sheathing?

💡 Explanation

When a wooden ship is immersed in saltwater and copper sheathing experiences breaches from mechanical contact, galvanic corrosion occurs because the copper acts as a cathode relative to more reactive metals (iron fasteners), accelerating their corrosion. Therefore decreased strength results, rather than increased speed, buoyancy, or reduced drag which require different mechanisms.

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