Why Do Barnacles Form On Ships?

When you are casually walking on the beach and enjoying the beautiful scenery, you must have come across these odd and tiny little crustaceans sticking on poles and smooth surfaces like rocks. But do you also know that this barnacle is an indicator of pollution?

Have you ever seen the barnacles clumped up together underneath ships and even the poles by the beach? In most cases, it means that filthiness comes from an organism that accumulates in that area. The barnacles do not just sit there and do nothing, that's for sure.

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They are actually consuming the bacteria that accumulate there and this phenomenon is called fouling which is related to biological pollution. To understand this matter in-depth, we have to start looking at how it really happens.

Firstly, where do these bacterias come from? Similar to the air and land, the ocean or any watery area is also full of bacteria. However, the bacteria in the air can stick to surfaces as well as the ground due to the presence of a polymer known as a biofilm.

The biofilm allows the bacteria to stick and adhere to any surfaces instead of being carried away by the water current. For instance, if you have experienced stepping on rocks in a river, you will notice that some of them will be rather slimy and sticky not to mention the surface of the rock appears muddy.

The stickiness of the rock is due to the presence of biofilm and as time goes by the bacteria colony and biofilm will increase. These will cause the accumulation of bacteria on these surfaces to the extent that the whole surface is wrapped in biofilm.

So the bacteria that are present on the surface of the ships and poles by the beach are considered food for the barnacles and not long after it will be a place of home for the barnacles. Other crustaceans like oysters, seashells, and even clams which have the same diet as barnacles will also stick to the same area scavenging for food.

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One question that comes to mind will be if this process weakens the structure of the pole, how will our engineers and the fishermen back then solve this problem?

According to the writings of Plutarch, the right man Alexander the Great stated regarding this matter:

When the seaweed and contaminants stick at the side of the ship, the movement of the ship will be slower and the water will be a hindrant for the ship to sail out. For that reason the seamen will always apply a special coating to prevent this from happening

If we were to look back in time before the 18th century, the coating agent mostly consist of tar, candles, and whale oil(train oil). The ship will be taken to a dry port to cover these coatings on the ship.

Approaching the 18th century, the British sailor will use copper plates underneath the surface of their ship to prevent the formation of barnacles. The concept is pretty simple. When the copper is in contact with the water, it will cause the formation of poisonous films. This environment will inhibit the bacteria from growing.

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When the bacteria is absent so will the barnacle. Even some water filter today uses this method but due to the concern of the water becoming too poisonous, copper is replaced with silver instead.

During the era of exploration back then, if someone were to cause trouble on board the ship or even get caught by pirates, they will be tortured in the most gruesome way. Their skin will be scraped below the surface of the ships which you all know are full of these sharp barnacles that will definitely peel off your skin.