This work reports several years of observations on the desalination of nonmetallic artifacts recovered from historic shipwrecks off the Western Australian Coast. The washing of glass, stone, and ceramics for periods of up to three years was monitored through regular measurements of wash solution conductivity and chlorinity. Periodic determinations of the concentrations of SO₄* h2-*s, Na⁺, K⁺, Mg²⁺, and Ca²⁺ ions were also made in an attempt to understand the differences in behavior. Three distinct types of desalination behavior in static solutions have been observed, and the results have been shown to be partly material specific. The diffusion-controlled release rates for removal of chloride ions from glass, stone, and ceramics have been determined, and the average treatment times are also reported. The results are discussed in terms of the nature of the wreck sites, and the length of immersion in sea water. -- AATA