[en] This report represents initial observations on extent of corrosion of an 80-gallon low-level radiactive waste container after immersion for more than fourteen years. This container was recovered during the 1976 survey of a deepsea radioactive waste dumpsite located at a depth of 2800 m in the Atlantic. During the two hour interval between the time the container first emerged from the ocean until it was encapsulated, the exterior condition of the metal drum, including the appearance of corrosion product films and attached biological organisms, was photographically documented. Representative photographs as well as results of limited chemical and biological analyses are presented. These results are then discussed with respect to previously published deep ocean corrosion data, and recommendations are given for improving shipboard sampling and analytical procedures