OCEANOGRAPHY IN THE UNITED STATES 79 



the construction of specialized scientific ships as against solely mer- 

 chant vessels ? 



Mr. Morse. We have, and I would like to have Mr. Eusso speak to 

 this. 



Mr. Russo. We have designed and are building now a 3,000-ton 

 ship for the Coast and Geodetic Sm-^ey. That is a survey ship. 

 However, it is still basically a ship, that is a small ship, that is 

 equipped to do this kind of work. It meets conditions which are 

 not identical with those of oceano^aphic research ships but similar. 



We have done preliminary design work for smaller-sized ships, 

 again for the Coast and Geodetic Survey, but the key in that state- 

 ment is the standards, the commercial standards of construction and 

 operation. That, in our judgment, makes the Maritime Administra- 

 tion qualified, not necessarily the only agency qualified to undertake 

 the program of design, construction and operation of ships predicated 

 on commercial standards for construction and operation. 



Mr. Drewry. What is the status of this survey ship ? When will it 

 be completed ? 



Mr. Russo. In August. 



Mr. Morse. August of this year. 



Mr. Drewry. That is one of the two ships that were authorized by 

 this committee a couple of years ago ? 



Mr. Morse. Yes, sir. 



Mr. Miller. Where is she being built ? 



Mr. Morse. At National Steel & Shipbuilding in San Diego. 



Mr. Miller. Mr. Morse, I would like to close with this note. This 

 is a very complex problem. It can be divided into many divisions. 

 Roughly, it is the physics of the sea, the chemistry of the sea, the biol- 

 ogy of the sea. The hydrodynamics, I presume, come under the 

 physics of the sea. These are all important. I notice in your state- 

 ment here that you say, among other things, that you are interested in 

 the sea life that fouls the hulls of ships. That is part of the biology 

 of the sea. 



I did not expect you to express the view of the Administration be- 

 cause I should give you time to discuss it, but in your own personal 

 opinion, do you feel that this subject is of sufficient importance that 

 we should have some coordinating agency to lay down the guidelines 

 and to get it before the people or get it before Government so that 

 there will not be overlapping and so that we can do the best job in 

 learning some of the secrets of that which is beneath the surface of the 

 sea? 



Mr. Morse. I personally think it would be very desirable that there 

 be close coordination and supervision of these broad fields of research. 



Mr. Miller. Thank you very much, sir. 



Dr. Schaefer, a member of the Committee on Oceanography, hap- 

 pens to be present. We had not known that you were going to be 

 here. Doctor, or we would certainly have invited you to appear before 

 us. Would you like to come forward and perhaps tell us some of the 

 things that actuated the committee? We had hoped to have Dr. 

 Brown back. We will not pass up the opportunity now that we have 

 you here to ask you to tell us something about your work. 



