96 OCEANOGRAPHY IN THE UNITED STATES 



Mr. McKernan. I am sorry. The Albatross can can-y up to eight 

 or does carry up to eight. 



The Delaware can carry six. 



Mr. Oliver. The Delaware can carry six scientific personnel with 

 her present accommodations ? 



Mr. McKernan. Yes ; she has 23 berths on board. At the present 

 time she has 11 crew members. We expect to increase her crew to 17 

 which would leave 6 berths. 



Mr. Oliver. Will that call for additional expense of operation of 

 the Delaioare? 



Mr. McKernan. Absolutely not. If we want to increase that above 

 six, it will require some revision which is absolutely minor to add 

 some new bunks to her, but at the present time she will carry six 

 extra personnel without any difficulty in addition to the some six 

 extra people that we will need for the crew. 



Mr. Oliver. To get back to this business of chartering fishing boats 

 for carrying on this additional research work that you say you have 

 planned or programed out, is the fishing industry at the present time 

 reasonably well occupied ? I mean, are tliey using a large portion of 

 the fleet that is available for private fishing operations ? 



Mr. McKernan. Yes, to a considerable extent. However, we always 

 get quite good vessels to bid and it is not true that only obsolete vessels 

 bid on our charters. In fact, we do not take them if they will not do 

 the work and will not do it well. 



Mr. Oliver. Is the cost of that chartering going to be comparable 

 perhaps in any way to tlie operating costs of the Alhatross'i 



Mr. McKernan. I tliink it will be cheaper. We will not be able 

 to do quite as comprehensive work because the equipment will not be 

 on these commercial boats, but we expect the charter will be cheaper. 



Mr. OmvER. For example, when these seamen who operate the 

 Albatross are thrown out of work because of this deactivation of this 

 vessel, I think you stated in the letter that they probably could find 

 jobs in the fishing industry because the fisliing industry is now fairly 

 good. Are they going to be able to find jobs? Are you trying to get 

 them placed ? 



Mr. McKernan. Yes, we are certainly helping. I woidd be very 

 hopeful that they would be able to find jobs. 



Mr. Oliver. Are these fishermen that can go out and find a job, we 

 will say, in private industry, experienced hands that you are going 

 to liave to replace at some time for work on a research vessel that 

 you may be operating? Do you have to go out and train other people 

 to be as competent as they have been ? 



Mr. McKernan. These people are certainly competent on our ves- 

 sels. They are all trained as fishermen and they are all New Eng- 

 land fishermen insofar as I am aware. I might be wrong about one 

 or two, but I think this is the case, so that they can step into the 

 fisliing industry in New England. 



Mr. Oliver. In effect, could it not be true that by losing them now 

 you may have difficulty in replacing them with men as good later? 



Mr. McKernan. It could be true. 



Mr. Oliver. Is that good business? 



Mr. McKernan. No, not if it could be helped, but I think it is much 

 worse business to have a boat lying at the dock and simply paying 

 for 17 people and not using the boat. 



