OCEANOGRAPHY IN THE UNITED STATES 103 



Mr. Flynn. Which is the newer boat? 

 Mr. McKerxan. The Delaware. 



Mr. Flynn. What repairs are needed by the Albatross? 

 Mr. McKernan. I cannot give you the detail of those, Mr. Con- 

 gressn:ian. I am not at all sure that there are any repairs that you 

 can put your finger on right at the present time, but, as I mentioned 

 to the chairman, the Albatross is an old boat and repairs simply 

 mount up like they do in any old piece of machinery and this boat is 

 about 10 to 15 years beyond the normal replacement time. You 

 normally would replace a steel vessel like this in between 15 and 

 20 years. 



Mr. Flynn. But it is seaworthy ? 

 Mr. JMcKernan. It is seaworthy but it is old. 

 Mr. Flynn. And it has been doing oceanographic research? 

 Mr. McKernan. Right, inefficiently during the past several years. 

 Mr. Flynn. Do you have any boat to take its place in this research 

 work ? 



Mr. McKernan. As I said before, we are operating the Delaioare 

 to a greater extent and to that extent it will replace the Albatross. 



Mr. Flynn. But the Delaware has been limited pretty well to 

 fishing ? 



Mr. McKernan. To exploratory fishing but it is capable of doing 

 oceanographic work also. 



Mr. Flynn. In any event, you are substantially reducing the 

 amount of research that would be done if you operated the Albatross 

 in addition to the Delaware? 



Mr. McKernan. We are substantially reducing the sea work at the 

 present time, yes. 



Mr. Flynn. And by reducing the sea work you are reducing the 

 research work ? 



Mr. McKernan. No, we are actually going to be able to increase 

 the analysis of research work by the diversion of funds that would be 

 spent for the excessive costs of operating the Albatross to additional 

 research w^ork on shore. 



Mr. Flynn. You used the word "analysis." Does that mean you 

 are going to spend more of the budget in the office and less of the 

 budget on the water ? Is that right ? 



Mr. McKernan. We will spend more of the budget in the labora- 

 tory dealing with the data tliat have been collected at sea, yes. 



Mr. Flynn. Do you have substantial data that have not been 

 worked out ? 



Mr. McKernan. A great deal, yes, sir. 



Mr. Flynn. For how many years past has that been gathered? 

 Mr. McKernan. Well, we have been operating for a good number 

 of years and I am told by the Laboratory Director, Dr. Graham, 

 that tliere is a backlog of^lata and that it is essential that this be 

 caught up and that, while the loss of the use of the Alhatross will 

 certainly aifect our program, and I would not mean to imply any- 

 thing else, nevertheless a great deal of this, for the time being, will 

 be made up for by an increased efficiency in the operation in tlie lab- 

 oratory in the analysis of the data. 



Mr. Flynn. But your main reason for laying up the Albatross is 

 the fact that your budget did not provide adequate funds to operate 

 it? 



