150 OCEANOGRAPHY IN THE UNITED STATES 



In carrying out this mission and the assigned tasks, the research ship is employed in studying: 

 the current structure of the ocean; oceanic temperatures; environmental effects on instruments 

 and techniques; bottom topography, sediments, and structure; heat flow through the bottom; 

 sound transmission and velocities; ambient noise; biological activity and specimens; nuclear 

 components; and water samples for salinities, phosphates, oxygen, nitrates, etc. 



The mission, tasks, and employment of research ships form the broad base for submarine 

 and antisubmarine warfare research work without which modern naval warfare would be 

 severely handicapped. For instance, submarines cannot function properly in strategic areas 

 without adequate knowledge of currents, bottom topography, sound velocities, ocean tempera- 

 ture, and weather. We are now ill equipped to provide the knowledge because we lack ships 

 capable of working in the north east Atlantic, the North Pacific, and the Indian Ocean. 



PRESENT STATUS OF U. S. SHIPS 



The status of ships in use in the United States today is indicated in Table L Photographs 

 of some of the ships are given in Figs. 3-14. The R/V ATLANTIS is the only one of these 

 which was originally designed for research purposes. The others are conversions from yachts, 

 warships, tugboats, and fishing vessels. Because they were designed for those purposes and 

 not for research, they have inadequate facilities for crew and scientific work. Many of them 

 have limited range or are unsafe for oceanographic work in sea states greater than 3 or 4. 

 They are noisy, making it difficult or even impossible to perform sound-propagation studies. 

 The larger ships have improper scientist-to-crew ratios, that is, they have many more crew 

 members than scientists, which in the research business is economically unsound. Most of 

 the ships are too slow, which is costly in scientists' time and in Navy funds. 



There has been no program for the replacement of our research fleet as the ships become 

 old and unsafe, either on the part of the scientific institutions contracting with the Navy or on 

 the part of the Navy itself. If we are to get ahead of the Russian submarine menace and stay 

 there, a 10-year ship-replacement program should be implemented. We have a 25-year re- 

 placement program to accomplish within the 10 years. 



THE STATUS OF FOREIGN RESEARCH SHIPS 



Selected foreign ships are listed in Table II. In addition, photographs and characteristics 

 of three of the better ships are presented in Figs. 15-17. It is noteworthy that the Russians 

 and Japanese are building new research ships. The Russians started with conversions and 

 have graduated to specially constructed research ships such as the MIKHAIL LOMONOSOV 

 which completed her first cruise in the North Atlantic late in 1957. The Japanese have one of 

 the finest research fleets in the world which has been built largely for oceanographic research 

 in connection with their fisheries. These nations are conducting much the same type of re- 

 search at sea as we are, and they have better ships with which to do it. We may assume that 

 nations which are willing to invest large sums of money in research ships also have the skilled 

 scientists necessary to use them properly. Assumptions to the contrary are not well taken. 



THE NEED FOR NEW OCEANOGRAPHIC RESEARCH 

 SHIPS IN THE UNITED STATES 



The urgent need by the United States for new and carefully obtained oceanographic infor- 

 mation has been known for many years and has been recommended and pointed out to the Navy 

 by some of the country's best scientific talent in the following studies: 



HARTWELL Report - a study of overseas transportation problems 



LAMPLIGHT Report - a study of the Navy's role in continental defense 



NOBSKA Report - a study of the Navy's problems in antisubmarine warfare. 



