166 OCEANOGRAPHY IN THE UNITED STATES 



with for the past year or so. When we had our inquiry into safety 

 of life at sea following the Andrea Doria-StochhoUn collision, one of 

 the principal points was the question of the North Atlantic tracks and 

 the point was made that perhaps there should be not only a tightening 

 up of the requirements regarding the existing tracks in the North 

 Atlantic but that there also be established tracks agreed upon else- 

 where ; but it occurs to me that with this weather routing that possibly 

 the fixed track concept might be outmoded today. 



Admiral Hayavakd. Well, of course, having been captain of a large 

 ship, I would say the fixed track really does not have any legal sig- 

 nificance in the rules of the road. With a fixed track, and this is the 

 thing that always used to worry us, the burden is still on me to comply 

 with the rules and, if the visibility is such, I have to slow down. 



I have gone into the Andrea Doria case, as most captains would, to 

 find out the facts in case they should find themselves in the same posi- 

 tion, and there was complete violation of the law regardless of fixed 

 tracks or radar or anything else. The law requires that you slow 

 down so that you can stop within the limits of the visibility and that 

 was not done. 



This storm prediction thing, in the late summer months, in the hurri- 

 cane paths and things of this kind, this is most important and it could 

 be most important from a military operation point of view. This is 

 of more and more value as we get more and more infoiTnation. 



Our satellite business gets in it. 



If we really get our cloud cover experiments and know the weather — 

 and you probably have seen the picture of the hurricane from 150,000 

 feet^ — this would permit you to predict. Any prediction would pay 

 off in dollars in time saved. 



Mr. Drewry. This is something that should figure very largely 

 when they get the next international safety convention. 



Admiral Hayavard. Yes, sir. 



Mr. Drewry. To whatever extent, the tracks have certainly been 

 upset by this new development in weather routing. You mentioned 

 that a submarine is so much better as a research vessel in the polar 

 regions. I wonder if you would tell me one or two basic reasons why. 

 Is it because a submarine can collect more data in a shorter period 

 of time ? 



Admiral Hayward. Yes; it can collect more data. There are a 

 lot of holes up there, we found out. The submarine has much more 

 flexibility. It is in a very good position to chart, the bottom. It is 

 probably the most useful tool we have. A surface ship would be in 

 continual danger, could be in terrific trouble unless you really built 

 it, as a first class icebreaker and could get stuck up there in one place 

 for months on end so that a submarine lias tremendous advantages. 



Mr. Drewry. That is all, Mr. Chainnan. 



Mr. Miller. Admiral, I want to thank you for coming here and at 

 a future time we would like to have some of your people from the 

 staff back here. 



Dr. Brown has to get a plane at 1 o'clock, so tliat I would like to 

 put him on now and reserve the riglit later on to have Captain Ober- 

 meyer and Captain Munson and some of the others back here to gi\'B 

 us some specific information. 



Admiral Hayward. Mr. Chairman, I would like to extend an invi- 

 tation to the subcommittee to make a trip to Woods Hole. I will 



