OCEANOGRAPHY IN THE UNITED STATES 



tuesday, april 21, 1959 



House of Representatives, 

 Speciai. Subcommittee ox Oceanography 

 OF THE Committee on Merchant Marine and Fisheries, 



Washington^ D.C. 



The subcommittee met at 10 a.m., pursuant to call, in room 219, Old 

 House Office Building, Hon. George P. Miller (chairman of the sub- 

 committee) presiding. 



Present : Representatives Miller, Dingell, Oliver, Dorn, Pelly, and 

 Curtin. 



Staff members present: Jolni M. Drewry, chief counsel; Bernard J. 

 Zincke, counsel, and William B. Winfield, clerk. 



Mr. Miller. The committee will be in order. This is a resumed 

 meeting of the Subcommittee on Oceanography, of the Committee on 

 Merchant Marine and Fisheries. 



Let the record show that we have a quorum. 



The first witness will be Capt. A. B. Metsger, Deputy and Assistant 

 Chief of Naval Research, who is here pinch-hitting for Admiral 

 Bennett. 



All right. Captain. Will you proceed, sir ? 



STATEMENT OF CAPT. A. B. METSGEE, DEPUTY AND ASSISTANT 

 CHIEF OF NAVAL RESEARCH, DEPARTMENT OF THE NAVY 



Captain JSIetsger. It is a great pleasure to be here this morning, Mr. 

 Chairman. Admiral Bennett especially regrets not being able to be 

 here with you this morning to discuss our programs in oceanography. 

 He is this morning testifying on naval appropriations. 



Mr. Miller. We appreciate how important that is to Admiral 

 Bennett and to all of us. 



Captain Metsger. If the appropriations hearings are over he 

 will come on over here to join you, sir, and if there is anything further 

 you would like to have from Admiral Bennett he would be most happy 

 to come at a later moment at your convenience. 



Mr. Miller. Thank you. Tell the Admiral that if there is we shall 

 be very happy to call him. 



Captain jV&tsger. In considering the interest of this committee in 

 the field of oceanography it was felt that a brief summary of the 

 general history of oceanography in the Na^^ would be interesting and 

 informative. 



In the broad sense of oceanography the Navy has been extremely 

 interested since early in the last century. Beginning in 1842, the 

 work of Lieutenant Maury in charting the ocean currents, which con- 



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