OCEANOGRAPHY IN THE UNITED STATES 177 



oceanograplier, Mr. Gordon Lill, who handles the oceanographic 

 scientific work for the Navy here with us today. 



Mr. Miller. Captain, I notice that in your next to the last para- 

 graph you mention the fact that the — 



postwar program differed from the wartime program In that it was directed 

 much more specifically toward understanding the basic phenomena of the oceans 

 from which are drawn the byproducts of better information of use to defense. 



That implies that there is still a great lack of knowledge in this field 

 that can be developed. 



Captain Metsger. There certainly is, sir. Perhaps you have heard 

 it said that we know far more about space millions of light years 

 above us than we know about the earth 1,000 feet beneath us, or the 

 ocean bottoms beneath our ships. This is literally true. 



Mr. Miller. Is there any question in your mind that in the future 

 for both defense and in the matter of more peaceful pursuits that a 

 thorough knowledge of the oceans is desirable ? 



Captain Metsger. I feel, sir, that both for our national security 

 and our national economy we absolutely must learn more about our 

 oceans. 



Mr. Miller. I have been interested in some things that have come 

 to my attention. For instance, I was handed a translation of Radio 

 Vilnius : According to the monitoring service for November 2, 1958, 

 Radio Vilnius in Soviet Lithuania announced on that date that the 

 designing institute of the fishing industry in Klaipeda had started 

 working on the design of a miniature submarine, which they an- 

 nounced would be called a bathystat. The bathystat was expected to 

 lend itself for watching nets and fish at depths up to 600 meters 

 (2,000 feet). The first bathystat was to be pulled by a ship; the sub- 

 sequent one was to have its own engine. 



The model of the first bathyscaph was already built and ready for 

 testing at that date. 



Have you ever heard of such a development ? 



Captain Metsger. We are familiar with that bathyscaph. In gen- 

 eral, sir, and I think Mr. Lill will have an opportunity to talk a little 

 more about bathyscaph operations later. 



Mr. Miller. 1 understand that the Russians are going to use this 

 among other things to determine the efficiency of netting operations 

 of fish nets in the surface of the ocean. 



I am not conscious of anything that we have done in that line. We 

 may have been doing it or may have contemplated it, but as an old 

 fish and game man, and I was at one time executive officer of the 

 California division of Fish and Game, I am conscious of the fact that 

 we know very little about the efficiency of netting operations in the 

 ocean and carry them on as we have carried them on traditionally for 

 hundreds of years. 



The only real material advancement that we made was when you 

 put power on ships and could put out bigger nets. This was very 

 interesting to me. I just bring it up for the general information of 

 the committee. 



Are there any questions ? Mr. Dorn. 



Mr. Dorn. Do you have any suggestion as to what this committee 

 might do to aid the work that you say should be done ? 



