192 OCEANOGRAPHY IN THE UNITED STATES 



Mr. LiLL. I know about the ship. I know that scientists who have 

 worked on her have never been very satisfied with her. 



Mr. Drewry. They have not been ? 



Mr. LiLL. They have not been. 



In the first place, when the ship was taken over she was 20 feet 

 shorter than she is now. They cut her in half and made her 20 feet 

 longer from the middle out. She has never worked out well as far as 

 seaworthiness is concerned. She behaves badly in the sea. 



That is about all I really know about the ship. 



Mr. Drewry. I would not want to press you further just on hearsay^ 



That is all, Mr. Chairman. 



Mr. Miller. Mr. Lill, you showed us a picture of the proposed 

 bathyscaph by the Reynolds Co. For whom are they building that? 



Mr. Lill. It is not too clear, Mr. Chairman. The Reynolds Co., 

 of course, has their own purpose in building it. That is to promote the 

 use of aluminum, through worthwhile advertising. They are looking 

 to tlie Office of Naval Research for advice on what the Ahimlnaut 

 should do and they have made contracts with the Southwest Research 

 Institute for design. 



The Navy Department has made contracts with Southwest Research 

 Institute on some of the metallurgical problems involved so that there 

 has been rather close cooperation. Whether Reynolds wants the Navy 

 to take this over and operate it or not or who he plans to have operate 

 it is really not decided as far as I know. 



INIr. Miller. Do you know whether Reynolds was encouraged tO' 

 build this by the Navy or did they do it as a venture of their own ? 



Mr. Lill. As far as I know it was their own idea. The Navy 

 has no money in it except in the research end of metallurgy and we 

 have been giving advice. 



The first time I heard of it was out of a clear blue sky. 



Mr. Miller. Do you tliiiik it will be more efficient than the one that 

 we purchased? 



Mr. Lill. Yes, sir. I think so. It has at least double the range. 

 It will have more power and carry more people. It will go almost as 

 deep, perhaps not quite as deep, as the Trieste^ but the other aspects 

 of it, I tliink, will make it much better. 



]\rr. Miller. Do you know wliether we in this country have ever 

 tried to or have ever built a bathyscapli ? 



Mr. Lill. We have not. There have been some backyard design.^ 

 built by individuals which they call private submarines but they 

 really do not amount to much. 



IVIr. Miller. Did not the French subsidize this boat for the 

 Piccards ? 



Mr. TjIll. The French Navy took over the first one which was 

 called the FNRS 3, the first bathyscaph Prof. Auguste Piccard 

 designed and built. 



This device was given to the Fund for Research in Belgium, who 

 in turn gave it to the Frencli Navy. At that time Professor Piccard 

 moved his operations to Italy where he l)uilt the one I liave shown 

 here. 



Mr. Miller. As I recall, there was quite a piece in the National 

 Geographic about the first one. 



IMr, Lill. Tliat is the one the French have. 



