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.HE BLAST of a whistle from the bridge of the 

 Velero re-echoes along rock-bound shores of Gorgona Island off the 

 coast of Colombia and diminishing waves of sound seem to rustle 

 softly through palm fronds and lush tropical growth which drapes 

 the hills and frames her shallow beaches in numerous shades of 

 green. 



Two miles to leeward a motor launch comes about and heads 

 bow up for the anchorage. Her twin, another motor launch, idles a 

 bit, gears humming a merry tune as a drum astern hauls in a length 

 of cable to which a deep sea dredge is attached. Scientists aboard 

 dump contents of the dredge on a platform and begin pawing over 

 specimens from the deep as the launch gets under way toward the 

 mother ship. 



A sprightly sailing canoe luffs to windward like a skimming 

 dish, her tall white sail outlined against a shimmering skyline, and 

 bounds homeward on a flattening breeze. 



Ashore, a skiff piles into the surf and brown arms bend to the 

 oars as five men pull out to sea from a narrow, shelving beach. Like 

 an arrow, a speed boat churns toward the skiff, takes the men 

 aboard and with the skiff in tow, speeds back to the gangway of 

 the cruiser. 



The Velero is gathering her brood of small boats utilized by 

 scientists in a variety of activities about Gorgona, from dredging 

 the bottom of the ocean to shore collecting along sandy beaches 

 and rocky reefs. These and four other auxiliary craft make up a 

 complement of useful bottoms especially designed to serve the 

 purposes of the expeditions. 



Each small boat is equipped with devices helpful to scientific 

 work and members of the eflficient crew use the boats to best ad- 

 vantage in order to facilitate work of the expeditions. A signal 

 from the Velero's bridge summons the fleet and within fifteen 

 minutes all may be picked up so that the vessel may move on. 



Usually while scientists in the auxiliary boats are busy with 

 their individual occupations, the Velero herself will be engaged in 

 deep sea dredging for specimens with the special gear mounted on 

 her bow, reeling 7,000 feet of cable and apparatus to sample the 

 bottom of the sea at various depths. 

 83 "Wliile the Velero is under way, scientists and their helpers 



