1 -REPORT UPOiN THE INVESTIGATIONS OF THE U. S. FISH 

 COMMISSION STEAMER ALBATROSS FOR THE YEAR ENDING 

 JUNE 30, 1892. 



By Lieut. Commjuuler Z. L. Tannkk, U. S. N., conniianding. 



CRUISE TO BERING SEA WITH THE U. S. BERING SEA COMMIS- 

 SIONERS. 



iSa)i Francisco to Bering Sea. — The Albatross was in dry dock at the 

 Uuioii Iron Works, San Francisco, Cal., at the close of the fiscal year 

 ending June 30, 1891, for the purpose of cleaning and painting her 

 bottom. The vessel liad been in the water but five months, yet her 

 service in the tropical waters of the Gulf of Panama and the region of 

 th.e Galapagos resulted in a luxuriant growth of barnacles and grass, 

 to which was added a coating of slime, bryozoa, and mussels accumulated 

 while lying at Mare Island. The estinuited weight of the accumulation 

 was 17 tons, and the reduction of speed caused by it, about 1^ knots 

 an hour. The bottom was painted with a coat of red lead, followed by 

 one of white zinc, at her previous docking, a preparation which gave 

 satisfaction in the cold waters of Bering Sea, but proved ineffective in 

 the tropics. Inferior zinc may have contributed largely to this result. 



A communication was received from the U. S. Commissioner of Fish 

 and. Fisheries, inclosing an order from the Xavy Department, reducing 

 the crew from 67 to 53 men on July 1, and taking from us some of our 

 most important ratings. This reduction was ordered on account of the 

 lack of men for manning the new ships of the XaA^y recently completed. 

 After leaving the dry dock the bunkers were filled with coal, and, with 

 the exception of an incomplete list of officers, the vessel was ready for 

 her usual Bering Sea cruise on July 7. We proceeded to the navy-yard 

 at Mare Island on the afternoon of the same day. 



Assistant Paymaster 0. S. Williams was relieved on the 2d of July 

 by Assistant Paymaster John S. Carpenter. Paymaster Williams was 

 attached to the Albatross nearly four years, performing the duties of 

 disbursing agent for the Fish Commission in addition to those regularly 

 devolving upon him as paymaster; and I avail myself of this oppor- 

 tunity of saying that the Fish Commission is under many obligations 

 to him for the prompt and efficient manner in which he performed this 

 duty. Personally I am greatly indebted to him for the cheerful alac- 

 rity with which he responded to every call without reference to the 

 character of service required. He received his detachment on July 9. 

 F c 03 1 I 



