Seaman's Ocean — Lt. M. F. Maury, USN : 261 



attached to the bottle recorded the local water temperature at the time 

 of reversal. In this way accurate measures of saUnity and temperature 

 at many different depths could be secured with one lowering of the 

 wire. The theory was demonstrated and practical applications devel- 

 oped. 



Again, the science of submarine geology that had begun with Sir 

 John Murray's samples of ocean bottom developed very slowly be- 

 cause no one had developed a method of getting really thick sections 

 of the ocean bottom, and most methods merely scratched the surface. 

 Then in 1936 an American scientist, C. S. Piggott, invented the sub- 

 marine gun. The heavy weapon loaded with an explosive charge 

 was lowered till it was hanging just over the ocean floor. Then when 

 it was fired it shot a long open tube into the ocean bed and when 

 drawn up often provided a core many feet in depth. Since most deep 

 ocean deposits accumulate slowly this could provide a clue to a long 

 period in earth and ocean history. These are but samples. Many sub- 

 marine problems remain unsolved awaiting a new generation of 

 inventors. 



