Development and Procurement of Equipment. — In order that the basic 

 oceanographic data may be collected in a most usable form and in the 

 most expeditious manner, specialized oceanographic equipment is 

 necessary. The Office played an active role in the development of new 

 types of such equipment and in the improvement of existing equipment. 

 Also, a comprehensive list of equipment and supplies, with the possible 

 source of procurement, was compiled and furnished to interested activities. 



Forty-three deep-sea reversing thermometers were received from 

 Richter and Weise in Germany, and an order was placed for an additional 

 seventy. The Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution completed their 

 theraiometer calibration chamber, the first of its kind in the United 

 States, and all Hydrographic Office thermometers are now being 

 calibrated. Some thermometers were received from Woods Hole 

 Oceanographic Institution, after calibrated, and issued to United States 

 j^^avy Electronics Laboratory for co-operative use. 



Various other types of sampling equipment, including bottom 

 samplers, Nansen bottles, bathythermographs, and sample bottles were 

 procured for use aboard naval vessels by the technicians. Two hydro- 

 graphic winches of special design, incorporating hydraulic control and a 

 constant tension device were ordered. A new type of stream-lined 

 -oceanographic sounding weight was designed and four were ordered. 



Considerable effort was expended in design, development, and pro- 

 curement of equipment for use in the Arctic. Contracts were let for the 

 manufacture of several pieces of this equipment, including a field kit 

 for testing the mechanical properties of sea ice. 



Contracts with Oceanographic Laboratories. — Because of the present 

 limited personnel and the lack of facilities required for observations and 

 research it was impossible to conduct all of the projects within the Office. 

 Consequently a portion of the funds available for the oceanographic work 

 were used to support contracts at the Scripps Institution of Oceano- 

 graphy, La JoUa, and the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution, \\'oods 

 Hole, Massachusetts. 



A considerable quantity of basic data was procured by these con- 

 tractual agencies, both by personnel aboard their research vessels 

 and by their technicians designated to accompany Navy-sponsored 

 expeditions. Specifically, studies concerned with the hydrography of the 

 North Atlantic, which includes bottom sediments, temperature, salinity 

 and density distribution, and transparency measurements ; character- 

 istics, distribution, and movement of sea ice ; fog forecasting techniques ; 

 waste disposal at sea ; Pacific Ocean biology and the deep scattering 

 layer were received. A total of fifty technical reports was received 

 from the contractors during the year. 



In addition to the observational programmes undertaken by the 

 contractual agencies, the procurement of oceanographic data is imple- 

 mented by their development and construction of equipment. During 

 fiscal 1948 current meters, bottom-sampling devices, water-sampling 

 devices, and continuous recording equipment for salinity, temperature, 

 and depth measurements were among the items under development or 

 construction. 



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