OCEANOGRAPHY 59 



estuaries, our studies for the prevention of beach erosion, and our de- 

 velopment of protection against hurricanes. 



"\yiiile for many years no funds or authority existed to extend our 

 investigations beyond tlie immediate region of our costal engineering 

 works we have consistently been aware of the need for oceanographic 

 research and have endeavored to keep technically abreast of scientific 

 progress in tliis field. 



The classic work of Gaillard, first published in 1904: under the title 

 "Wave Action in Eelation to Engineering Structures," is a good ex- 

 ample of the manner in which scientific knowledge currently available, 

 plus a limited amount of experimental observation in nature, can be 

 applied to practical engineering. Colonel Gaillard was a captain in 

 the Corps of Engineers at that time and this publication was the 

 standard treatise on shore structure design in this country for 30 

 years or more. 



In Captain Gaillard's time, the improvement of navigation condi- 

 tions at inlets and estuaries was the sole factor which directed the 

 corps' attention to mshore shallow-water oceanography. 



In the last 60 years, this phase of the corps' civil works program has 

 become vastly more complex as the draft and tonnage of the vessels 

 has greatly increased, thereby necessitating entrance channels up to 

 ■15 or 50 feet in depth, as opposed to 20 and 25 feet in 1900. Whereas 

 60 yeai-s ago many inlets and estuaries leading to our ports had natural 

 depths over the bars and shoals which were sufficient to float our ocean 

 vessels, today we find hardly a single one of our ports which does not 

 require a costly, although economically justified, maintenance dredg- 

 ing program. We have had to upset nature's normal balance by cre- 

 atmg navigation channels much deeper than the natural channel. 



I will mention four of these channels serving our ocean ports. 



Average cost per year for past 10 years {new work and maintenance, 19^9-58) 



New York Harbor complex, 45 feet $.3,000,000 



Delaware River to Philadelphia, 40 feet 5,400,000 



Savannah River to Savannah, 36 feet 1, 3(X), 000 



Galveston Bay complex, 40 feet 1,200,000 



In these particular harbors we are spending annually $3 million 

 on that part of the channel in New York; $5.4 million on the Dela- 

 ware River; $1.3 million on the Savannah River; and $1.2 million 

 on Galveston Bay. 



These are just 4 of some 150 channels serving our larger ocean 

 ports, plus another 100 channels serving our Great Lakes ports where 

 the problems of shoaling are similar to those of our ocean ports. 



The bad actors in these shoaling problems are the ocean waves, the 

 tides and tidal currents, and the salt water currents that intrude into 

 our estuaries due to the greater density of the ocean water. 



Our interest in these ocean waves and currents was further in- 

 creased by the addition of beach erosion control responsibilities and 

 hurricane protection responsibilities. 



We started research in this form of oceanography in 1946. Over 

 the past 10 years we have been able to devote some $300,000 per 

 year to research in shallow-water oceanography. 



Although this enables such research to be carried out, it has not 

 permitted extensive observations and studies in nature which are 

 needed for long-range solutions. 



