OCEANOGRAPHY 97 



This instrument manufacturing capability is readily adaptable to the 

 production or, indeed, the design of specialized oceanograpliic instru- 

 ments. 



Much of the equipment produced by the industry has been specif- 

 ically designed for marine environments and here particularly in the 

 ASW field for the detection of submersibles. 



In the area of commercial production, I could refer to the LaCoste- 

 Romberg submarine gravity meter, a Texas Instruments seismometer, 

 and the sonic marine system, which are simply a few examples of the 

 instruments designed for shipboard operation. 



They must be designed to operate in any condition. 



The industry also manufactures instrumentations specialized to 

 reduce the data. These include Texas Instrmuents seisjMAC. This 

 equipment is an electronic analog computer wliich takes recorded 

 seismic data and reduces them to a form suitable for direct plotting of 

 subbottom stratigraphy. In addition, the quality of the data is im- 

 proved via a process of signal enliancement. 



I think tliat about summarizes the statement. 



I would be glad to answer any questions you might have. 



Mr. Miller. Mr. Bauer? 



Mr. Bauer. With respect to the data that you have obtained on 

 your various surveys and so on, that is regarded as confidential to the 

 various oil companies, is that correct ? 



Mr. Agnich. It is very highly so. 



Mr. Bauer. Have anj- of the oil companies, to your knowledge been 

 approached by Federal agencies to get data that has been collected 

 that belongs to them ? 



Mr. Agnich. Mr. Ban-y? 



]Mr. Barry. Actually the oil companies, most of them, have a work- 

 ing agreement where they supply this information for official use only 

 to the Hydrographic Office and we have been partially instrumental 

 in making aiTangements for the oil companies to do this. 



Mr. Bauer. I think it would be A^ery interesting if you could de- 

 scribe briefly how you take your seismic sections. How often do you 

 take them and do you have to stop the ship and liave two ships and 

 so on, as is often done by certain others ? 



Mr. Agnich. No, we use one ship and the ship never stops. It 

 proceeds at a rate of about 6 knots and we detonate an explosive 

 charge in the water at about an avei'age of one every 2 minutes and 

 these are approximately a quarter of a mile apart and with these we 

 measure the subsurface below the bottom of tlie ocean to a depth of, 

 we will say, 20,000 feet in the earth. 



One sliip can under good going do as much as 100 miles of such 

 surveying in a day. 



Mr. Baiter. Do you know wliether or not such equipment or tech- 

 niques would be available for the Coast and Geodetic Survey ? 



5lr. Agnich. If they wanted to utilize them, yes, sir. 



Mr. Bai-er. That is all I have. Mr. Chairman. 



Mr. Miller. ]Mr. Flynn? 



Mr. Flynn. I have no questions. 



Mr. Miller. Thank you very much. I appreciate your coming 

 here. 



I tliink that the testimony you have given us is most enlightening. 



