OCEANOGRAPHY IN THE UNITED STATES 27 



STATEMENTS OF COL. H. E. SPRAGUE, EXECUTIVE OFFICER; 

 J. M. CALDWELL, CHIEF, RESEARCH DIVISION; RICHARD 0. 

 EATON, CHIEF TECHNICAL ADVISER, BEACH EROSION BOARD, 

 U.S. ARMY CORPS OF ENGINEERS. 



Colonel Sprague. I have just a short statement and then we want 

 to show slides. 



Mr. Chairman and members of the committee, I am Col. H. E. 

 Sprague, executive officer of the Beach Erosion Board, Corps of 

 Engineers. 



The Beach Erosion Board was established by Congress m 1930 

 to engage in cooperative studies in coastal areas at the request of 

 local authority on beacli erosion problems. Very little was known 

 at the time concerning the forces of nature m a technical sense and 

 it was, therefore, necessary to initiate a research program on mshore 

 oceanography to improve our knowledge of sliore processes and to 

 establish criteria for design of corrective works. 



I have with me this morning members of the Beach Erosion staff. 

 I would like to call on Mr. Joseph M. Caldwell, Chief of our Research 

 Division, who will tell you some of our activities in research. 



Mr. Miller. We are very glad to have Mr. Caldwell. You may 

 proceed. 



Mr. Caldwell. Gentlemen, the research program of the Beach 

 Erosion Board has as its goal the improvement of methods for restor- 

 ing and stabilizing our shores. 



Although the Board had engaged in research during the 19.30's, the 

 formal research program began about 1946 ui response to an author- 

 ization by Congress or public law which put it in the research business, 

 you might say. 



We find that our research studies divide themselves into what might 

 be called fundamental or basic research in shallow water oceanography. 

 This deals with the activity of the shore mitouched by man; that is, 

 with what the waves do to the beach in its normal state. 



Then our second field of research may be called engineering research 

 where we begin to place structures to change this action. 



The research facilities of the Board consist of our laboratory here on 

 the Delacarlia water supply reservation on MacAi^thur Boulevard. 



We have five wave tanks, the largest being 600 feet long, 20 feet 

 deep, and 15 feet wide, enabling us to study waves up to about 6 feet 

 in height, pretty much an ocean-sized wave. 



We have a specialized library of about 18,000 lioldings dealing with 

 this particular subject and related subjects. 



We have an electronic shop and a small machine and carpenter shop 

 and a photographic laboratory to assist in our work. 



We have also certain field equipment, the principal pieces being 

 the amphibious trucks which enable us to work in the wave action 

 in the surf zone. 



