The R and D program goals are to apply the benefits of science and 

 technology to Coast Guard missions and responsibilities, to improve 

 service to the public, and to reduce costs. To achieve these goals, 

 three major objectives have been identified. These are (1) to increase 

 the capacity of the national marine transportation system, (2) to 

 protect and enhance the marine environment, and (3) to protect 

 public safety at sea. 



Projects fall into two general classes. One class involves actual 

 hardware development for use by the Coast Guard. These are 

 generally more costly programs. The second class are those projects 

 designed to provide technical knowledge to support commercial 

 vessel and boating safety technical regulations. In selection of the 

 projects, the following factors are evaluated: (1) requirements 

 resulting from new legislation, (2) marine casualty reports and 

 trends, (3) potential for cost savings, and (4) assessment of technical 

 risks involved. 



The enactment of recent legislation such as the Water Quality 

 Improvements Act of 1970, the Boat Safety Act of 1971, and the Port 

 and Waterways Safety Act of 1972 have substantially increased the 

 CG's safety and environmental duties and responsibilities. For 

 example, under Title II of the Port and Waterways Safety Act, major 

 emphasis will be directed towards the development of technical 

 knowledge to implement new or revised standards for design, 

 construction, alteration, and repair of vessels and their equipment, 

 as well as new standards affecting vessel maneuvering and stopping 

 ability. Also, in response to Title II, continued development of Vessel 

 Traffic Systems, including the buoy subsystem and a precision 

 navigation system (River and Harbor Aids to Navigation System 

 called RIHANS) will be emphasized. 



The Boat Safety Act of 1971 is intended to enhance the safety of the 

 operation of the 8,000,000 recreational boats in the U.S. as well as 

 provide consumer protection for their owners. Major emphasis is 

 planned and necessary in this program area to provide the timely 

 support needed to develop and verify minimum safety standards for 

 these boats and their equipment. 



In response to the Water Quality Improvement Act of 1970, the 

 development of the high-sea oil control and clean-up system and 

 Arctic and fast-current clean-up systems will be continued. Major 

 emphasis is being directed towards the continued development of 

 airborne and "in situ" oil surveillance systems. 



Finally, in the area of search and rescue, major emphasis is focused 

 on the testing, modification, and integration of existing sensors to 

 develop an effective airborne detection system, as well as continued 

 work on the development of the distress alerting and detection 

 system for search and rescue and other applications such as vessel 

 traffic systems and buoy position monitoring. 



101 



