FRONTIERS IN OCEANIC RESEARCH 25 



is not to be construed as a new observation, but the record obtained 

 by the bathyscaph and its personnel is the first continuous record of 

 the temperature phenomena from the surface to the bottom of such a 

 water column. This advantage is being extended to many other 

 physical measurements so that we will have simultaneous measure- 

 ments of a variety of parameters all the way from the surface to the 

 bottom, rather than the point checks dictated by lowering devices on a 

 cable, taking samples, and interpolating between the points. 



Mr. Miller. Do you have any reason, Doctor, to indicate why the 

 temperature should go up ? 



Dr. Rechnitzer. This is due to the compression of sea water. It 

 can be compressed as much as 5 percent in these great depths. In 

 compressing any material, be it a gas or a liquid, it heats up when 

 compressed. The temperatures increasing as they do, in these great 

 depths, along with other oceanographic information, it is held to be 

 due to compression. 



It might be well to go back and take a quick look at the history of 

 the bathyscaph to give us some understanding of how slowly things 

 actually move in the scientific field at times. 



The concept of the bathyscaph preceded that of Piccard's strato- 

 spheric balloon. It has been almost 50 years now since he originally 

 laid down the designs for the bathyscaph. 



Now, to come up to more recent times, the Trieste was constructed 

 in 1952 and 1953. Between its launching and 1958, the bathyscaph 

 operated only in the Mediterranean Sea. 



During that period, 48 dives were completed. Twenty-six of these 

 were made in 1957 under the sponsorship of the U.S. Navy, Office of 

 Naval Research. 



After August 1958, the craft was brought to San Diego, reassembled, 

 and put into operation where it reached a maximum depth of 4,200 

 feet. 



Following these preliminary dives, the craft was prepared for the 

 Project Nekton which was to be conducted near Guam, in the Mariana 

 Islands group in the Western Pacific. 



The objectives of the operations were both scientific and technologi- 

 cal. Some of the details I have already given you. 



There are problems with the bathyscaph, as there are with any 

 other prototype vehicle. 



Although it has the capability of operating down to depths where 

 it encounters tremendous pressures, it cannot be safely operated in 

 rough seas. It is also limited to near shore operations due to the 

 lack of an adequate mother ship. 



Therefore, the present scope of operation of the craft is seriously 

 curtailed as deep ocean areas are not usually located close to major 

 shore based facilities, due to shallow depth continental shelves. 



As the average depths of the oceans are approximately 2 miles, we 

 should make every effort to explore these deeper areas which are, 

 after the big dive, actually only wading depths for the Trieste. 



To reach 2 miles of water, it requires at least a 120-mile tow from 

 San Diego, and this is not easily achieved when you move along about 

 iy 2 knots average speed. You can walk faster than that. 



Many important military projects under study involve deepwater 

 investigations. Such studies could be markedly advanced if the capa- 

 bilities of the bathyscaph could be employed. 



