487 



HUMAN, PHYSICAL, AND FISCAL RESOURCES 149 



scheduling should be flexible. A few UNOLS vessels satisfy these 

 criteria. Present estimates are that a vessel designed for coastal 

 oceanography would cost $12 million to build and equip. At least 

 one group of institutions is proceeding independently to design its 

 own ship in this class. UNOLS is cognizant of the need for a 

 coordinated plan to reduce any redundant effort concerning new 

 coastal research ships. 



Special Facilities 



Submersibles 



A broad range of submersible systems is available from the 

 government or can be leased commercially. Since 1964 the Alvin, 

 capable of operating to a depth of 4,000 meters, has given scien- 

 tists a presence in the deep sea. Alvin is valuable to scientists 

 who conduct research in the water column or study processes at 

 the seawater-seafloor boundary. WHOI operates Alvin as a na- 

 tional facility, with sponsorship by an interagency agreement among 

 NOAA, ONR, and NSF. 



The Navy (Submarine Development Group One) operates the 

 Sea Cliff (capalDle to 6,000 meters) and Turtle (to 3,000 meters) in 

 support of Navy operations and research. Sea Cliff and Turtle 

 have been used minimally by the academic community. Sea Cliff 

 is the only U.S. submersible available to scientists that can oper- 

 ate at depths to 6,000 meters. An agreement among the Navy, 

 NOAA, and UNOLS will improve the coordination and use of 

 Navy deep submergence assets for academic research. Harbor Branch 

 Oceanographic Institution owns and operates two Johnson Sea Link 

 (1,000 meters) submersibles, which have been used intensively by 

 academic researchers, government, and industry. 



Unmanned, tethered, remotely operated vehicles (ROVs), which 

 for some time performed ocean engineering tasks largely for the 

 offshore oil industry, appear to be gaining acceptance and use by 

 ocean researchers. Some ROVs are less expensive than manned 

 submersibles and allow long submerged endurance times, making 

 them attractive tools for some tasks vis-a-vis manned submersibles. 



Floating Instrument Platform 



The Floating Instrument Platform [FLIP], operated by SIO, fills 

 scientific needs for a stable platform in rolling seas. It has been 

 used for studying acoustic signals, surface and internal wave properties. 



