The Nation's ocean program requires adequate seagoing capability, 

 and the new agency will bring together the ships of Coast Guard, 

 ESSA, and BCP into a fleet of some 320 seu{}oinff vessels, including 

 the high endurance Coast Guard cutter Dallas and ESSA's research 

 v/u/) Oceaiiographer, fitted tcith a well extending from her maindeck 

 laboratorg down through the hull. 



sirable to bring NOAA into some larger 

 grouping of administrative functions. 



Capabilities of the New Agency 



Combining the Environmental Science 

 Services Administration (ESSA), the 

 U.S. Coast Cxuard (USCG), and the Bureau 

 of Commercial Fislieries (BCF) in the Na- 

 tional Oceanic and Atmospheric Agency will 

 bring together in the new agency about 55,000 

 employees. About one-fifth will be highly 

 trained professionals and two-fifths will be 

 specially trained technicians. This total com- 

 plement will constitute the base for a major, 



viable Government agency. The skills rep- 

 resented will ensure an appropriate response 

 to the demands of the Nation's marine objec- 

 tives, bringing to bear the scientific disci- 

 plines and other specialized knowledge re- 

 quired to initiate a diverse, broad-gauged 

 effort. 



The new agency also will combine the fleets 

 now operated by ESSA, USCG, and BCF, a 

 total of 320 seagoing vessels. It will be able to 

 merge the systems for collection of marine 

 and atmospheric data, thereby reducing the 

 costs of collection. It will be able to facilitate 

 the application of satellite monitoring tech- 



