FOREWORD 



The prolific use of amphibious craft and other small vessels during 

 World War II required that a detailed knowledge of wave conditions 

 throughout the world be available to the Armed Services of the United 

 States. To meet this requirement, the Hydrographic Office, under 

 the direction of Rear Adm. G. S. Bryan, USN. (Ret.) and in con- 

 junction with several scientific and governmental institutions, pre- 

 pared a number of publications that dealt with the occurrence of 

 ocean waves from both the climatic and the synoptic aspects. 



Treatment of the climatic aspect involved the preparation of a series 

 of Sea and Swell Atlases (H. O. Misc. No. 10,712 series) for the 

 major oceans, the first atlas being published by the Hydrographic 

 Office in 1943. 



Treatment of the synoptic aspect hinged on the development of a 

 technique for quantitatively forecasting sea, swell, and surf condi- 

 tions. This program was initiated by Dr. H. U. Sverdrup and Dr. 

 W. H. Munk of the Scripps Institution of Oceanography under a con- 

 tract with the Directorate of Weather, Army Air Forces, in 1942. 

 In 1943, the work was transferred to the Navy Department and con- 

 tinued under contracts with the Bureau of Ships and with the Hydro- 

 graphic Office. By late 1943. the Hydrographic Office issued the first 

 forecasting manual, Wind Waves and Swell; Principles in Fore- 

 casting (H. O. Misc. No. 11,275). Following expansion of the work 

 which included establishing related contracts with other institutions, 

 a sister volume, Breakers and Surf; Principles in Forecasting 1 

 (H. O. Pub. No. 234) was issued in 1944. Since the end of hostilities, 

 the Hydrographic Office has been able to publish Wind, Sea and 

 Swell; Theory of Relations for Forecasting (H. O. Pub. No. 601). 



Wind Waves at Sea, Breakers and Surf, the first popular book on 

 the subject in more than a decade, develops further the Hydrographic 

 Office series of publications dealing with sea, swell, and surf condi- 

 tions. It is particularly fitting that the senior author should be Dr. 

 Bigelow. who, as chairman of a special committee appointed by the 

 National Academy of Science, was instrumental in suggesting that the 

 United States Navy review how it might best assist in the acquisition 

 of basic knowledge about the oceans. As a result of this committee's 

 work, the Secretary of the Navy appointed the Schofield Board; and 

 it is the work of this board during the year 1928 that provides the 

 basis for the program in oceanography now being carried out by the 

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