THE POSTWAR YEARS (1946 - 1956) 



Following World War 11, the government, stimulated by the techniques and programs evolved 

 during the war, continued to support oceanographic research at universities and institutions 

 through such agencies as the Office of Naval Research (created in 1946), the Navy Hydrographic 

 Office (now the Naval Oceanographic Office), the Bureau of Ships (now the Naval Ship Systems 

 Command), the Atomic Energy Commission (established in 1946) and the National Science 

 Foundation (established in 1950). Numerous ocean-oriented educational and research programs 

 were launched at such universities as Columbia, Johns Hopkins, Rhode Island, New York, Oregon 

 State, Miami, and Texas A&M. At the same time, applied ocean research directly related to defense 

 problems was being expanded in the Navy's own laboratories such as the Naval Research 

 Laboratory, Navy Underwater Sound Laboratory, Naval Electronics Laboratory and Naval 

 Ordnance Laboratory. 



During this postwar period the oceanographic research fleet consisted wholly of converted 

 ships with two exceptions, the Atlantis of Woods Hole and the Velero IV of the University of 

 Southern California. Unlike the Atlantis though, which was specifically designed and built for 

 research, the Velero IV, which was presented to the University in 1948 by Captain Allan Hancock, 

 was basically a tuna clipper design modified with a low well deck in the stern for geological 

 dredging. Included in this collection of institution conversion were the tugs Spencer Baird and 

 Horizon at Scripps; the Navy harbor minesweeper Crest (Scripps); the yachts Stranger (Scripps), 

 Vema (Lamont Geological Observatory), Action (New York University); the fishing vessels 

 Paolina-T (Scripps), Hugh M. Smith (Scripps), Gerda (University of Miami), Oncorhynchus 

 (University of Miami); the Coast Guard boats Orca (Scripps) and Crawford (Woods Hole); and the 

 coastal freighters Bear (Woods Hole) and Brown Bear (University of Washington). 

 Correspondingly, ocean going support for the Navy laboratories was provided by the converted 

 185-foot escort craft Marysville, Rockville, Rexburg, Brattleboro, Somersworth, Fairview, 

 Whitehall, and the converted 173-foot subchaser Weatherford. 



For fisheries research a "new" conversion was acquired in 1948 to replace the "old" 

 conversion Albatross II. This ship, the former 179-foot steam trawler Harvard built in 1926. had 

 actually been acquired in 1939 and was undergoing conversion to a fishery research vessel when 

 War erupted. She was immediately requisitioned by the Navy for the Coast Guard and renamed 

 Belle fonte. The ship was returned in 1944, funds were finally allocated in 1948 to reconvert her 

 back to a fishery research vessel and she was renamed the Albatross III. 



The Navy's hydrographic surveying ship capability, proven essential in World War 11, 

 continued to be a game of musical conversions. In 1947, the Bowditch and Sumner, which had 

 participated in Operation Crossroads at Bikini Atoll, were replaced with two converted 426-foot 

 attack-cargo ships renamed Tanner and Maury. These ships eventually carried four 52-foot survey 

 boats, a Marine Corps coastal survey team, a helicopter, and chart compilation and production 

 facilities. They were the largest and best equipped ships of their time and they pioneered the use 

 of helicopters for support of coastal surveying operations. The Tanner was assigned to the Atlantic 

 area and mothered a survey group consisting of the former minesweepers Harkness. Gilliss and 

 Newcomb. A similar Pacific survey group was made up of A/awn' and the former subchasers /?//s/;. 

 Button and Littlehales which in 1948 were replaced by the two 180-foot auxiliary ocean-going 

 tugs, Allegheny and Stallion, they in turn were replaced in 1952 by the minesweepers Sheldrake 

 and Prevail. The Newcomb was blown aground on the Labrador coast in 1949 and, although 

 successfully salvaged, was stricken from the active list later that year. In 1950 the Gilliss and 

 Harkness were replaced by the 220-foot, steel-hulled, fleet minesweepers Pursuit and Requisite 

 which were later to be replaced by the tleet tugSerrano and the minesweeper Towhee in 1960 and 

 1964, respectively. 



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