Length overall 

 Beam maximum 

 Beam, each hull 

 Draft, full load 

 Displacement, full load 



THE NEW EMERGENCE (1960 ■ 1967) - (Cont'd) 



knots 



3,100 tons 



*Historically, the Navy's first experience with 

 catamaran ships goes back 155 years when the U. S. 

 Floating Battery Demologos was constructed. This 

 twin hulled ship, designed by Robert I'ulton, is 

 reputed to have been the first steam warship in 

 history. The War of 1812 was in progress at the time, 

 but hostilities were suspended before it could be put 

 to a practical test against the British fleet. Shortly 

 after her launching on October 29, 1814, Fulton died 

 and certain changes, notably the addition of sails 

 which the designer had considered unnecessary, were 

 made by Captain David Porter. Although her 

 efficiency was somewhat reduced, the ship was 



successful and was renamed the "Fulton" in honor 

 of her inventor. She was 156 feet long with a beam of 

 56 feet including a 14-foot separation between her 

 hulls. A single paddlewhcel of 16-foot diameter, which 

 was powered by a 120 horsepower steam engine, was 

 mounted between her hulls. On her original trials she 

 attained a speed of five and a half knots although 

 Fulton had promised the Government only three 

 knots. Unfortunately, the Fulton has an ignoble 

 career - she was used as a receiving ship in Brooklyn 

 and never left New York Harbor. Her demise was more 

 spectacular though, when on 4 June 1829 her powder 

 magazine exploded, and she was totally destroyed. 



The 1960s also heralded in many new construction oceanographic ships for other agencies. 



The National Ocean Survey (formerly the Coast and Geodetic Survey) had 16 new survey 

 ships constructed during this decade. They include the 303-foot ships Oceanographer and 

 Discoverer; the 292-foot Sun-eyor; the 278-foot Researcher; the 231 -foot ships Fairweather, Ml. 

 Mitchell, and Rainier; the 175-foot ships Davidson and McArthur; the 164-foot ships Pierce and 

 Whiting; the 1 33-foot current survey ship Ferrel whose design is based upon the standard offshore 

 oil supply boat; the 90-foot wire drag ships Heck and Rude; and, finally, the 59-foot high-speed 

 sounding boats 1255 and 1257. 



The National Marine Fisheries Service (formerly the Bureau of Commercial Fisheries) during 

 the 1960s constructed six major fisheries research ships: the 216-foot Miller Freeman; the 

 187-foot Albatross IV, the 171-foot David Starr Jordan; the 170-foot Oregon JI; the 158-foot 

 Townsend Cromwell; and the 1 55-foot Delaware II. 



The Federal Water Quality Administration (formerly the Federal Water Pollution Control 

 Administration) also built, for estuarine monitoring, the boats Clean Waters (65-foot) and H.W. 

 Streeter (45-foot). 



The Coast Guard in 1969 completed the design for a 388-foot, 3,950-ton research ship 

 especially configured for near-polar operations. This new ship, whose construction is still un- 

 funded, is intended to replace the 180-foot, 1,025-ton converted buoy tender Evergreen which in 

 1970 commenced her 24th year in support of the International Ice Patrol. 



During the 1960s the Navy, starting with the Conrad (AGOR 3) and ending with the 

 catamaran ship Hayes (T-AGOR 16), has funded for the construction of 20 new oceanographic 

 ships. Unfortunately, this number is only one half that recommended by TENOC tor this decade, 

 and the new additions have been offset by an equivalent number of inactivations. 



With the close of this decade the Navy has also experienced a major transition in the 

 op.-ration of its survey fleet. The Rehohoth, retired from the active list in April 1970, represented 

 the last Navy-manned survey ship. Primarily as a result of manpower and budget constraints. Navy 

 crews no longer operate the Navy's survey ships. This function has been assumed by civilians of 

 the Military Sealift Command (formerly the Military Sea Transportation Service). Although ending 

 their role as operators of survey ships. Navy personnel will continue to be used to accomplish the 

 actual hydrographic survey requirements. 



164 



