APPENDIX 



SOVIET OCEAWOGRAPHIC FLEET 



The Soviet oceanographic fleet has an estimated strength of 

 approximately 150 ships (Table l), as compared with less than 75 

 ships for the United States. About thirty Soviet ships are assigned to 

 the Academy of Sciences alone, about another ko are assigned to the All- 

 Union Scientific Research Institute for Marine Fisheries and Oceanography 

 (VHIRO) and its regional affiliates for support to the Soviet fishing 

 industry, and more than 20 ships are eissigned to conduct hydrographic 

 surveys along the Northern Sea Route. These and other ships in the fleet 

 range in size from smeill coastal types used for supporting the work of 

 coasteil laboratories to deep-sea research ships of severeuL thousand 

 tons displacements. They include among their number the only non- 

 magnetic research ship in the world, the Zsirya , and a resesurch 

 submaxine, the Severyanka . 



The present size of the fleet is the result of a tremendous expansion 

 of a program begun in the mid-1950 's for participation in the Inter- 

 national Geophysicsil Year. Many of the fisheries research ships, five 

 of the basic research ships of more than 3500 tons displacements, and 

 the research submarine were added to the fleet in this expansion period. 

 In order to acquire the needed number of ships in a relatively short 

 period of time, conventioneuL cargo ships and fishing vessels were modified 

 and converted for oceanographic research. These ships lack many of the 

 desired characteristics for an ideal research ship; however, they do 

 meet the current needs of the svirvey type of operations dominating the 

 Soviet oceanography program. 



The largest, most modem ships are being assigned to basic research. 

 The Academy of Sciences has received three of the last five commissioned 

 since 1957* The other oceanographic organizations subordinate to the 

 ministries are now also beginning to receive new, modem ships. (Table 2) 

 The Itydrometeorological Service (GUCa4S) obtained the Voyeykov (3600 tons) 

 in 1959 and the Shokal'skly (3600 tons) in i960. The fishing industry 

 obtained the converted submarine, Severyanka in 1958 and apparently 

 has a 3950 tons Mayakovskly under construction. 



The capabilities of the existing Soviet oceanographic fleet are 

 adequate for collecting data from any oceanic area in the world as was 

 aptly demonstrated during the International GeophysiCEuL Year and present 

 operations. There are now sufficient numbers and types of ships to 

 enable the USSR to be a leading participant in any international 

 cooperative oceanographic studies. With seven large basic research 

 ships of more than 3500 tons displacements, the USSR can conduct large 

 simultaneous expeditions in various parts of the world. In I960, the 

 USSR. participated in two international studies — the Atlantic Ocean Polar 



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