Foreword 



In the search for new applications of ocean science and engi- 

 neering the Navy continues to carry out its traditional 

 oceanographic operations, improving and extending these as the 

 state of the art permits. Notable among the extensions of 

 oceanography to meet new defense requirements is the development 

 of oceanographic prediction through the joint efforts of the Naval 

 Oceanographic Office and the Naval Weather Service. This 

 capability, developed over the past decade, has demonstrated 

 substantial monetary savings and operational improvements. 

 Research and development on the environment's effect on under- 

 water acoustics has derived new knowledge concerning sound 

 propagation, refraction, and reflection within the ocean and at its 

 boundaries, and has led to a better understanding of sonar 

 capabilities and limitations. Operational surveys based on this 

 knowledge will result in major improvements in Fleet ASW 

 capabilities. 



Sophisticated use of electronics aboard oceanographic survey 

 vessels enables the Navy to collect a greater variety and a greater 

 quantity of information about the oceans than has been possible 

 heretofore. Although operational use of space vehicles for 

 oceanographic purposes is still in the future, Navy aircraft are 

 routinely used in the rapid collection of data for oceanographic 

 prediction and charting. In addition to meeting military require- 

 ments, information obtained is proving useful in such non-mihtary 

 areas as shipping and fishing. Aircraft used in oceanographic 



