137 



lum. 



The Office of Naval Research had the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institu- 

 tion make a pre-design study of research vessels tofkput existing ideas on paper 

 and to explore further the most logical choices of power plant, ship size, etc. 

 This study was prepared under subcontract by Francis Minot, Director of Marine 

 and Fisheries Engineering and Research Institute of Woods Hole (Minot, 1953). 

 The report not only consolidated much of the previous thinking on research ves- 

 sels but went much deeper into the economic and architectural reasons for choos- 

 ing one size vessel over another. Another important aspect of Mr. Minot's re- 

 port was that it was written by a naval architect for naval architects. 



Particular emphasis was placed on the feasibility of quieting the vessel 

 acoustically so it would be much more useful in acoustic experiments. While 

 Mr. Minot did not restrict himself he placed principal emphasis on the size ves- 

 sel which would permit extensive offshore cruising. 



The conclusions and favorable comments on the WHOI report resulted in 

 the Office of Naval Research holding a conference on 14 and 15 October 1953 to 

 discuss research vessels further. The afternoon and evening of the 14th was 

 very informal and consisted mostly of oceanographers who had been at Rancho 

 Sante Fe and for all practical purposes could be considered as a continuation of 

 the symposium. This meeting was especially productive because it showed that 

 the desires of the east coast and west coast oceanographers were complementary 

 rather than divergent. 



The formal meeting was held the 15th of October and was attended by 

 some 50 representatives of civilian laboratories, navy laboratories, Bureaus 

 and design desks. 



Representatives from the individual design desks in the Navy were prolif- 

 ic with ideas, were extremely cooperative, and assured us of future coopera- 

 tion. They were equally agreed that if such a vessel were designed it should be 

 designed as a tool for oceanographic research and not be considered as just a 

 ship to try experimental ideas out on. The keen interest of the design people in 

 the technical aspects of the problem was certainly most refreshing and appreciat- 

 ed. 



It is somewhat dangerous for one person to summarize the sense of a 

 general conference but I believe it came very close to this: The requirements 

 and desirable features seem to fall into three classes: 



(1) The overall general requirements of performance, space and general 

 arrangement. The following tentative figures were proposed for the first round. 



Speed: 12-13 knots 



Range: 10,000-12,000 miles 



Days at sea: 60 



Number of scientists: 12-15 



Draft: 14-18 feet 



Length and beam: To be decided 



Deck space for science: The after 40 feet of the 



vessel, plus an open deck 

 on the starboard side of 

 the cabin 8 feet wide and 

 60 feet fore and aft 

 Laboratory space: 20 feet by 60 feet on main 



deck 



