OCEAN ENGINEERING AND A NEW INITIATIVE: 

 DEEP OCEAN TECHNOLOGY 



OCEAN ENGINEERING AND DEEP SUBMERGENCE 



It is obvious that while pursuing national defense objectives, the Navy 

 has an obligation to the national interest in ocean technology. The Navy 

 would like to see its dollars perform double duty in supporting the civilian 

 sector as well as the military. The Navy has accepted the responsibility for 

 helping to develop the undersea technology needed for effective use of the 

 sea in the mihtary, economic, social and pohtical sense. This must be a 

 corporate venture: a science-industry-Navy team. The PS AC oceanography 

 report recommends that the nation's oceanographic activities be supported 

 by the Navy "in discharging its mission of national security through its 

 laboratories and industry and through ONR support of civilian institutions, 

 as well as by its supporting role in the development of undersea technology 

 and provision of national test facilities."* The Navy Ocean Science Pro- 

 gram has actively and intensely pursued knowledge of the ocean environ- 

 ment and pioneered the use of manned undersea vehicles. 



Knowledge of the ocean environment is not synonymous with abihty 

 to exploit this environment. Exploitation depends on man's ability to 

 live and work in the ocean environment. This definition is broad enough 

 to cover ocean engineering in general. Navy ocean engineering is that 

 technology which enables the Navy to operate at any depth, at any time, 

 anywhere in the ocean. 



Recent history provides two classic examples of need for a Navy 

 capability in underwater search, rescue, and salvage. The loss of the 

 submarine THRESHER in 1963 occurred beyond collapse depth of the 

 hull and precluded rescue of any personnel. It was, however, in the Navy 

 and national interest to locate the hull to determine if possible the cause 

 of the casualty. THRESHER was located in 8500 ft of water, and much 

 of the hull was photographed by instruments towed from Navy research 



*"Effective Use of the Sea," Report of the Panel on Oceanography, President's 

 Science Advisory Committee, The White House, June 1966. 



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