110 MARINE SCIENCE 



The Chairman. All right. 



Commander Wilbue. Slide No. 1. Galaxy : If you were to observe 

 our solar system from a vantage point in outer space, you would see 

 a colorful parade of the planets. 



Slide No. 2. Planets : You would see Venus, surrounded by her green 

 clouds of gas. You would see Saturn's rings, Jupiter's moon and 

 the reddish crust of Mars. 



Slide No. 3. Earth : But if you focus your attention on the planet 

 Earth, you would be immediately struck with the fact that Earth dif- 

 fers from all other planets. Three-fourths of its surface is covered by 

 water. We would then clearly understand why Earth is called the 

 "water planet." It is equally obvious that such an expanse of ocean 

 must play a major part in life on this planet. 



Slide No. 4. Title slide : The "Conquest of Inner Space" may well 

 be the key to the future welfare, and possibly even the continued ex- 

 istence of mankind. And, to date we have less information about this 

 vital area than we have of the surface of the Moon. The world's 

 oceans have truly guarded their secrets more jealously than outer 

 space. 



Slide No. 5. SNN Around the World: Today's Nautilus — the 

 world's first true submarine — has given us great freedom of movement 

 throughout the inner space — the oceans which cover most of the earth's 

 surface. It has reemphasized how little we know about the vast hid- 

 den world beneath the seas. 



Slide No. 6. Land, Shelf, Bottom : To date, we have explored most 

 of the earth above these oceans and seas — but, know very little of what 

 lies beneath the surface of the water, 324 million cubic miles in 

 volume. 



It is therefore most important at this point in our Nation's history 

 that we take a new and searching look at this inner space, the world 

 beneath the seas. 



Tliis examination is necessary to determine how the Navy and the 

 Nation can better prosecute and obtain additional support for their 

 vital oceanographic research programs. 



Let us first take a look at some of the characteristics of the sea that 

 we already know. 



Slide No. 7. Mountains and Valleys : We know that shrouded in the 

 darkness of the oceans lie mountain ranges whose peaks rival Mount 

 Everest in height — trenches whose dark depths plunge 7 miles beneath 

 the surface. We also know of subsurface currents — virtuallj^ rivers in 

 the depths of the sea — 1,200 times greater in size than the Mississippi. 



Slide No. 8. Sonar Mapping : But only in recent years have we had 

 the tools with which to determine with accuracy the contours of the 

 bottom of the seas and even with these, it is like mapping the Grand 

 Canyon blindfolded. By bouncing sound waves off the ocean floor — 

 and recording the echoes — some of the many mysteries of the ocean 

 depths began to reveal themselves. 



Slide No. 9. Three Levels of Ocean : The general undersea topog- 

 raphy is already well established. It falls into three widely different 

 geographical areas. The Continental Shelf, shown by the yellow 

 arrow — the continued slope, red arrow — and the floor of the sea, blue 

 arrow. 



Slide No. 10. Continental Shelf : The Continental Shelf is the area 

 most resembling land, with sunlight penetrating most of its extent. 



