REPORT OF THE UNDERSEAS WARFARE ADVISORY PANEL 9 



2. COMMUNICATIONS 



Perhaps the single most important obstacle to the widespread use 

 of submarines for ASW work and as missile launchers is the difficulty 

 of communicating across the airwater interface, as well as underwater. 

 This applies to communications between a submerged submarine, on 

 the one hand, and shore installations, aircraft, surface ships, and other 

 submarines on the other. There is now no sure, reliable, and efficient 

 way of effecting such commun cation. 



3. OCEANOGRAPHIC SURVEYS 



The operational use of nuclear powered deep-running "true sub- 

 marines" (for example, in the Polaris system) and the development 

 of counter measures against these, including detection, identification, 

 tracking, and attack, will inevitably require a far greater knowledge 

 of the ocean waters and the underlying sea floor than we now possess. 

 At present, even roughly accurate maps of the deep sea floor exist for 

 only about 2 percent of the total ocean area. The modern Navy 

 must also be prepared to operate off the coasts of any part of the 

 earth. This requires a working knowledge of environmental, meteoro- 

 logic, oceanographic, and topographic conditions in offshore areas 

 throughout the world which is at least as good as that of our potential 

 enemies. Such knowledge is now almost lacking in many regions. 



The IGY program has temporarily stimulated oceanographic 

 activities. However, unless more support is given these activities 

 independently of IGY programs, we will sink back to the pfe-IGY 

 level m 1959. 



The Soviet ocean surveying effort at the present time exceeds ours 

 by at least threefold. Greatly mcreased United States effort is 

 needed, utilizing known survey methods. 



A committee of the National Academy of Sciences has estimated 

 that accomplishment of the most essential surveys within a 10-year 

 period would involve 15 to 30 deep sea vessels at a total cost of 20 to 

 30 million dollars a year. With adequate funds, much of this work 

 could be conducted by the surveying agencies of the Federal Govern- 

 ment, such as the Naval Hydrographic Office and the Coast and 

 Geodetic Survey. 



Oceanographic surveys should, of course, be distinguished from 

 oceanographic research — the study of the fundamental properties 

 of the ocean's waters and its bottom. An accelerated oceanographic 

 research program is no less needed than a stepped-up survey program. 



4. COMPACT NUCLEAR REACTORS 



The naval reactors program has been an outstanding success. We 

 will soon have in being an entire family of nuclear propulsion units, 

 ranging in size and shaft horsepower from plants for hunter-killer 

 submarines to plants for a large aircraft carrier. Our program aims at 

 introducing highly reliable and combat-worthy reactors into the ships 

 of our fleet at the earliest possible date. 



With existing technology, the employment of nuclear power plants 

 is limited to submarines of more than 2,000 gross tons, and to surface 

 ships larger than conventional destroyers. The need for dispersed 

 units in the age of nuclear weapons, to say nothing of matching Soviet 



