50 THE NAVY OCEAN SCIENCE PROGRAM 



have not previously been investigated or surveyed. A number of 

 investigators are attempting to describe the oceans in terms of 

 geophysical provinces which would permit the estimation of 

 bottom properties in a little-known area on the basis of its 

 similarity to a well-known area, in terms of geophysical and 

 geological similarity and origin. As an example of application, 

 this ability to estimate sea-floor properties and configuration 

 is being combined with the prediction of the time-dependent 

 variables in the water to predict acoustic-propagation paths 

 for several Navy systems. 



ENGINEERING RESEARCH 



Implicit in all areas of marine science and technology is the 

 requirement to build equipments which perform the required 

 functions with ease, reliability, and low cost. Much of the ocean 

 technology available today came about as a result of individuals 

 providing their own solutions to immediate problems. The 

 current programs are aimed at organizing this effort and pro- 

 viding a broad engineering, science, and technology base to 

 furnish adequate support for all marine science research efforts. 

 The distinction between science and engineering becomes very 

 faint in most areas involved. The general distinction used is that 

 if the effort is directed toward obtaining an understanding of 

 the medium, it is called ocean science; but if the effort is intended 

 to enable man to work in the oceans, it is called ocean engi- 

 neering. 



Deep Underwater Research Vehicles 



In 1958 the TRIESTE was brought to this country from Italy. 

 This start has permitted the United States to achieve complete 

 leadership in the deep-vehicle field and has resulted in the 

 development of a whole family of vehicles in the U.S. which 

 range in size from small one-man vehicles to the eight-man 

 ALUMINAUT. In the continual development of deep underwater 

 research vehicles, efforts are underway within the Navy Ocean 

 Science Program to improve materials and structural-design 



