133 



We have been working with the Navy. We have assigned officers to 

 their technical staffs to accumulate the knowledge and experience and 

 know-how that we would need to gradually enter this field. 



We feel now that with the upcoming development in both the 

 recreational submersible — which we see on the horizon now — and 

 with greater numbers of exploratory and commercial- type vehicles, 

 that we will have to be prepared to deal with this problem. 



Mr. Rogers. I think it would be urgent to go ahead and formulate 

 regulations before we have some tragedy. 



Let me ask you another question : Your responsibility is rescue work? 



Admiral Smith. Yes, sir ; that is one 



Mr. Rogers. What is your capability for rescue work on submers- 

 ibles? 



Admiral Sinira. Our present capability is very limited. 



Mr. Rogers. Do you have any rescue vessels ? 



Admiral Smith. We have some vessels that could assist in this type 

 of work — some of our tenders, some of our rescue tugs. These are 

 surface craft. We have no submersibles. 



Mr. Rogers. None at all ? Shouldn't you have some ? 



Admiral Smith. This is a thing that we have under consideration 

 now. I think the day may come when the Coast Guard will have a 

 requirement to actually own and operate submersible craft. 



Mr. Rogers. How are we going to rescue them if you can't get to 

 them? ^ 



Admiral Smith. On the Continental Shelf, some of this can be done 

 by divers, and so forth. But the submersible is the final answer. 



Mr. Rogers. Has any proposal been made that you begin to acquire 

 capability in this area ? 



Admiral Smith. No proposal has been made as yet, Mr. Rogers, but 

 we have this under consideration. 



Mr. Rogers. I know I would be personally interested in following 

 this, and I would like to see what proposals the Coast Guard makes. 



I think this should be activated and movement made in this area 

 immediately. We have many of these vessels starting to be manufac- 

 tured now. I would think it would be necessary for us to have this 

 capability in the Coast Guard, along with the inspection and certifi- 

 cation for safety. 



I would hope the Coast Guard will initiate something immediately to 

 get this going. 



I would like to ask you this : Was it your vessels that were stopped 

 by Russia from making their oceanographic tour around the North 

 Pole? 



Admiral Smith. We had two icebreakers that were making a cir- 

 cumnavigation of the Pole, and they weren't stopped — that is, liter- 

 ally — by force, but we did turn them back, because we received infor- 

 mation that the Russians would resist our passage through the strait 

 that we found we would have to transit to get through this particular 

 part of the ocean. 



Mr. Rogers. How far out did you have to go from land to get 

 through ? What is the farthest point out you could be ? 



Admiral Smith. You mean off the coast at that point ? 



Mr. Rogers. Y^es. 



Admiral Smith. There is a great peninsula that extends off the 

 coast of Siberia at this point of difficulty, and our vessels were sched- 



