729 
surface, with a rough and changing sea floor, and, of course, with 
awesome size, darkness, and depth. The suitability and reliability of 
marine vehicles, platforms, and equipment will play a crucial part 
in the operational and economic success of any commercial, scientific, 
and military ventures of the future. Therefore, the effective use of the 
sea will depend heavily on the advanced technology which the ocean 
engineer can and must provide. 
ADVANCED TECHNOLOGY DEVELOPMENT 
For years our marine scientists have been doing an outstanding 
job in learning the basic facts about the ocean. However, despite a 
scattering of outstanding successes In apphed marine technolog gy, 
marine engineering efforts have generally been small and slow in de- 
veloping. This fact was corroborated by the commission, which found 
that the Nation did not have a broadly based technological capability 
to operate throughout the ocean. 
Because of our current lack of marine engineering data, it is un- 
fortunately difficult to produce advanced marine systems quickly and 
economically. The costs of new operational systems have been high 
because advanced technology, requisite design data, and know-how 
have had to be developed concurrently with production of the system. 
T believe a much sounder approach would be to conduct a continuing 
program of engineering research independently and to assure that 
technological advances achieved during prototype development are 
made available for later use by other designers of marine systems 
I would like to present a few specific examples. 
Power application is basic to working in the sea. Mechanical and 
electrical equipment have been developed for operation in the atmos- 
phere or vacuum of space, but the high pressure and corrosiveness of 
the ocean impose far more severe demands on design than most pre- 
vious applications. For example, the relatively simple operation of 
purging fuel cell reactants in space becomes a major design challenge 
under water. Whether in manned deep subersibles or unmanned ocean 
work platforms, efficient design requires the use of mechanical and 
electrical equipment that can be exposed directly to the ocean environ- 
ment. These items are not available off the shelf, nor do sufficient en- 
vironmental data exist to permit the stra ightforwar d design of needed 
equipment. 
Satisfactory pressure-hu!l electrical penetrators, for example, have 
required considerable design and developmenta! work to meet the very 
rigid performance and safety requirements for deep sea applications. 
Electrical cable technology has been a major stumbling block in all 
undersea applications. Diving and surfacing of a vehicle places cycli- 
cal pressure stresses on all items exposed to the eny oronment. Methods 
must be developed to insulate current-carrying wires without produc- 
ing the slightest void or bulk-modulus mismatch because the expan- 
sion and contraction break insulation and create shorts. This is 
happening today. 
In another area, the problems of pumping a corrosive and erosive 
fluid carrying particulate matter, especially near the seafloor, have 
plagued the development of seawater pumps for ba!last contr ol. 
