880 
tion Department should have the Coast Guard spin off the other 
matters into another agency. 
Mr. Brces. I might again ask Admiral Trimble, who is more inti- 
mately connected with this than I, to comment. 
Admiral Trruepir. The Coast Guard is made up of a number of agen- 
cies. This is the history of our formation. In the field of aids to naviga- 
tion, light stations were located on the coast close to our rescue stations, 
our ships were working near lights, the Bureau of Lighthouses had 
tenders working near their lights and near our stations; it was seen 
that there would be some advantage in having one agency ‘operate both 
of these services to the public. 
As a multimission agency, if you will, we have resources for our 
principal missions. Now, our principal missions that we identify pri- 
marily support marine transportation. For instance, in aids to naviga- 
tion, we have tenders. In the Great Lakes these tenders are located to 
take care of the aids to navigation and yet we do find that during the 
season that they are able to operate outside of ice areas, they can also 
carry scientists and we perform innumerable oceanographic projects 
for universities and for other agencies. 
In the same manner the icebreaker AZackinaw serves a dual purpose. 
So that it is the multiuse of our facilities, we think, that makes the 
Coast Guard a more efiective organization. Were you to try to sepa- 
rate our functions—take our polar operation with icebreakers. We 
have these for the support of transportation, to help commercial ships 
get through to some of our military bases and support some of the other 
missions. While there, they have time on their hands, between the sup- 
port missions to transport and carry scientitsts and do oceanog un 
work. I think in last year’s evaluation of our polar operations, the days 
used for navigation support and for scientific support were about half 
to half. Yet we have the icebreakers for marine transportation support. 
It would be somewhat difficult to have an effective organization were 
vou to try to draw a line down the middle. 
Take our ocean weather station operation. We consider these ships 
principally support transportation. The environmental data they col- 
lect, up to 100,000 feet, goes into the prediction system to assist trans- 
oceanic air flights. While the ships are on station, they take almost con- 
tinuous oceanographic readings that go to various agencies that have 
requirements for this data. While we have the ships - for one purpose, 
they can also be utilized almost at the same time, and I might say very 
effectively, for gathering oceanographic data. The same ships are used 
for search and rescue and in Vietnam for coastal surveillance. 
Mr. Karru. Will the gentleman yield for one question ? 
Mr. Scuapeperc. Yes. 
Mr. Karrn. Where in your personal opinion, Admiral, notwith- 
standing the fact that your boss is sitting on your left, do you think 
the Coast Guard would best serve its total purpose, in a new organiza- 
tion such as suggested by the Commission referred to as NOAA or in 
DOT? 
Admiral Trrusre. In my reply to Mr. Schadeberg I pointed out the 
difficulty of dividing our polar icebreaker operations between trans- 
portation and marine science. While our operations are tranportation 
oriented primarily, they do take place in the ocean environment and 
can broadly be described as “marine science.” The fact remains that we 
