DINNER ADDRESS 



Vice Admiral R. Brard 



Director 



Bassin d'Essais des Car^nes de la Marine 



Paris, France 



Several participants in this Sixth Symposium on Naval Hydrodynamics have 

 requested me to deliver an address to our hosts. That is a great honor and 

 privilege. Thus, I am speaking this evening on behalf of the foreign guests of 

 the Office of Naval Research and of the Davidson Laboratory. I speak also on 

 behalf of the ladies who have the good fortune to attend this symposium— as is 

 the case of my wife. 



Indeed, it is a pleasant duty to express to Admiral Leydon, President Davis, 

 Mr. Ralph Cooper, Dr. John Breslin, Mr. Daniel Savitsky, and their staffs how 

 grateful we are to them for their hospitality. 



We very much appreciate all that they are doing for us during our stay in 

 Washington. I should like also to congratulate and thank all those who were in 

 charge of printing the papers before the start of the Symposium. We realize 

 that it was a feat of strength. 



In 1960, Dr. Weyl, speaking at the Third Symposium banquet, said that naval 

 hydrodynamics knew, at the time, a new spring. That was — and is still today — 

 my own feeling. In initiating these symposia, ONR is, for an impressive part, at 

 the origin of the improvements made in naval hydrodynamics. The Office of 

 Naval Research has the merit to have understood, ten years ago, that new re- 

 quirements would appear very soon and that it was important to encourage and 

 promote the sciences and technologies on which the necessary progress would 

 depend. 



The evolution of things has been so quick that it can be considered a revo- 

 lution. The so-called conventional ships, whose designs are presently in hand, 

 deeply differ from those which have been conceived less than ten years ago. 

 New types of ships, of propellers, of steering devices also appear. Simultane- 

 ously, new vehicles and machines are conceived, particularly for exploring the 

 oceans and the bottom of the seas. 



In opening this symposium, Capt. Melson reminded us of the words of the 

 late President Kennedy concerning this last purpose. In fact, many of the par- 

 ticipants of this symposium have read the memorable book entitled "Legacy of a 

 President." Many of us here had these words in remembrance. All of us, cer- 

 tainly, are proud to contribute more or less directly to the goals of this noble 

 book, which will lead to an improvement of the standards of life of humanity. 



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