engineering effort. Industry, too, has intensified 

 its efforts. OflTsliore deposits of commercialh 

 \aluable minerals await industrial de\elopment. 

 Commercial fishermen seek more efficient ways 

 of harvesting the huge, unexploited stocks of 

 high protein food in the sea. Shipping interests 

 •want ships and \ehicles better adapted to the 

 ocean en\ironment io expedite oin- ocean-going 

 commerce. Concerned o\er ^vater pollution and 

 threats to our recreation resources. Federal, 

 State, and local gcnernments look to ocean 

 engineering for solutions to these urgent prob- 

 lems. Such undersea construction as the building 

 of offshore towers and other sea-floor structures 

 has also stimulated work in this emerging field. 



In response to these challenges, new tools and 

 techniques mtist be de\eloped for work in the 

 sea. Professional engineers mtist be trained to 

 spearhead new programs. Moreover, this effort — 

 particularlv within the government — must be 

 given added direction and pm pose. 



These factors ha\e compelled the Interagency 

 Committee on Oceanograph)' to identif)' ocean 

 engineering as a separate category in the National 

 Oceanogiaphic Program for fiscal year 1967. 

 Funding tables in this publication for Fiscal Years 

 1965 and 1966 also identif)' ocean engineering 

 for purposes of com]3arison. Ne\ertheless, the 

 program as a whole shtnvs a marked increase over 

 the past years, much of it due to Navy's Deep 

 Stibmergence Systems Project. 



D. Progress Toward National Goals 



Over the past fi\e \ears, the nation has stri\ed 

 to achieve the national goals in oceanography 

 by expanding its total capability. As this capa- 

 bility has grown, it has been ])ut to producti\e 

 tise. Qiiite natinalh, material capabilities — new 

 ships, modern laboratories and advanced oceano- 

 graphic tools — were among the first concrete 

 accomplishments of the program. 



Exciting scientific accomplishments have re- 

 sulted from application of the new capabilities. 

 These accomplishments are revealed in the grow- 

 ing bod\' of oceanogiaphic literature, and — in 

 some areas — in practical application to the mis- 

 sions of sponsoring agencies. A recapitulation 

 of the past five ^'ears' progress will be published 

 this year in the NASCO re])ort, Achievements and 

 Opportunities in Oceanography. Exam]3les of recent 



accomplishments in the National Oceanographic 

 Program are summarized belo\\'. 



I. New Capabilities A\ailable 

 to the National Progi am 



a. Research Vessels. In the past calendar year, 

 se\en new or con\erted reseat ch \essels joined the 

 oceanographic fleet to bring the total to 113, in- 

 cluding 37 Coast Guard cutters and ice breakers 

 with oceanographic capability. Significant!), four 

 of the new \essels are operating primarih' in sup- 

 port of biological piograms: two (DAVID STARR 

 JORDAN and UNDAUNTED) fin the Bureau of 

 Commercial Fisheries; one (PHVKOS) for the 

 Smithsonian Institution (its first ship in this cen- 

 tui\): and one (.\LPHA HELIX) sponsored by 

 the National Science Foundation. These additions 

 to the research fleet pro\ide needed capabilities 

 to a field that has long suffered from the lack of 

 adequate sea-going platforms. 



b. Sinvey Ships. In calendar vear 1965, the 

 Na\v's new ocean sur\ev vessel, SILAS BENT, 

 joined the fleet to meet an acute shortage of 

 \essels for oceanwide descriptive work. 



c. Undersea Research Vehicles.'^ The past year 

 was characterized b) motmting interest in under- 

 sea research \ehicles (URVs). Some ocean- 

 ographers had opportunities to use and exaluate 

 \ehicles chartered or leased from pri\ ate inclustr\'. 

 The Cousteau DIVING SAUCER was chartered 

 bv the Scripps Institution of Oceanography and 

 made 175 dives in six months of cooperatixe effort 

 with Na\\ west coast laboratories. ASHERAH was 

 chartered by the Bureau of Commercial Fisheries 

 for a month-long biological progiam off Hawaii. 

 Enthusiastic rejjorts indicate these new tools 

 ma) well rexolutionize scientific exploration of 

 the deep ocean. Highlighting the Naxy's effc^rt 

 in the L'RV field was deplo\ment of the ONR-sup- 

 ported, WHOI-operated, ALVIN, to the Bahainas 

 dining the summer of 1965. Operating in this 

 area it penetrated to a depth of 6000 feet. The 

 world's deepest di\ing true submarine, the 

 ALUMINAUT, was tested and put into operation 

 during 1965. In its earlv trials ALUMINAUT 

 demonstrated its exceptional potential lor work 

 in the dee]^ ocean. 



d. Ot/ur Plat/arms. .Also adding to our oceano- 

 graphic capabilitv are new data collection plat- 



'For del. tiled iiiioriiKiiion on UR\'s. see I("C^ I'.implilei No. 18. 

 Undersea I'ehiclrsjor Oceanograpliy. 



