Each year, the U.S. alone suffers hundreds 

 of millions of dollars in damage to homes, fac- 

 tories, farms, beaches, harbors, and ships, from 

 hurricanes, sea-ice, fog, and earthquake generated 

 or storm-propelled waves. It is an important ob- 

 jective of oceanographic research to achieve a 

 better understanding of these phenomena, so 

 that better prediction methods can be developed. 

 Research and engineering may eventually lead 

 to ways of modifying the effects of these forces 

 of nature. 



Despite man's long experience as a shipbuilder 

 and navigator, the efficiency and safety of mari- 

 time commerce remains a major international 

 problem. Exclusive of war years, an average of 

 270 ships registered with Lloyd's are lost every 

 year. In addition, hundreds of collisions, fires, 

 and other disasters occur at sea, many in waters 

 patrolled by the U.S. Coast Guard. Safe opera- 

 tions at sea can be enhanced by improved weather 

 and sea state forecasting, more accurate and re- 

 liable navigation systems, and better nautical 

 charts and atlases. These capabilities will also 

 improve the efficiency of our ocean-going mer- 

 chant fleet. 



Although air-transportation will play an ever 

 increasing role in transoceanic commerce, the 

 large displacement ship will continue to be a 

 more economical and efficient means of transport- 

 ing bulk cargo. An important objective of ocean 

 research and marine engineering is to support 

 the U.S. Merchant Marine by the best of Ameri- 

 can science and technology. Thus our improved 

 understanding of the ocean can be translated 

 not only into more efficiently designed ships, 

 but also into more effective routing of these 

 new ships, for fast freight delivery and reliable 

 passenger service. 



B. National Goals in Oceanography 



The broad national objective in oceanography: 

 To comprehend the world ocean, its bound- 

 aries, its properties, and its processes, and 

 to exploit this comprehension in the public 

 interest, in enhancement of our security, our 

 culture, our international posture, and our 

 economic growth. 

 In support of this objective, five subordinate 

 goals are identifiable, each reflecting specific 

 responsibilities the Federal Government has 



assumed in the national interest. In the program 

 proposed for Fiscal Year 1967, each goal has been 

 further defined to present more specific objectives. 

 It must be remembered that the goals and specific 

 objectives listed below are interdependent; fur- 

 thering of one inevitably enhances the attainment 

 of one or more other goals: 



1. Strengthen Basic Science 



a. Encourage and support investigators at 

 academic institutions and within the Federal 

 agencies to enlarge our present knowledge of the 

 ocean by conducting basic research to achieve 

 the following scientific objectives: 



(1) Describe the distribution of physical and 

 chemical properties of the ocean with a view to- 

 ward improving our understanding the dynamic 

 processes which affect this distribution. 



(2) Determine the interrelationships of the 

 ocean and atmosphere, and broaden knowledge 

 of the mechanisms and processes affecting these 

 relationships. 



(3) Determine the distribution, kind and adap- 

 tation of the living population of the sea in an 

 effort to understand more fully the interrelation- 

 ships of marine organisms to the physical and 

 chemical properties of the sea. 



(4) Describe the sea floor with a view toward 

 increasing knowledge of its long-term and short- 

 term evolution including the topography, geo- 

 physical nature and subsurface structure and 

 particularly the sea floor's relation to the sur- 

 rounding land masses. 



b. Plan cooperative basic research programs in 

 the above areas that are either outside the mission 

 of a single agency or beyond the capabilities 

 of any academic institution. 



c. Expand the manpower base in oceanography 

 by awarding scholarships and graduate fellow- 

 ships. 



d. Foster the interchange of information among 

 marine scientists in the United States and in 

 other nations, and encourage international partici- 

 pation in oceanographic programs of mutual 

 interest. 



2. Improve National Defense 



a. Advance knowledge of ocean, coastal, and 

 seabed areas to increase the effectiveness of naval 



