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construction plans in order to incorporate new ideas and new 
equipment in future oceanographic survey ships, (4) the pres- 
ently unknown rate at which ships of other countries will be 
assigned to ocean surveys means that the total magnitude of 
the eventual United States effort is still unknown, and (5) 
the operational costs of these ships which will continue 
throughout their useful life. Only by proceeding with a 
reasonable program of new ship construction can we avoid the 
wasteful extravagance of a crash program. Only by evaluating 
the contribution of the first few Ocean Survey ships can we 
properly verify the validity of the present plans for additional 
ship construction. 
The proposed schedule for new ship construction for 
Ocean Surveys is given in Appendix II. This schedule has 
been developed by considering the urgent need for oceano- 
graphic data within the framework of the limitations listed 
above. It is a conservative schedule, based on tne best 
estimates available at this time. It is also a flexible 
schedule and can be revised either up or down as requirements, 
conditions, and new techniques may demand. This is one more 
aspect of the Ocean Surveys Plan that will be considered 
during the planned operations analysis program. 
Although for planning purposes it would be helpful to 
state that the overall task of Ocean Surveys has certain 
finite dimensions, and once it is done it is done for ever; 
this is not the case. The history of mapping and charting 
is one of returning to the same area to obtain greater 
detail, or to collect new information made available by 
