SCIENCE AND THE SEA 



the outfitting, training, and evaluation of five or six commercial 

 ships. It was specified that participation in the BT program was 

 not to interfere with the primary mission of the ship. 



The proposal, still valid, states that participation entails the in- 

 stallation of a 515 pound hoist on the port or starboard quarter of the 

 ship the precise location being determined by the shipowner. The 

 hoist drum is designed to hold 3,000 feet of 3/32-inch stainless steel 

 wire rope. Further installation includes a 10-foot retractable boom 

 which is fastened to the rail adjacent to the hoist. A supply of 2 

 bathythermographs, each a torpedo-shaped mechanical instrument 

 weighing about 40 pounds, will be maintained aboard ship. All costs 

 related to the installation, fabrication, supply, and calibration of the 

 equipment are borne by the U. S. Navy. 



Since the project is predicated on the ship's personnel operating 

 the equipment, a representative of the Naval Occanographic Office 

 boards each ship to indoctrinate the crew in the program and ex- 

 plains the methods of recording, interpreting, and transmitting the 

 BT data. A minimum of three days deep sea steaming time is re- 

 quired for training. 



The procedure to be followed by the crew members assigned is 

 quite simple. BT observations can be taken at speeds up to 16 knots. 

 An observation is to be made twice daily at 0800-0900 and 1600-1700 

 local time when the ship is operating north of the Equator in depths 

 greater than 100 fathoms. The launching and retrieving operation 

 requires 2 men for a total of approximately 10 minutes. A glass 

 slide, inserted in the BT prior to each observation, is etched with a 

 permanent trace of temperature versus depth. Upon retrieval, the 

 slide is placed in a viewer, the data recorded in a BT log book, and a 

 coded message drafted. Logging the information and drafting the 

 message requires about 10 minutes. The coded message (BATHY) 

 is similar to a weather message and is transmitted to an appropriate 

 analysis center during a normal radio watch as soon as possible after 

 the observation is made. Accumulated BT log sheets and slides are 

 mailed to the National Occanographic Data Center, Washington, D. C, 

 upon each return to the continental United States. 



The maritime industry's response to the proposal was immediate. 

 The first sucessful contract for the utilization of ships of a com- 

 mercial line in the BATHY network was inaugurated on 1 February 

 1965 and soon thereafter the SS African Rainbow became the first 

 of a new class of ships-of-opportunity. As of July 1, 1966, eight 

 additional ships have been integrated into the ASWEPS system, and 

 are reporting BT data as part of their daily routine. 



NAVOCEANO representative, holding the torpedo shaped bathy- 

 thermograph, travelled aboard the AFRICAN RAINBOW from New 

 York to the Canary Islands to collect data and tram the ship's 

 personnel on the proper operation of this device. 



THE NEAR SURFACE REFERENCE 

 TEMPERATURE SYSTEM 

 The procedure of taking and recording sea water temperatures 

 is practically as traditional aboard ship as relieving the watch. The 

 measurement is an important part of the weather reports submitted 

 by weather reporting ships. It is a routine entry in the engineering 

 log book. Survey vessels use sea surface temperature as a reference 



value in bathythermograph observations. Ship's officers are re- 

 quested to include it when reporting on observed phenomenon to this 

 Office. In short, the temperature of the sea has long been of scientific 

 importance. 



Sea surface temperature observations, when regularly received 

 from a dense network of reporting platforms, can be used to construct 

 sea surface temperature charts which have a number of important 

 applications. In addition to the military aspect, surface temperature 

 charts are now being utilized by the fishing industry to predict the 

 shoaling behavior of certain popular fish, such as tuna and salmon. 



^^^^^^ 



iB^^ 





- tviJ<^tNt^ 



biLiLzkikiE 



BT log sheet 

 and 

 slide 



Ife^s^,-- 'iW!;'M'w. ■>•;'"•"« 



Pfioiai~caurlei/ Ttmco Inc. 



Crewmen taking BT measurements aboard the TEXACO NEW JERSEY. 



44 



