REQUIREMENTS FOR DEEP-TOWED INSTRUMENTATION SYSTEM 



To establish the range of requirements for the system 

 under consideration, personnel of five of the major oceano- 

 graphic facilities in the United States were interrogated 

 with respect to their future plans and needs. Although 

 unanimity of need was not expected, the results indicate 

 that a more significant range of immediate and near future 

 needs can be satisfied by a versatile instrument support 

 system than was at first believed possible. The major con- 

 clusions drawn from these visits are summarized below: 



1. The oceanographic laboratories require deep- 

 towed -instrumentation capability. About equal 

 need was expressed for moderate speed (6-8 knots) 

 very deeply towed systems, and shallow (1000-foot) 

 intermediate speed (8-10 knots) systems suitable 

 for fine-scale definition. A maximum depth of 

 5000 feet appears to cover the area of greatest 

 interest, as this encompasses the deep sound channel 

 and the regions with the greatest variation in 

 physical characteristics. 



2. The system should be adaptable for use with many 

 different sensing devices and recording systems; 

 it is essential that there be considerable flexi- 

 bility in locating the sensors along the cable. 



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