deepwater ports, in estuaries and channels, and along 
seashore areas threatened by erosion. The influence 
and effectiveness of shore structures or other coastal 
engineering construction are then assessed in terms 
of local shore processes. The data gathered in this 
work are used in engineering and design studies for 
the planning of navigation, flood control, and shore 
protection projects. These and other data are also 
used in evaluating the impact of construction in U.S. 
navigable waters prior to issuing construction per- 
mits. 
Each of the Corps’ engineering studies is Con- 
gressionally mandated. Project studies are performed 
by Corps of Engineers’ district offices, while support- 
ing coastal engineering research is conducted at the 
Coastal Engineering Research Center in Washington, 
D.C., and at a number of universities. Other Corps 
facilities are used in studies entailing the use of 
models of estuaries and other shore areas. With two 
exceptions, these models are at the Waterways Ex- 
periment Station in Vicksburg, Miss. The exceptions 
are the San Francisco Bay model in California and 
the Chesapeake Bay model on Kent Island, Md. The 
most ambitious model project is the 9-acre Chesa- 
peake Bay hydraulic model, constructed for studies 
of tidal elevation, salinity, current speed and direc- 
tion, sedimentation, and temperature. Hydrodynamic 
studies at this facility are useful in environmental 
quality assessment as well as for navigational and 
other purposes. 
Under Section 404 of Public Law 92-500, the 
Corps of Engineers is responsible for granting per- 
mits for dredge and fill activities, including the dis- 
posal of dredge spoil. This subject is treated in 
greater detail in chapter IV. 
In addition to the Corps of Engineers, two other 
Federal agencies with regulatory responsibilities sup- 
port ocean technology programs to assist them in 
their regulatory missions. The mission of the U.S. 
Geological Survey (USGS) includes the regulation of 
OCS oil and gas operations. To facilitate inspection 
procedures required by this function, USGS has ini- 
tiated a new contract research and development pro- 
gram involving universities, private industry, and 
Government laboratories to provide improved tech- 
nology for detecting problems in offshore oil produc- 
tion systems. The program includes studies relating 
to the detection of incipient cracks in offshore struc- 
tures and leaks in offshore pipelines. It also includes 
a project concerned with the development of an un- 
manned, free-swimming, inspection vehicle. 
The U.S. Coast Guard also supports an active 
program in marine science and engineering in order 
to be able to fulfill its peacetime responsibilities for 
search and rescue, marine environmental protection, 
aids to navigation, icebreaking, merchant vessel and 
recreational boating safety, marine law enforcement, 
port security, and licensing and regulating the con- 
struction and operation of deepwater ports. During 
any given year, the Coast Guard has about 100 re- 
search and development projects underway targeted 
towards solving immediate problems facing the mari- 
time community or towards upgrading the maritime 
infrastructure of the Nation, including the regulatory 
functions associated therewith. Particularly note- 
worthy at this time are research and development 
efforts directed towards improving vessel traffic 
services, reducing hazards created by the transport 
of hazardous cargoes in congested waters, enhancing 
safety practices and plaftform designs for offshore 
drilling operations, assisting commercial _ traffic 
through ice-infested rivers and lakes, and the pre- 
vention, detection, control and cleanup of oil spills. 
About 20 percent of each year’s Coast Guard Acad- 
emy graduating class of 200-plus cadets have ma- 
jored in marine science or ocean engineering. Their 
skills are used to achieve the Coast Guard’s multi- 
mission responsibilities. 
Technology and Information Transfer 
An important factor in the effectiveness of ocean 
programs is the transfer of information and technol- 
ogy from one Federal agency to other Federal agen- 
cies, State and local governments, and industry for 
application. Government-industry transfer, however, 
is a two-way street, especially where industry devel- 
ops technology under government contract. In many 
countries difficulties in government-industry transfer 
of technology have been minimized by nationalization 
of industrial enterprises or by the extensive partici- 
pation of government in furthering industrial and 
commercial developments. This latter situation is 
especially notable in Japan. 
In the United States, such cooperative niterac- 
tion is rare, but two examples are found in the area 
of ocean technology: the Maritime Administration 
R&D program and the Department of Energy OTEC 
project. In addition to these efforts, the Freedom of 
Information Act ensures that Government-developed 
technology is made available to the private sector 
and that the Federal agencies involved in technol- 
ogy development are active in promoting the trans- 
fer of information and technology to non-Federal 
interests. 
The Navy has been a leader in developing proc- 
esses for transferring technology to the outside. 
Navy-developed technology was made available to 
civil agencies and to non-Federal users on an ad hoc 
basis until 1972. In February 1972, Navy technol- 
ogy transfer policy was formalized when the Secre- 
tary of the Navy issued an instruction on “Military- 
Civilian Technology Transfer and Cooperative De- 
velopment.” #1 
41 SECNAVINST 5700.15 (February 28, 1972). 
VII-23 
