Columbia University had agreed to operate the New London 

 Laboratory on a contract basis and while construction of the 

 buildings was under way, Mr c Shea began to assemble a staffo 

 By 9 July 1941 construction was sufficiently near completion 

 for the buildings to be partially occupied,, 



The laboratory was formally established on 1 July 1941 

 as the UoSo Navy Underwater Sound Laboratory with Lt John Bo 

 Knight j, Jr,, USNR ? as officer in charge. Administration of 

 the laboratory was placed under the Commandant of the Third 

 Naval District o As an experimental test vessel , the Navy 

 made available a converted yacht , the USS SARDONYX, 



It was necessary to make similar arrangements for accom- 

 modations for the San Diego Laboratory, The U, S» Navy Radio 

 and Sound Laboratory was already in operation at Point Lorna^ 

 but additional space was necessary, Dr, Knudsen together with 

 Capt, Wo J, Ruble , head of the laboratory, laid out space of 

 approximately 6,000 square feet which seemed adequate at that 

 time , 



As originally contemplated, the San Diego Laboratory was 

 to devote a major portion of its work to fundamental research. 

 At a meeting of an advisory group on 7 June 1941, it was de- 

 cided that immediate work should be begun on; the reflections 

 of impulse sounds from boundaries in typical areas of the ocean 

 near San Diego % investigation of the sound transmission prop- 

 erties of typical ocean areas; and work on the development of 

 a predictor, or attack meter. 



As the program developed,, the San Diego Laboratory came 

 to spend only approximately a third of its efforts on funda- 

 mental studies. The other two thirds were about equally di- 

 vided between training and the development of training de- 

 vices on the one hand and, on the other , the development of 

 sonar devices for both anti-submarine and pro-submarine warfare. 



Dr, Carl S, Van Dyke and Mr, L, P, Sivian were added to 

 the San Diego staff as Assistant Directors, and the laboratory 

 construction was completed by 26 June, 



By the end of July 1941 , the work of the Navy and NDRC 

 staffs at San Diego had grown so fast that additional space 

 was needed. This space was provided through the construction 

 of two additional buildings which were completed within a few 

 months, A converted yacht, the USS JASPER 9 and the E. W, 



16 



