INTRODUCTION 



In May 1960^ under Contract Nonr-3201 (00) ^ the Systems 

 Engineering Division initiated a study of the requirements 

 for a cable-towed oceanographic measurement system which 

 would permit simultaneous measurements of selected oceanic 

 characteristics at a number of depths to 5000 feet. The 

 results of this study were presented in two technical reports 

 (1) and (2) the latter of which was concerned with the re- 

 quirements for the towed elements and shipboard handling and 

 storage of such systems. Preliminary requirements for the 

 instrumentation^, including a method for sequential interroga- 

 tion of as many as 128 sensors using only a limited number 

 of electrical conductors, were also presented to illustrate 

 the feasibility of transmitting such an amount of data through 

 a cable small enough to permit the use of acceptably sized 

 handling and storage equipnent. A recommendation was made 

 that further developmental work be directed toward demonstra- 

 tion of feasibility of hydromechanical specifications^ with 

 minor emphasis on instrimientation problems. 



Hydromechanical feasibility depends on the satisfaction 

 of certain conditions: 



1. The submerged elements of the system must be 

 towable at the design speed range; 



■k 



Nvimbers in parentheses refer to references given in 

 Appendix V. 



