The BEB's staff suffered the loss of its senior civilian engineer, Ralph G. Davis, when he 

 died on February 21, 1939. Another important figure in the coastal field. Geologist 

 Douglas W. Johnson, died a few years later, on February 24, 1944. 



4. World War II. 



With the expansion of the Navy Department toward the end of the 1930's, the BEB 

 made plans to move its office which, up to that time, had been in the Navy Building in 

 downtown Washington, D.C. Work was begun on an addition to the building housing the 

 wave tank at the Dalecarha Reservation (Figs. 16 and 17). In late 1939, the BEB set up 

 temporary quarters in a facihty at 21st Street and Virginia Avenue, N.W., Washington, D.C. 

 In March of the following year the agency, which by then had a staff numbering about 20, 

 moved into its new office on the U.S. Army's DalecarUa Reservation on Little Falls Road, 

 N.W., Washington, D.C. (Figs. 18, 19, and 20). This was to be the BEB's home for the next 

 23 years, or for the remainder of the agency's existence. 



In the late 1930's, beach erosion brought continuing and increasing property losses along 

 the Nation's shores, and tliis state of affairs stimulated the development of a greater 

 awareness of the problem at hand. To better meet the situation, the BEB began a small 

 increase in its engineering and support personnel. From the North Atlantic Division of the 

 Corps of Engineers came Forrest E. Byrns in 1938. The next year, Byrns succeeded Ralph 

 Davis as senior civihan. Richard O. Eaton, formerly of tlie Los Angeles District of the Corps, 

 joined the BEB staff in June 1939. Then in late spring of 1940 came Martin A. Mason from 

 the National Bureau of Standards. The Senior Member of the Board at this time was Col. 

 Jarvis J. Bain, while the Resident Member of the BEB staff was Maj. Albert C. Lieber, Jr. 



With this expansion of effort, it was decided that some formal poUcy should be 

 established in regard to publications. At the May 20, 1940 Board meeting, a motion was 

 passed to divide BEB studies into three groups: Board Papers, Technical Reports, and 

 Technical Memorandums. In May 1941, the BEB published Technical Report No. 1, "A 

 Study of Progressive Oscillatory Waves in Water," by Martin A. Mason, with Technical 

 Report No. 2, "A Summary of the Theory of Oscillatory Waves," by Morrough P. O'Brien 

 and Martin A. Mason, appearing in November of that same year. 1st Lt. WiUiam C. Hall was 

 the author of Technical Memorandum No. 1, "A Model Study of the Effect of Submerged 

 Breakwaters on Wave Action," dated May 15, 1940.^^^ 



A further development during this period was the formation of a small library. The 

 collection grew quickly and soon became a vital part of the agency. Iris R. Tomasulo, who 

 joined the BEB in 1943, was one of the agency's early Ubrarians. (Mary NeU Wrenn and 

 Ebba C. Everett served as Ubrarian in subsequent years). 



This new era of growth for the BEB had barely begun, however, when the Nation found 

 itself in the throes of World War II. The war syphoned off much of the BEB personnel, both 

 mOitary and civilian. When both Byrns and Eaton left the Board's staff for service in the 



40 



