232 
in length were raised from depths between 
1,600 and 3,600 meters. In many of these cores 
numerous zones of coarse particles, largely of 
pyroclastic origin (volcanic ash), were found 
intercalated in the ordinary sediment, thus giv¬ 
ing an unrivaled record of the volcanic activity 
in the vicinity during historic and prehistoric 
time (Pettersson, 1946). A few of these cores 
have since been subjected to various physical, 
chemical, and biological analyses. In addition 
to the standard analyses, the cores were exam¬ 
ined for pollen and radium content (Pettersson, 
et al, 1948). Study by Dr. Fred Phleger of the 
Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution of the 
Foraminifera contained in different layers of 
three cores from the Tyrrhenian Sea indicates 
that considerable change in the temperature of 
the surface water has occurred, which inci¬ 
dentally makes it highly probable that the span 
of time required for the deposition of these 
organisms extends well back into the last 
glaciation (Phleger, 1947). 
Another Swedish invention tested during 
the same cruise was developed by Professor W. 
Weibull of the Bofors Armament Works. This 
device records, by means of hydrophones and an 
oscillograph on board the ship, the time lag 
between echoes from the surface of the sedi¬ 
ment and from transition layers below this 
surface. The echoes are initiated by exploding 
depth charges at depths of 100 meters or less. 
With this instrument a maximum thickness of 
the sedimentary carpet was found in the center 
of the Tyrrhenian Sea where, below a water 
layer of 3,600 meters, the sediment appears to 
have a thickness of nearly 3,000 meters (Wei¬ 
bull, 1947). 
THE PRESENT EXPEDITION 
The interest evoked in our native city of 
Goteborg by these new tools of deep-sea re¬ 
search, and by the promise they give of a new 
grip on the unsolved problems of the ocean 
bed, made it possible for me to obtain, from 
private donors, the extensive financial backing 
required for an all-Swedish circumnavigating 
PACIFIC SCIENCE, Vol. II, October, 1948 
cruise (Pettersson, 1947: 399). Altogether 
about 2 million Swedish kroner (more than 
one-half million dollars) have been given to 
the Royal Society of Goteborg (Goteborgs 
Kungl. Vetenskaps och Vitterhetssamhale), 
which nominated a committee for planning and 
organizing the cruise. The great difficulty of 
finding a ship suitable for the expedition was 
happily overcome through the generous offer 
of the great Brostrom Shipping Combine of 
Goteborg to lend us their new training ship, 
the 1,450-ton motor schooner "Albatross,” at 
net running costs for the duration of a 15- 
month cruise. They also gave permission to 
install nine laboratories, work shops, refriger¬ 
ation machinery, and cold storage rooms, be¬ 
sides cabins and a mess room for the scientific 
and technical staff (air conditioned for work in 
the tropics) all set up within the space nor¬ 
mally used for cargo. The "Albatross” is shown 
in Figure 2. Thanks to wholehearted co-oper¬ 
ation from great Swedish industries, a specially 
constructed, electric deep-sea winch with an 
electric power station of 140 kilowatts and 
other necessary equipment were completed in 
time. A view of a portion of this winch is 
shown in Figure 3. The refitting of the ship 
was carried out at the Lindholmen Shipyard in 
Goteborg where the "Albatross” had been built. 
The shipyard work was done at a fraction of the 
normal cost, thanks to the generosity of the 
owner of Lindholmen. 
The scientific and technical staff is com¬ 
prised of ten men. Besides the author they are: 
Dr. Borje Kullenberg, oceanographer and in¬ 
ventor of the piston core sampler; Dr. Nils 
Jerlow, oceanographer and specialist on sub¬ 
marine light and on the transparency of sea 
water; Dr. Fritz Koczy, oceanographer and 
specialist on radioactivity and submarine pho¬ 
tography; Leif Bruneau, chemist; Dr. Gustaf 
Arrhenius, geologist; Viggo Wenzel, depth- 
charge soundings and short-wave specialist; A. 
Jonasson, chief mechanic; and K. Pettersson, 
assistant in the sediment work. Dr. John 
