As has been said, I think you have made a real contribution here; particularly I think it has been helpful to have you set out specifically goals that have to be considered as to how we are going to begin them and when.

I, of course, share your feeling that the best way for us to proceed to really get something done is to have a national commission. Mr. STEPHAN. This is my personal feeling, sir.

Mr. ROGERS. Because I think we need to focus the attention of the whole Nation on the urgency of this problem and I do not know any better vehicle to use than this national commission and really set our goals and to pull the oceanographic community together to help solve this problem.

So I think you have made a real contribution and we are very grateful to you for your appearance here today.

Mr. STEPHAN. Thank you.

Mr. ROGERS. You have been on a recent trip to the Atlantic, Project Neptune Atlantic, which this committee is most interested in, and at the suggestion of the counsel, he wondered if it would be possible for you to stay over tomorrow and perhaps brief the committee, although you have not had time, I know, to make all of your findings but give us your impressions.

Mr. STEPHAN. If that is desirable I will be glad to do it, sir.
Mr. ROGERS. That would be fine.

So, this completes the list of witnesses today. We will adjourn over until 10 o'clock tomorrow morning when we will hear any additional witnesses and to take up H.R. 7778, and we hope also to go into executive session at that time.

The committee stands adjourned.

(Whereupon, at 12:10 p.m. the committee was recessed, to reconvene at 10 a.m., Thursday, August 19, 1965.)

NATIONAL OCEANOGRAPHIC PROGRAM LEGISLATION

THURSDAY, AUGUST 19, 1965

HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES,

SUBCOMMITTEE ON OCEANOGRAPHY OF THE
COMMITTEE ON MERCHANT MARINE AND FISHERIES,

Washington, D.C. The subcommittee met at 10:30 a.m., pursuant to recess, in room 1334, Longworth House Office Building, Hon. Paul G. Rogers presiding.

Mr. ROGERS. The committee will now continue the hearings on oceanography.

Our first witness this morning is the gentleman from Massachusetts, the Honorable F. Bradford Morse.

STATEMENT OF HON. F. BRADFORD MORSE, A REPRESENTATIVE IN CONGRESS FROM THE STATE OF MASSACHUSETTS

Mr. MORSE. The past two decades have proven to be an era of pioneering, exploration, and discovery in science-never before in history has there been a more productive period in this or in any other field. But in this era we have devoted a great deal of our energies to atomic science and space exploration, and have seemed to neglect an equally important branch of science-oceanography. The water that covers three-fourths of the earth's surface contains countless untapped resources, which if harvested, could provide incalculable benefit to the people of the world. But there can be no benefit derived from these resources without research and technology in oceanography, and there can be no such research and technology without an impetus from the Federal Government, encouraging this work through extensive oceanographic programs.

As it stands now, there are numerous departments, agencies, and private concerns which are engaged in various types of oceanographic research. This sort of work is inadequate, however, for two basic reasons. First, each concern does research only in those areas which affect it directly, thus many areas are totally neglected. Second, since information gained by one concern is virtually unavailable to others, a considerable amount of duplication of work occurs. For an efficient. oceanographic program, there must be created an agency whose purpose it would be to formulate oceanographic programs, as well as to coordinate information gained by other concerns. The councils provided for in S. 944 would fulfill these requirements effectively, and place oceanography on a par with space, aeronautics, and atomic

energy.

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Dr. Harold E. Edgerton, professor of electrical measurements in the department of electrical engineering, Massachusetts Institute of Technology and chairman of the board of Edgerton, Germeshausen & Grier, Inc., told the Senate Commerce Committee when he testified on this legislation that:

A strong national commitment to oceanography would certainly be a step down the road to effective utilization of all our resources, human and physical.

Dr. Edgerton pointed out that the present high quality of work being conducted by industry and education alike promises outstanding cooperation and imaginative response to the programs proposed in S. 944. There are vast amounts of resources to be found in the seas from which great benefits can be derived; a national commitment to oceanography would lead to effective utilization of all these resources, plus enable us to employ more of our human labor supply. An extensive program of research and technology would open up new areas of human endeavor calling for new skills and manpower as yet uncommitted. Opportunities would be created for scientists, researchers, technicians, laborers, and clerical people. In the greater Boston area, three major universities are already proceeding with active expansion of facilities to be devoted to the fields of oceanography, in order that they may effectively train their students in this field.

The abundance of natural resources in the seas is a prime reason for the development of oceanographic programs. These resources come under four major headings: biological, physical, geological, and chemical. Biological resources, the marine animal life, are important to man's physical well-being. Fish are an integral part of the American's diet, and a complete understanding of their characteristics and habits would greatly increase the yearly harvest, thus providing more food for more people.

The physical characteristics of the oceans are of prime concern to people of many fields-fishing companies must learn more about marine currents since these currents directly affect the distribution of fish; the Navy Department, as well as transport companies, require an understanding of currents in order to prepare maritime shipping routes; and the weather bureau must be concerned with currents, since they affect the transferral of energy between air and sea, affecting the climates of the seas and continents, and their weather patterns. Even public health agencies are interested in the physical characteristics of the marine environment: they are concerned with the flow of river water into the ocean due to its impact on offshore pollution. Currents and countercurrents are just being discovered, but years of work will be required before we have a reasonably complete understanding of these phenomena.

Information concerning the geological aspects of the ocean floors is also needed by many concerns. Petroleum and chemical companies must have this information in order to determine where they should begin their search for their resources, and the Navy Department must have a knowledge of the contours of the ocean floors so that they may plan their submarine expeditions.

The waters and floors of the ocean abound with virtually untouched chemical resources. Industry's need for these elements and minerals is increasing at a fantastic rate, and as a result, the once plentiful supply found in the continents is fast becoming exhausted. Industry will

soon be forced to look to the seas as a new source of materials. The seabed and subsoil of the oceans contain minerals of incalculable value; these areas are rich in petroleum, tin, sulfur, iron, and coal; the southwest African coast contains vast diamond deposits; gold is found off Alaska, and phospherite off California. The deep ocean floor harbors extensive deposits of manganese nodules, which contain such important minerals as iron, nickel, copper, lead, and zinc. The challenge for this country is to develop equipment that will enable the economic recovery of these minerals from the ocean bed, and to do so before any other nation can claim squatters rights on the areas. Since manganese nodules form at the rate of 10 million tons a year, a rate many times that of present world consumption, the world will have an inexhaustible supply of these metals once technology has been developed for recovering these nodules, and separating their basic elements.

Another important natural resource is sea water itself, which contains a good amount of salts and minerals in solution. Here again, technology must be devised to extract these minerals, since their benefits to industry and society would be immeasurable. Work should also be done on the desalinization process so that sea water can be rendered fit for human consumption at small expense. The people in the Northeastern States realize now more than ever the importance of being able to extract drinking water from the sea.

A national commitment to oceanography, then, would enable us to effectively use all of our resources. S. 944 is designed to stimulate the acquisition of knowledge and technology in the field of oceanography; the committees outlined in this legislation would provide a comprehensive program of ocean technology, engineering, and research, embracing the expolitation and development of the capability to do useful work with the seas. They would be groups that would put together some real objectives in the new and important field of oceanography. I strongly favor an increased national concern with oceanography, and therefore urge your favorable report on this legislation.

Mr. ROGERS. The subcommittee thanks you for a very fine statement. We have as our next witness Prof. Charles Stephan, who agreed to stay over last night and brief us on a recent project which this committee is very interested in.

STATEMENT OF PROF. CHARLES STEPHAN, CHAIRMAN, DEPARTMENT OF OCEAN ENGINEERING, FLORIDA ATLANTIC UNIVERSITY, BOCA RATON, FLA.-Resumed

Mr. STEPHAN. Mr. Chairman, I am happy to discuss in a preliminary fashion, Project Neptune Atlantic, which was sponsored by the Office of Naval Research, Biology Branch, under Dr. Sidney Galler, and run under my direction in July 1965.

As I did not expect to make this presentation until yesterday, I request your indulgence as I refer to some rather rough notes prepared without reference to project data which is still being assembled. Mr. ROGERS. We appreciate that.

Mr. STEPHAN. To start, sir, if I may I would like to give the objective of this particular cruise.

It was to test the feasibility of the research-ship-of-opportunity concept wherein an instrumented van or module is placed on board a merchantman to take oceanographic and biological data, including the processing of living organisms gathered by the ship, during its regular cruise without interference with the ship's operation schedule, or normal routine.

The background is that the original Project Neptune, sponsored by Dr. Galler, started with a Pacific phase conducted in the Pacific Ocean on board the American Mail Line ship Java Mail during its cruise from Seattle, Wash., to Hong Kong in October-November 1964. I was privileged to participate in the short shakedown period of this cruise in September during the passage of Java Mail from Los Angeles to San Francisco.

The results of Project Neptune Pacific, which was classed as a prefeasibility test of the research-ship-of-opportunity concept, was reported in detail in the hearings before this subcommittee on January 22, 1965-Serial 89-1.

As you know, that cruise was classed as a complete success, having demonstrated the ability of a small scientific party to obtain various oceanographic data and the gathering of biological samples, utilizing a mobile science van laboratory on board ship.

Dr. Clinton Maag, Acting Life Sciences Officer of NAMTC, Point Mugu, lead the project with the assistance of Dr. Aron and Mr. Bercaw of the General Motors Defense Research Laboratory, Santa Barbara, Calif., and those able mariners, Mr. Jack Drewry and Capt. Paul Bauer of the House Merchant Marine and Fisheries Committee.

The success of that project lead to the initiation and support of Project Neptune Atlantic by Dr. Galler and the Office of Naval Research to do a complete and more advanced feasibility test of the research-ship-of-opportunity concept in the Atlantic. As invited by Dr. Galler, my associates and I at Florida Atlantic University prepared and submitted a proposal on February 15, 1965, which was accepted by the Office of Naval Research. A contract was issued to do the project in early June 1965.

The intervening time between the submission of our proposal and the receipt of the contract was occupied by planning for the project, transporting a mobile van laboratory from Point Mugu to Boca Raton, Fla.; which, incidentally, was accomplished by a Marine Reserve transport aircraft on a training transcontinental flight; refurbishing and altering the van to meet our requirements; preparing requisitions for equipment and supplies; and planning the cruise with Atlantic ship lines. When we received our contract in June we rushed our purchase orders through and were able to assemble all our gear, outfit the van, and get it ready for transport to the port of embarkation in less than 1 month from receipt of the contract. We would have greatly appreciated more time but we were able to do it in about 4 weeks.

After a preliminary survey, the selection of ship lines and specific ships available in the limited time available within our academic calendar, resolved itself into a choice of the S.S. Mormacdraco of the Moore McCormack Lines and two ships of the American ExportIsbrandtsen Line. Contract delays, project timing, and the maritime strike finally settled our choice to the S.S. Export Champion of the