ST looks back

Sea Technology, Feb 1998

February Issue 25 Years Ago

1973. The first annual conference of the National Ocean Industries Association was scheduled for March 12-13, 1973....Jacques-Yves Cousteau cooperated with National Aeronautics & Space Administration (NASA) (Ames Research Center) in antarctic researchCousteau's Calypso communicated with NASA via satellite communication....In the FY 1974 budget, defense funding remained stable and healthy, but funding for other ocean-active agencies was cut including the National Oceanic & Atmospheric Administration and National Science Foundation....Ocean Systems Inc., founded by inventor Edwin A. Link, was sold to Samson Cordage Works (Boston, Massachusetts).

15 Years Ago

1983. The harvesting of oysters in Chesapeake Bay came under scrutiny of the Maryland legislature for potential adverse effects of diver harvesting with the intent of passage of control legislation....Gunboats that participated in the War of 1812 were being recovered from the floor of Lake Champaign....The Search & Rescue Satellite-Aided Tracking system SARSAT became operational when the Soviet satellite COSPAS was launched. Several passengers and air crews had already been saved. U.S. satellites were to be launched soon....A review of the award of recent defense contracts indicated that undersea warfare continued to be big business.

10 Years Ago

1988. France's IFREMER (Institute Francais de Recherche pour l'exploitation de la Mer) was granted exclusive mining rights to manganese nodule deposits around France's South Pacific Territories (a 30,000 square mile area)....Major oil and gas companies indicated that they would increase oil and gas exploration and production expenditures between 12.4 and 19.9 percent worldwide in 1988....The National Science Foundation (NSF) and the National Aeronautics & Space Administration (NASA) agreed to share high-speed communication lines, linking university researchers on NSF communication network with NASA's databases and supercomputers. /st/