Oceanography

Time Line
 1872-1876

HMS Challenger

Sir Wyville Thomson leaves Britain on
the first worldwide oceanographic
cruise.


Hundreds of new species are
discovered and under water mountain
chains discovered.


Modern oceanography is based on
these discoveries.
 1874-1877

Commander Charles D. Sigsbee


Coast Survey Steamer Blake .


Sigsbee modified the Thomson
Sounding Machine and he also designs
an instrument called the Sigsbee
Sounding Machine. This becomes the
basic model for wire line sounding in
the deep sea for the next 50 years.
 1872-1878
Coast Survey Steamer
Blake


Gulf of Mexico and
Caribbean Sea


This lead to the first
modern bathymetric
map.
 1899-1900

Alexander Agassiz heads the Fisheries
Commission Steamer Albatross


It makes an extended cruise into the
south central Pacific.


During the mission sounding,
dredging, and water temperature
observations are made.
 1904-1905

The Fisheries Commission Steamer
Albatross again commanded by
Alexander Agassiz, makes a second
extended cruise in the south central
Pacific.


This time data is collected from the
most remote ocean on Earth.


Sir John Murray stated of these
explorations, "Of all the additions to
our knowledge of the depth and
deposits of the Pacific Ocean during
recent years, the most important are
probably those acquired by Dr.
Alexander Agassiz during his various
cruises in the Pacific."
 1925-1927

The German Meteor


This expedition observes the South
Atlantic with echo-sounding
equipment and other oceanographic
instruments.


They proved that the continuity of the
Mid-Atlantic Ridge.
 1925-1939

The Coast and Geodetic .


They discovered numerous seamounts,
including the flat-topped variety that
Dr. Harry Hess later terms guyots.


Systematic C&GS observes the
continental shelf and slope lead to the
discovery of the Mendocino
Escarpment, which H.W.


The discovery of California seamounts
such as Davidson, Pioneer and Guide;
and the discovery of many East Coast
canyons, particularly in the Georges
Bank and Mid-Atlantic areas.
 1934

•Bathysphere
•William Beebe’s historical
dives in the Bathysphere, a
hollow steel ball.
•Beebe viewed, for the first
time, deep-sea fish and
other marine animals in
the depths of the ocean.
•Several expeditions
modeled after this in the
hopes of deep sea
discoveries.
 1941-1945

During World War II, electronic
navigation systems are developed for
precision bombing, including the gee
system, which C&GS hydrographers
adapt and rename Shoran.


In 1945 the C&GS conducts its first
hydrographic surveys using Shoran.
Other inventions from this period
pertinent to ocean exploration include
deep-ocean camera systems, early
magnetometers, sidescan sonar
instruments, and early technology for
guiding ROVs (remotely operated
vehicles).
 1977

•Alvin
•Submersion exploration
done modeling Beebes
expedition by modern
scientists.
•They discovered deep-sea
hydrothermal vents.