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OceanographyTime Line

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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.

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1874-1877

CommanderCharles D. Sigsbee

Coast Survey Steamer Blake .

Sigsbee modified the Thomson

Sounding Machine and he also designsan instrument called the Sigsbee

Sounding Machine. This becomes the

basic model for wire line sounding in the

deep sea for the next 50 years.

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1872-1878

Coast Survey Steamer

Blake

Gulf of Mexico and

Caribbean Sea

This lead to the first

modern bathymetric

map.

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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.

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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."

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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.

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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 theMendocino 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.

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1934

Bathysphere

William Beebes historicaldives in the Bathysphere, a

hollow steel ball.Beebe viewed, for the firsttime, deep-sea fish and othermarine animals in the depths ofthe ocean.

Several expeditions modeledafter this in the hopes of deepsea discoveries.

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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).

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1977

Alvin

Submersion exploration donemodeling Beebes expedition by

modern scientists.They discovered deep-seahydrothermal vents.