The Society of Naval Architects and Marine Engineers and the Conquest of Innerspace

Abstract

National planners are developing programs for surveying and exploiting the oceans. A decade of international collaboration is contemplated for the 1970's. The focus is on exploitation as contrasted to research, so the major problems will be engineering problems. The disciplines of naval architecture and marine engineering, and the technologies of ship designing, shipbuilding and ship operating will feature in this future national-international exploitation of the world's oceans. The Society of Naval Architects and Marine Engineers has espoused the broader domain of ocean engineering for the future scope of the Society's activities. Policies and plans have been completed. Problem areas and possible SNAME activities have been identified and assigned for action. An Ocean Engineering Advisory Group has been operating for two years in carrying out this work and will continue to maintain and control an active SNAME participation in ocean engineering. This paper summarizes the aforementioned plans and activities and mentions 19 interesting ocean engineering focal projects which might be useful to advance our capabilities for exploitation of the ocean resources.