Coast and Geodetic Survey ships have charted the waterways of
our Nation, were the first to systematically the Gulf Stream,
were the first to discover the wonderful canyons and other features
of the continental shelves and slopes, were the first to discover
the salt domes and salt basins of our Gulf of Mexico, discovered
hundreds of seamounts in the deep sea, and in the realm of geophysics
helped discover the magnetic striping on the seafloor which was
a key factor in formulating the theory of plate tectonics. Because
of their efforts, the waterways, harbors, and approaches to our
harbors are among the safest and best charted in the world. The
small ships of the Coast and Geodetic Survey have made contributions
to national security efforts both in peace and war. The most notable
of these vessels have been the BIBB which served with the South
Atlantic Blockading Squadron during the Civil War and the PATHFINDER
which served with the Pacific Fleet during World War II. Of the
latter ship it was said that “The road to Tokyo was paved
with PATHFINDER charts.” But, the major contribution of
these small ships to our Nation has been through their relentless
perseverance coupled with an unswerving devotion to accuracy and
precision in the charting of our Nation’s waterways. The
unbroken coverage of the charts of our Nation’s coastline
are a testimony to this faithful devotion to duty.
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