ANTARCTIC SEAS

Hokitika Guardian, 26 August 1932, Page 8

ANTARCTIC SEAS

RESEARCH SHIP’S WORK

DISCOVERY II ARRIVES

WELLINGTON, August 2

■ After‘/a; snort cruise from Aubkknd to the, area between the,; North Ca,.e ..and ibe /lLree Kings,.: the . British r~pearehi ship Discovery II arrived at IjiVVelilingtoa on Saturday morning,. Tjue ■dveesei will remain here until Septem-. ■ bei' I,' when she will sail fur the Res* Ifck,a in continuation of 1 her voyage ui, ■the Falkland. . Islands. j [ 1 ‘he ..main object of the expptitior;; ji'S to investigate the life history of .the, (whale, particularly, its food supplies,in order that diminution of . .the stuck may be- prevented. The observations ■have already been in progress for several year,, and it will be- some, yeays yet before:any precise recommendations (are likely ,to be made, although pome of the data collected has. already been (made, avaiable through technical publications. ' The Discovery investigations arecontrolled, by the Discovery .committee, which: has: its headquarters; at , the Colonial ; Office, London. The director, of research, is; Mr Stanley Kemp. > The Ducoveiy .il is commanded by Captain W. M.; Corey, N.R. (retired), and on. boardiis a staff of five scientists. These ’include four ‘zoologists, Mil, Dilwyn John,; who is in charge, Mr J. W. S. (Mnrrjf Mr G. Rnyner and Mc.iF. D;. Ommanney, arid, one hydrologist, Mr (}. Deacon. . .'

WELL-EQUIPPED VESSEL,

| A steelyessel, specially built for the (research, work, being, undertaken by the Discovery Committee, on behalf of the Government of the Falkland Islands',' .the Discovery II is. only three years (old, and, is claimed to be the fmes)L and :b6st-equipped research'ship afloat- The ifebst of the investigations is borne by •a fund i built up by taxation on thei bV'ha'ling industry, and the committee’s •ships, haye . been engaged -in the work ■for;neqflyweight years,- iThe : fije,t to be. Ped 1 was IScotF.fi- Discovery,- Which was: [refitted a,si .a research; vassal,: .In \1926i •■jfho William; Scoresby was built arid, lliais justj completed a third commission (in Antatotic ..waters:- - - '-■■' •

j. TJie; Disbovery -II was built to replace thei older Discovery, which has ;since ■ been utilised by Sir . Douglas tov’the “"Antarctic/ ’The new Discovery left England lost i October,j’arid '.caiuised during the sriin-. mer dn. theiFalkland sectop of the Apt.-, arctic,- ■repeating} and extending obser<y-‘ Ption ,previously.. made,in that area. ■The cruise prpppr at Cape Town three, months .ago, and since .then three visits have been,, made to the edge of the i ice; ‘lient: Culls/ have been made at Fremantle and Melbourne for fuel-oil. , The vessel is .equipped with two lab-oratorie^—one-'f-orj zoological and,!t’. e ■ other hydrological,, work. Wireless touch ia made, daily,.with England. An enormous amount of data hais been collected; and now being, examined by the:Discovery;*.in.yestigations staff/ in; London. - >... There are 52 all told in the ship, and the scientista* are -kept particularly, bitsy. The ship, is stopped at 8 o’clock every evening, when research material is. being collected, and instruments are lowered to a series..of depths from the i.?urfaceqf the water,, to . the bottom “to. enable the temperatures -to.be ascertained and. samples tof water obtained fqr analysis. At. the same time fine nilk nets are lowered tq standard depths, in/.order that ap indication, ,cfi the marine .plant arid animal life may be given. Since leaving Auckland the ship has; carried out four such operations in the Three Kings area. Remarkable features of; the.; ■vessel-equipment-are the two echo-soundi.ig machines, Soundings are recorded for,, every half-hour’s. steaming. .Thus, throughout the series of ‘investigations, it is possible , to -obtain, a picture of" the contours of the ocean floor, the composition of the water masses and the floating plant and animal life in those masses.,! . ..