Part I: Seals teeth and whales ears - Scott Polar Research Institute ...

Chapter 21
Among Oceanographers, but cast
ashore! : 1953-1961
I
would say something now about my work at the National Institute of
Oceanography (NIO) from l954 to l961. The NIO was a newly created
government institute, which was first mooted at a meeting of the Scientific
Advisory Committee of the War Cabinet in l944, when the Hydrographer of the
Navy pointed out that Britain had fallen seriously behind many other countries in
its contribution to research in oceanography. In view of our traditional interest in
the oceans of the world, a British Oceanographical Institute should be set up. The
Royal Society, to which the question was referred, was strongly in favour of
setting up such an institute, with the purpose of advancing the science of physical
oceanography in all its aspects. The Scientific Advisory Committee supported its
proposals, but recommended that the work should also embrace biological
oceanography.
Of most interest to me as a biologist, was that in l946 the Colonial Office had
raised the question of the future of the Discovery Investigations, which had been
working since l925 on behalf of the government of the Falkland Islands
Dependencies. It was financed by a fund fed by the revenues from whaling
operations in that region and controlled two specially constructed research vessels
- RRS Discovery II and RRS William Scoresby. Discussions continued slowly
between the Admiralty, the Advisory Committee on Scientific Policy, the
Treasury, the Colonial Office and others, and during l948 it was decided to
establish by Royal Charter, an Oceanographical Research Council to run a
National Institute of Oceanography (NIO). The object of the Institute would be to
advance the sciences of physical oceanography and marine biology; it would also
continue part of the Discovery Committee's work.
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