Preliminary Excursions
pp. 60-61 · Read in the full issue
Operation Equapac
Preliminary Excursions For The IGY
THE first major nautical operation preparatory to the International Geophysical Year research is now under way.
Last month, PIM made brief re jerence to a Tokio radio report that the vessel Satuma ( not Satsuma) had left Japan for the Pacific equatorial regions to join American and French vessels in oceanographic research work. The Chairman of the US National Committee, IGY, has now supplied a most interest ing report on what is known as Operation Equapac.
Equapac is a study of equatorial Pacific currents, seawater tempera tures, chemical constituents, marine life, radio activity, at various depths and at many points.
Weather observations at fixed times throughout the day, and the recording of bird life sighted be tween 3 p.m. and 5 p.m. ship’s time daily, are also included.
Equapac commenced in June and should finish on October 6, accord ing to the published plan. It com menced with the sailing of Syunkotu Maru, of the Shimono
seki Fisheries Institute, in June, on a course more or less directly to Guam, thence 850 miles north-east, then due south 900 miles to near Nukuoro, in the Carolines, then back to Guam and Japan.
Next to sail, on June 28, was Dai Fuji Maru, of the Shizuoka Fisheries
Laboratory. Her course was direcD to a point north of Ponape, then directly south-west through tlur Gilberts and Tokelaus to south: west of Suwarrow, then due north to near Johnston Island, then ttf Honolulu, and back to Japan b* September 12.
Dn July 18, Satuma Maru, re irch vessel of the Japanese drographic Office, was scheduled sail due south to a point near ik, north to Guam, south to the linity of Mussau, P-NG, due rth again to 20 degrees north, ;n back to Japan by August 26.
Uso in August the Kagoshima iversity’s research vessels Kago ma Maru and Kieten Maru were sail south on parallel courses /ards Indonesia and Netherlands w Guinea, to the equator, and ;k to Japan. iugust was the big month. While i Japanese scientists were work ■ in the Western Pacific, those >y research vessels Hugh M. ■ith and Charles H. Gilbert, of ■ US Fish & Wildlife’s Pacific sanic Fishery Investigations unit :e to clear Honolulu on August md 6 respectively. ?he Smith was to make for a nt at 12 degrees north latitude iway between the Marquesas and i Francisco, due south to near 10, in the Tuamotu, due west for miles, north again through the th-western Tuamotu, due north the latitude of Christmas Island far to the eastward, west 500 es towards Christmas, south past •oline and Flint to Papeete, then a point midway between Raro ga and Manihiki, due north past nihiki to the equator, fom there to :istmas, west again to the 160th ridian, and north again to Hono i by October 6.
'he Gilbert’s track crossed that :he Smith at several points. She, , was to head for the equator a point far north-east of the rquesas in about the longitude Pitcairn, then south to 14 degrees th, north again then west and th through the Marquesas and n there back to Honolulu by tember 25. This vessel was also ig experimental fishing along the te.
'n August 20, two other vessels e to sail. The little Orsom 111, ;he French Institute of Oceania, i to defer Noumea for Suva, nee through the Fiji Group and north to 10 degrees north lati e, then south-west between rshalls and Gilberts to 170 rees east, south then due west Santo, and again south to imea where she should arrive ober 3. t the same time the Scripps In ution of Oceanography was to patch its vessel Stranger from lolulu south-west and south ough the Phoenix Group and k along ja (parallel course to lolulu by October 3. cripps’ vessel Horizon, which ted various South Pacific ports ing Operation Capricorn in 5-53 was to do a circuit south n Kwajalein to the south ern end of the Solomons, north t through the Solomons to near igainville, due north through the olines to 12 degrees north, thence
back to Kwajalein, but no dates had been fixed for this cruise (See “News of Pacific Shipping,” this issue.) Last Equapac cruise was to be made in October by the Tokio Fisheries University’s Umitaka Maru in the extreme western Pacific down past the Philippines and return.
THUS, in all, 11 vessels were in volved. The Japanese were particularly eager to co-operate as the reasearch ties in with their constant fishery research work.
Since before World War 11. Japan has provided special fishery research courses at her Universities, and these institutions have operated re search vesels, a number of which
have been replaced since the war.
This research work has paid off by contributing to the knowledge .the movements and feeding habits of the oceanic migratory tuna and other fish which provide a large proportion of Japanese over seas earnings.
Equapac provided the first major cruise for Orsom 111 which is em ployed jointly in fishery training cruises under a SPC scheme to tram islanders in modern fishing methods, and in oceanographic re search work. She is a 90-ton wooden Australian-built trawler, launched as Bateman’s Bay in 1947, and pur chased by the Institute from Mr Roy Gubbay, of Santo, last year.