Of Seas and Ships and Scientists

Of Seas and Ships and Scientists is an exciting account of a formative phase of UK science - the foundation and early years of the National Institute of Oceanography. The roots of the NIO may be found in the pre-war research by scientists, on Scott's Discovery, on the biology of the vast Southern Ocean, funded by a tax on whale oil.

Sir Anthony Laughton joined the NIO in 1955, following a PhD in marine geophysics at Cambridge and was Director of IOS (the successor of NIO) between 1978-88. He has obtained numerous awards and was awarded a knighthood for services to oceanography in 1987. Dr John Gould joined NIO in 1967 and was head of Marine Physics and later directed two global climate projects. Amongst his recent publications is Ocean Circulation and Climate (2001). Mr M.J. 'Tom' Tucker joined the Group W at the Admiralty Research Laboratory in 1944. He later moved to NIO. Amongst his recent publications is Waves in Ocean Engineering (2001), authored with E.G. Pitt. Prof. Howard Roe joined the Whale Research Unit at NIO in 1965, following a degree in Zoology at University College London. He was the Director of the Southampton Oceanography Centre from 1999 to his retirement in 2005.