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The Cold War

Science and innovation

Science at Sea – The legendary Calypso and the Gibraltar Survey

What could possibly link NATO with the eminent oceanographic explorer, Jacques Cousteau, the French scientist who brought the secrets of the deep blue sea into our homes? In 1961, Cousteau’s famous expeditionary vessel, the Calypso, took part in an underwater survey of the Straits of Gibraltar – a survey financed by NATO, which would help to unveil facts about the Mediterranean Sea. 

The sea, the great unifier, is man's only hope. Now, as never before, the old phrase has a literal meaning: we are all in the same boat.


- Jacques-Yves Cousteau

 

The Gibraltar Survey analysed the dynamic behaviour of the water in the Straits in order to understand which factors affected the region. For instance, it measured current movements, the salt content of seawater at varying depths and temperatures and other parameters, which would help understand the evolution of the Mediterranean Sea. Its conclusions could also be applied to other regions and contribute to the advancement of oceanographic research in general. 

Professor Hakon Mosby of Bergen University in Norway, Chair of NATO’s Sub-Committee on Oceanography, recommended that a six-week survey of the Gibraltar Straits be conducted and directed by Professor Henri Lacombe, Head of the Physical Oceanographic Department of the Natural History Museum in Paris. Professor Lacombe was no beginner in the field; he had already conducted a study on the confluence of the Atlantic Ocean and the Mediterranean Sea. He would now lead a scientific team for six weeks to push his findings further. You can see how the crew conducted the survey by following them on board the Calypso in this photo story.

The Calypso and Captain Cousteau

Jacques Cousteau on board the CalypsoJacques Cousteau on board the Calypso

The Calypso was as much a legend as its captain! Named after a nymph from Greek mythology, this former British Royal Navy minesweeper became a ferry in Malta before starting its climb to fame. The vessel was leased to former French Navy officer Jacques Cousteau from 1950 to 1997 for a symbolic one franc per year by business magnate and philanthropist, Thomas Loel Guiness.

Jacques Cousteau transformed the Calypso into an expedition vessel that would carry him and his crew across the oceans and serve as a support base for their diving adventures, filming and oceanographic research. Cousteau travelled the seas and shared the wonders of underwater research and observation with the public through a plethora of films and television series. This passionate and charismatic explorer became a household name across the globe and remained the captain of the Calypso for as long as he lived.

A few basic facts about the Mediterranean Sea were key foundations to the scientists’ research during NATO’s six-week oceanographic study: 

  • it loses more by evaporation than it gains by rainfall and rivers;
  • the deficit of water is compensated by the inflow from the Atlantic Ocean;
  • the level of the Mediterranean remains constant, as does its level of salinity. The reason? As water from the Ocean flows in, saltier and denser water from the Mediterranean flows out at a deeper level. 

Read more on the Gibraltar Survey.