Willard Bascom Papers
Special Collections & Archives, UC San Diego
Special Collections & Archives, UC San Diego
Copyright 2017
9500 Gilman Drive
La Jolla 92093-0175
spcoll@ucsd.edu
Descriptive Summary
Languages:
English
Contributing Institution:
Special Collections & Archives, UC San Diego
9500 Gilman Drive
La Jolla 92093-0175
Title: Willard Bascom Papers
Creator:
Bascom, Willard
Identifier/Call Number: SMC 0062
Physical Description:
13 Linear feet
(13 records center cartons, 1 map case folder, 11 films, and digital files)
Physical Description:
23.6 Gigabytes
Date (inclusive): 1938-2000
Abstract: Papers of engineer and oceanographer Willard Bascom, including his correspondence, research files, writings, photographs and
films, along with materials from his company, Ocean Science and Engineering, Inc.
Scope and Content of Collection
Papers of engineer and oceanographer Willard Bascom, including his correspondence, research files, writings, photographs and
a small selection of films, along with materials from his company, Ocean Science and Engineering, Inc. Subjects of note include
Project Mohole, marine salvage and mineral prospecting, underwater archaeology, coastal engineering and marine water pollution.
The collection also includes Bascom's original 1953 memoir entitled "My Bubbles Rise in Steps: Free-Diving Adventures in the
Tropical Pacific," which details his experiences on the Capricorn Expedition.
Arranged in ten series: 1) BIOGRAPHICAL FILES, 2) CORRESPONDENCE, 3) SUBJECT FILES, 4) GROUPS AND ORGANIZATIONS, 5) OCEAN
SCIENCE AND ENGINEERING, INC. (OSE), 6) PROJECTS AND EXPEDITIONS, 7) CONFERENCES AND EVENTS, 8) WRITINGS, 9) PHOTOGRAPHS AND
SLIDES and 10) AUDIOVISUAL MATERIAL.
Biography
Willard Bascom was a research engineer and oceanographer who pioneered a number of deep sea drilling and salvage projects.
Bascom attended the Colorado School of Mines where he studied engineering and geology and worked as a mining engineer from
1941-1945. He then served as Research Engineer for the UC Berkeley WAVES Project, where he directed a field party studying
waves and shorelines between 1945 and 1951. He joined the Scripps Institution of Oceanography in 1951 as a Research Engineer
studying weapons effects at nuclear test sites in the Pacific Proving Grounds. While at SIO he worked as adjunct professor
and accompanied the 1953 Capricorn Expedition as Senior Scientist in charge of pressure measurements throughout the cruise.
In 1954 he joined the staff at the National Science Foundation, where he spearheaded the preliminary phases of Project Mohole,
the first proposed attempt to drill through the earth's crust. As Director of Project Mohole between 1959 and 1962 Bascom
helped develop dynamic positioning techniques for holding ships in place during drilling processes. In 1961, test drilling
took place at a groundbreaking depth of 11,700 feet, however the project lost congressional support and was ultimately abandoned.
In 1962 Bascom founded Ocean Science and Engineering, Inc. (OSE), an undersea mineral resources excavation company which procured
approximately 20 million carats of diamonds for the De Beers diamond company in South Africa. In addition to his coastal engineering
and mineral prospecting work, Bascom was also greatly interested in underwater archaeology and the salvage of submerged vessels
and ancient shipwrecks. In the early 1960s, OSE developed a mechanical arm attached to the R/V
ALCOA Seaprobe for the purpose of retrieving sunken vessels at great depths, up to 1000 feet. His other company, Seafinders Inc., discovered
the wreck of the
Nuestra Senora de la Maravillas Spanish treasure galleon in the Bahamas in 1972. Between 1973 and 1984 Bascom served as Director of the Southern California
Coastal Water Research Project (SCCWRP), an environmental research laboratory concerned with waste disposal in the ocean.
After leaving SCCWRP, Bascom continued his underwater archaeology endeavors in the Mediterranean Sea. In the early 1990s,
Bascom found a wreck near Artemision in northern Euboea, Greece from which he recovered three bronze statues for the Greek
National Museum. In 1996 Bascom was party to the crew who recovered a treasure hoard of 1860s gold coins from the
Brother Jonathan paddle steamer which sunk off the coast of Crescent City, California in 1865.
Bascom was a keen videographer and writer, and he documented many of his activities through both film and narrative. He authored
and edited several books, including A Hole in the Bottom of the Sea: The Story of the Mohole Project (1961), Great Sea Poetry
(1969), Deep Water, Ancient Ships: The Treasure Vault of the Mediterranean (1976), Waves and Beaches: The Dynamics of the
Ocean Surface (1979), and The Crest of the Wave: Adventures in Oceanography (1990).
Bascom received the Explorer's Club Medal for his contributions to deep water archaeology and geophysics in 1980. He died
in San Diego in 2000.
Preferred Citation
Willard Bascom Papers. SMC 62. Special Collections & Archives, UC San Diego.
Acquisition Information
Acquired 1989-2008.
OFF-SITE STORAGE
COLLECTION STORED OFF-SITE. ALLOW ONE WEEK FOR RETRIEVAL OF MATERIALS.
Publication Rights
Publication rights are held by the creator of the collection.
Restrictions
Original media formats in SERIES 10) AUDIOVISUAL MATERIAL are restricted.
Digital Content
Many of the moving image recordings have been digitized. Two films exist only in digital format.
Subjects and Indexing Terms
Ocean engineering
Underwater archaeology
Bascom, Willard -- Archives
Project Mohole -- Archives
Ocean Science and Engineering, Inc. -- Archives
Capricorn Expedition (1952-1953)
BIOGRAPHICAL FILES
Scope and Content of Series
Series 1) BIOGRAPHICAL FILES: Curricula vitae, awards, diaries and calendars.
Box 1, Folder 1
Biographical notes and narratives
ca. 1968-1972
Box 1, Folder 3
IMR directorship
1979
General note
Application packet includes personal biography, employment history and bibliography.
Oversize SIO MC-121-01
Awards (oversize)
1986, 2000
Box 1, Folder 5
"Willard Bascom: Exploring the Possibilities" by Michael B. Downing
1984
General note
Profile for
Oceanus. Draft version with Bascom's annotations and edits.
Box 1, Folder 6
International Hod Carriers' Building and Common Laborers' Union of America membership book
1938
Box 1, Folder 7-33
Diaries
1954-1995
General note
1970 diary records round world trip; 1975 diary records trip to Greece and Malta; 1980 diary records trip to Greece and Turkey;
1988 diary records Yucatan and Mexico City trip; 1989-1995 diaries record Artemisian Expedition, Black Sea Expedition and
other trips to Greece and the Black Sea.
CORRESPONDENCE
Scope and Content of Series
Series 2) CORRESPONDENCE: Includes general correspondence detailing Bascom's professional activities, dating from 1946 to
1988, and personal correspondence, such as family letters and letters regarding Bascom's interest in collecting art, dating
from 1956 to 1987.
Box 2, Folder 3-37
Professional correspondence
1946-1976
Box 3, Folder 1-11
Professional correspondence
1977-1988
Box 3, Folder 12-41
Personal correspondence
1956-1987
SUBJECT FILES
Scope and Content of Series
Series 3) SUBJECT FILES: Working files on subjects of professional interest. Arranged alphabetically according to subject
and mostly kept in original order.
Box 3, Folder 42
Anderson, Dick
1968-1970
General note
Diver-photographer who filmed OSE operations.
Box 3, Folder 43
Aquatic toxicity testing
1984
Box 3, Folder 46
Bikini Atoll - Bascom's research file on Bikini Islanders
1980-1989
Box 3, Folder 47
Carpenter vs. City of Santa Monica
1982
Box 3, Folder 49
Cleopatra's Island
1985-1986
Box 3, Folder 50
Conservation of salvaged artifacts
1972-1973
Box 3, Folder 51-52
Deep sea instrument platforms
1950-1959
Box 4, Folder 1
"Deep Water Aircraft Salvage" film
1969
Box 4, Folder 3
"Diamonds Under the Sea" film
1965, 1983
Box 4, Folder 4-10
Diving - Notes and correspondence
1949-1954
Box 4, Folder 14
HEXCEL Products, Inc.
1955-1961
Box 4, Folder 15
Home shelters for civilians
1956-1962
Oversize SIO MC-121-01
Home shelter blueprint (oversize) by Bascom
1956
Box 4, Folder 16
J.H. Pomeroy & Co., Inc.
1957-1958
Box 4, Folder 17-20
Kentworthy vs. Marx
1974-1980
Box 4, Folder 22
Marine Archaeology and Maritime History - Course taught by Bascom at SIO
1977-1978
Box 4, Folder 24
Mark IX wave recorder
ca. 1955
Box 4, Folder 26-27
Metcalf and Eddy, Inc. Engineers
1978-1985
Box 4, Folder 28-29
Moorings and instruments
1950-1959
Box 4, Folder 30
Ocean engineering education - Correspondence, notes and proposed curricula
1948-1953
Box 4, Folder 31
Ocean Search, Inc.
1973-1974
Box 4, Folder 32
Operation Miki
1950
General note
A military exercise which simulated a massive invasion of the Hawaiian Islands.
Patent infringement suit
General note
Ocean Science & Engineering, Inc. and Willard Bascom, Plaintiffs, v. United States of America, Defendant. No. 239-75.
Box 4, Folder 33-34
General information and correspondence
1975-1982
Box 4, Folder 35-36
Court of Claims documents
1975-1978
Box 4, Folder 37
Attachments and exhibits
1958-1976
General note
Correspondence and notes submitted as evidence.
Box 5, Folder 1-5
Attachments and exhibits (cont.)
1958-1976
Box 5, Folder 6
Deposition of Professor John Isaacs
1977 March 1
Box 5, Folder 8
Slides
1970-1979
General note
35mm color slides. Charts and images used during trial.
Box 5, Folder 10-12
Point Loma kelp beds
1982-1985
Box 5, Folder 13
Press and appearances
1980-1989
Box 5, Folder 14-17
R/V
ALCOA SEAPROBE
1967-1974
Oversize SIO MC-121-01
R/V
Willard Bascom
1981
General note
Oversize blueprint and sketches of proposed sail-assisted oceanographic research vessel.
Box 5, Folder 18-19
Research sailing vessels blueprints and plans
ca. 1980-1989
Box 5, Folder 20
Rolex Awards for Enterprise
ca. 1990-1999
General note
Bascom won a 1993 Rolex Award for Enterprise for his project entitled "The remote examination of ancient shipwrecks below
diver depth in the Sea of Marmara (Turkey)."
Box 5, Folder 23-26
Speaking engagements
ca. 1960-1980
Box 5, Folder 27-29
Television programming
ca. 1950-1980
Box 6, Folder 1-2
Television programming (cont.)
ca. 1950-1980
Box 6, Folder 5
Treasure
1968-1982
General note
Collected correspondence, notes and brochures regarding the retrieval of sunken treasure.
Box 6, Folder 6-7
"Treasure Fever, Mon"
1972-1973
General note
Correspondence, notes and other materials relating to a proposed film about searching for sunken treasure.
Box 6, Folder 8
Undersea warfare
1953-1956
Box 6, Folder 9
Underwater archeology projects - Correspondence and notes
1970-1975
Box 6, Folder 10-13
Underwater archeology education
1974-1978
General note
Correspondence and curricula regarding the implementation of marine archeology courses in higher education. Includes proposals
written for the University of California and California State University system for an archaeological research institute.
Box 6, Folder 14
Virgin Islands rum liquor discharge
1977
Box 6, Folder 15
Water Planning for Israel Ltd.
1976
GROUPS AND ORGANIZATIONS
Scope and Content of Series
Series 4) GROUPS AND ASSOCIATIONS: Includes correspondence, memoranda, notes and committee files documenting Bascom's participation
in various groups pertaining to engineering and oceanography, arranged alphabetically.
Box 6, Folder 16-17
AAAS Committee on the Public Understanding of Science
1960-1962
Box 6, Folder 18
The Adventurers' Club
1977-1981
Box 6, Folder 19-23
Advisory Committee on Civil Defense, NAS-NRC
1954-1957
Box 6, Folder 24-26
Atomic Energy Commission Plowshare Advisory Committee
1965-1971
Box 6, Folder 27
California Regional Water Quality Control Board
1982-1985
Box 6, Folder 28
Civil Defense Board to the Montgomery County Council
1958
Box 6, Folder 29
Coastal Engineering Research Board
1984-1985
Box 6, Folder 30
Deep Submersible Pilots Association
1981-2000
Box 6, Folder 31
Explorers Club
1969-1983
General note
Correspondence, notes and meeting materials. Bascom received the Explorers Club Medal in 1980 for his work with deep water
archaeology and ocean geophysics.
Box 7, Folder 1
National Academy of Sciences
ca. 1950-1956
Box 7, Folder 2-3
National Research Council Panel on Underwater Swimmers
1951-1957
Box 7, Folder 4
Naval Research Advisory Committee
1970-1977
Box 7, Folder 5-7
Ocean Sciences Board
1978-1982
Box 7, Folder 8
President's Committee on Government Operations - Study of Civil Defense
1957
Box 7, Folder 9-13
Seafinders, Inc.
1970-1977
Box 7, Folder 14-15
Searle Consortium (International consultants in ocean engineering, towing, salvage and diving)
1986-1991
OCEAN SCIENCE & ENGINEERING, INC. (OSE)
Scope and Content of Series
Series 5) OCEAN SCIENCE AND ENGINEERING, INC. (OSE): Includes company correspondence and internal communications, project
proposals, reports, photographs and notes.
Box 7, Folder 16-17
General information and correspondence
1963-1975
Box 7, Folder 19
Management and personnel
1965-1968
Box 7, Folder 20-21
Operational Committee meetings
1966-1968
Box 7, Folder 22-23
USS
Thresher
1963, 1975-1976
Box 7, Folder 24
OSE Proposes SEARCH: SEA Recovery of Costly Hardware to NASA
1964 April
Box 7, Folder 25
Progress Report for April-May 1964 to De Beers Consolidated Mines Limited on the Southern Diamond Corporation Concession Evaluation
Project
1964 August
Box 7, Folder 26
Report on
Rockeater Sampling Programme in the Marine Diamond Corporation Concession
1965 January
Box 7, Folder 27
Report on
Rockeater Sampling Programme in the Atlantiese Diamant Korporasie
1965 March
Box 7, Folder 28
Tidal Diamonds Concession Geologic Report
1965 August
Box 8, Folder 1
Proposal to Aluminum Corporation of America for an Aluminum Oceanographic Laboratory
1966 December
Box 8, Folder 2
The Construction and Operation of a Ship to Recover Valuable Objects from the Ocean Floor
1967 June
Box 8, Folder 3
A Proposal to Air Force Intelligence of a Study of the Feasibility of Recovering Fragments of Soviet Missiles form the Floor
of the Deep Ocean
undated
Box 8, Folder 4-5
Correspondence and notes about proposed book on salvage engineering
1969-1971
Box 8, Folder 6
Film awards
1966-1968
General note
Annual Industrial Film awards for First Deep Ocean Drilling (1966) and A New Harbor for Capetown (1967); American Film Festival
Honors awards for The First Deep Ocean Drilling (1967), and A New Harbor for Capetown (1968).
Box 8, Folder 7-11
Miscellaneous photographs
1960-1970
Box 8, Folder 12
Sketches of equipment
undated
Oversize SIO MC-121-01
Project site surveys
ca. 1960-1969
General note
Oversized maps and sketches.
PROJECTS AND EXPEDITIONS
Scope and Content of Series
Series 6) PROJECTS AND EXPEDITIONS: Includes correspondence, notes and working files detailing Bascom's consultant work, Project
Mohole, the Southern California Coastal Water Research Project (SCCWRP) and underwater salvage projects, arranged chronologically.
Box 8, Folder 14-16
Consultant work
1972-1985
Box 8, Folder 17
Capricorn Expedition
1953
General note
Correspondence, memoranda and general information pertaining to Bascom's role of measuring pressure at different installations
during the cruise.
Box 8, Folder 18
General information and correspondence
1960-1963
Box 8, Folder 19
The Mohole Project summary
1959
General note
Written by Bascom as Technical Director of the American Miscellaneous Society (AMSOC) Committee.
Box 8, Folder 21
The Earth's Crust and the Mohole Project - Bascom lecture
1962 November 21
Box 8, Folder 23
Photographs of personnel aboard CUSS I
1961
Box 8, Folder 24-25
Miscellaneous photographs of personnel, equipment and vessels
1961-1962
Box 8, Folder 26
Cable survey in South Africa
1965
Box 8, Folder 27
Bahamas treasure
1971-1973
Box 8, Folder 28
Dan Region Wastewater Project
1976
Box 8, Folder 29-36
Southern California Coastal Water Research Project
1975-1985
Box 9, Folder 1-5
Southern California Coastal Water Research Project (cont.)
1975-1985
Box 9, Folder 6
Santa Monica sand accretion
1981-1982
Box 9, Folder 7
Waterways Experiment Station, Army Corps of Engineers
1984
Box 9, Folder 8-11
San Diego Designation Study
1985
Box 9, Folder 12-13
Santa Cruz Wastewater Treatment Plant
1985-1986
General note
Bascom served as consultant through Brown and Caldwell Consulting Engineers.
Box 9, Folder 14
Ballast Trail of Black Rock galleon wreck
1987-1993
Box 9, Folder 16
Black Sea ancient ship expedition
1991
Box 9, Folder 17
Cape Artemision salvage
1993-1997
CONFERENCES AND EVENTS
Scope and Content of Series
Series 7) CONFERENCES AND EVENTS: Notes, correspondence and meeting materials detailing Bascom's professional attendance,
arranged chronologically.
Box 9, Folder 18
Fourth Conference on Coastal Engineering
1953
Box 9, Folder 19
International Conference on the Peaceful Uses of Atomic Energy
1955 June 30
Box 9, Folder 20
Undersea Warfare Committee Meeting
1955 September 16
Box 9, Folder 21
First Conference on Coastal Engineering Instruments
1955 October 31-November 2
Box 9, Folder 22
AAAS Moho (Mohole) Symposium
1960 December 30
Box 9, Folder 23
First International Congress on Diamonds in Industry Symposium
1962 June 2
General note
Bascom presented a lecture on the Mohole Project.
Box 9, Folder 24
Drilling Beneath the Ocean - Honeywell Engineers Lecture Series
1963 February 24
Box 9, Folder 25
Fairleigh Dickinson Oceanology Conference
1967 June 20-22
Box 9, Folder 26
Interregional Seminar on New Methods for Mineral Exploration with Emphasis on Geophysical Techniques
1967 July 17-22
Box 9, Folder 27
Scripps Public Symposium
1968 February 1-2
General note
Bascom presented lecture entitled "Minerals from the Ocean."
Box 9, Folder 28
AAAS-Brookings Seminars for Members of Congressional Staffs
1968 March 26-27
Box 9, Folder 29
Workshop on the Effects of Human Activity on the Coastal Ocean
1984 January 9-11
Box 9, Folder 30
A Forum for Discussion of Municipal Waste Disposal, Conference of Coastal Agencies
1984 March 8
Box 9, Folder 31
OCEANS '85
1985 November 12-14
General note
Bascom presented paper entitled "The Evidence of One's Eyes."
Box 9, Folder 32
Working Solutions: Shore and Beach - O'Brien Symposium
1987 March 23-24
WRITINGS
Scope and Content of Series
Series 8) WRITINGS: Bascom's manuscripts, publications and notes. Arranged in two subseries: A) Papers and publications and
B) Notes.
Box 9, Folder 33
The Causes of Movement of Ocean Sands
1950 December
Box 9, Folder 34
The Relationship Between Sand Size and Beach Face Slope
1951 April
Box 9, Folder 35
A Preliminary Study of the Problems of Underwater Demolition Teams
1951 June
Box 9, Folder 36-37
"Beach Characteristics," ONR
Manual of Amphibious Oceanography
1951 July
Box 9, Folder 38
Observations on Water Temperature, Wave Steepness and Beach Width, Carmel, California
1951
Box 9, Folder 39-41
My Bubbles Rise in Steps: Free-Diving Adventures in the Tropical Pacific - Memoir from Capricorn Expedition
1953 March
Box 9, Folder 42
Diving Geologists! Why Not?
1953 June
Box 9, Folder 43
Lambersten, Christian J. and Willard Bascom. "The Permissible Level of Carbon Monoxide in Inspired Air Used for Diving"
1953 December
Box 10, Folder 1
Characteristics of Natural Beaches
1953
Box 10, Folder 2-4
A Hole in the Bottom of the Sea
1959-1966
Box 10, Folder 5
Force and Policy
1956 August
Box 10, Folder 6
Anti-Shark Alternatives
1956
Box 10, Folder 8
Old Uses for a New Navy
ca. 1957
Box 10, Folder 9
Biological Versus Cultural Evolution
1958 August
Box 10, Folder 10
Civil Defense,
Encyclopedia Britannica
1958
Box 10, Folder 11
Science and Network Television
ca. 1958
Box 10, Folder 12
Peacetime Uses of Deep-Moored Buoys
1959 February
Box 10, Folder 13
Gregory, John B. and Willard Bascom. "Maneuvering Devices for Ships"
1959 March
Box 10, Folder 14-15
"The Mohole",
Scientific American
1959 April
Box 10, Folder 17
The Origin of the Ocean
1961
Box 10, Folder 19
E-Quest
1963
General note
Submitted to
Scientific American
Box 10, Folder 20
Great Sea Poetry
1969
General note
Published compilation of sea-related poetry, arranged by Bascom.
Box 10, Folder 21
Ocean Science in Vietnam
1967
Box 10, Folder 22
Oil in the Arctic Islands
1969
Box 10, Folder 23
The Pearl Divers of Takaroa
1969
Box 10, Folder 24
Technology and the Ocean
1969
Box 10, Folder 25
The Remarkable CRAWLCUTTER of O.S. & E, Inc.
1970
Box 10, Folder 26
Proposal for Doing Deep Marine Archaeology in Greek Waters
1971 April
Box 10, Folder 27
"Deep Water Archeology,"
Science 174
1971 October
Box 10, Folder 28
Proposal for Oil Storage and Transport Co. a Delaware Corporation
1972 January
Box 10, Folder 29
Archaeology in Deep Water
1972
Box 10, Folder 30
Ancient Ships in Deep Water
1973 June
Box 10, Folder 31
Waste Disposal in the Ocean
1973-1976
Box 10, Folder 32
Finding the Lost Treasure of the Mimbres
ca. 1973
Box 10, Folder 33
Deep Water, Ancient Ships: The Treasure Vault of the Mediterranean
1974-1977
Box 10, Folder 34
Science and Ancient Sea Stories
1976 February
Box 10, Folder 35
Imagination in Marine Education
1976
Box 10, Folder 36-38
Waves and Beaches
1960-1980
Box 10, Folder 39
Engineering and the Efficient Use of the Sea
1980
Box 10, Folder 40
The Use of Sailing Ships for Oceanography, Ocean Science Board
1980
General note
Bascom was on the Ad Hoc Panel on the Use of Sailing Ships for Oceanography of the Ocean Science Board.
Box 10, Folder 41
Remembrances of John Isaacs
1980 November
Box 10, Folder 42
King Event, Operation Ivy
1981 March
Box 10, Folder 43
Spilhaus, Athelstan and Willard Bascom. "A Sail Assisted Ship for Ocean Research"
ca. 1982
Box 10, Folder 44
Memorable Moments in Marine Technology
undated
Box 10, Folder 45
Offshore Prospecting for Minerals
undated
Box 10, Folder 46
Miscellaneous notes labeled "ideas to work on"
1958-1968
Box 10, Folder 47
Miscellaneous notes
1976-1985
Box 10, Folder 48
Miscellaneous notes from seminars
ca. 1980-1989
Box 11, Folder 1
Miscellaneous notes from seminars (cont.)
ca. 1980-1989
Box 11, Folder 3
Beach erosion, notes and graphs
ca. 1950-1959
Box 11, Folder 4
Desalination
ca. 1950-1959
Box 11, Folder 5
Instruments and equipment
ca. 1950-1959
Box 11, Folder 7
Harbor surging
ca. 1950-1959
Box 11, Folder 8
Notes on theory on the origin of cancer from a discussion with Roger Revelle
1954 April
Box 11, Folder 9
Assorted design sketches
1956
General note
Includes design for "water sub-machine gun" and "radio record-player cabinet."
Box 11, Folder 11
Design sketches
ca. 1970-1979
Box 11, Folder 12
Great Lakes shipwrecks
ca. 1970
Box 11, Folder 18
Notes on Southern California beach recreation statistics
ca. 1980
Box 11, Folder 19
Assimilative Capacity Concept
1982
PHOTOGRAPHS AND SLIDES
Scope and Content of Series
Series 9) PHOTOGRAPHS AND SLIDES: Subjects of note include photographs of Bascom, Project Mohole, research vessels, engineering
equipment, the UC Berkeley Wave Project, coastal dredging, underwater salvage and mineral prospecting projects and work at
sea. Arranged in two subseries: A) Photographs and B) Slides.
Box 11, Folder 24
Miscellaneous photos of Willard Bascom
ca. 1960-1980
General note
Portraits and candid photographs of Bascom in group pictures.
Box 11, Folder 25
Miscellaneous ship wrecks
ca. 1910-1960
Box 11, Folder 26
Miscellaneous ships in storms
ca. 1910-1970
Box 11, Folder 27-34
Miscellaneous coastal features
ca. 1945-1960
General note
A large number of photographs depicting coastlines, beaches, jetties, bays and marinas.
Box 11, Folder 35
Miscellaneous ships and research vessels
ca. 1945-1960
Box 11, Folder 36-38
Miscellaneous ship equipment
ca. 1950-1960
Box 11, Folder 39
Engineers at work on beach
ca. 1946
Box 11, Folder 40
Operation Crossroads atomic bomb tests
1946
Box 11, Folder 41-52
UC Berkeley Wave Project
ca. 1950-1959
General note
Collected photographs related to project designed to create amphibious military landings using nearshore waves and underwater
topography. Original groupings of photographs maintained. Most photographs are undated and unidentified.
Box 12, Folder 1-7
UC Berkeley Wave Project (cont.)
ca. 1950-1959
Box 12, Folder 8
Navy diving crew at work
ca. 1950
Box 12, Folder 9
Cable marker buoys
ca. 1950-1960
Box 12, Folder 10
Navy Electronics Laboratory
1951 July
Box 12, Folder 11
Vented explosions at Coronado
1952 May
Box 12, Folder 13
Capricorn Expedition
1952-1953
Box 12, Folder 14-15
Diamond mining in South Africa
ca. 1960-1969
Box 12, Folder 16
Nuclear test sites
ca. 1960-1969
Box 12, Folder 17-19
Rockeater
ca. 1960-1969
General note
Marine diamond prospecting vessel under contract to De Beers.
Box 12, Folder 21-23
Vietnam trips
ca. 1960-1969
Box 12, Folder 24-25
Collected photos for
Waves and Beaches
1960-1970
General note
Photographs collected for potential reproduction in Bascom's book.
Box 12, Folder 27
Collinstar wreckage
1965 May
Box 12, Folder 28
Atomic Energy Commission (AEC) Plowshare Advisory Committee meetings
1965-1970
Box 12, Folder 29-30
Cosmos Club movie showing
1967 April 4
Box 12, Folder 32
Bascom with Robert Marx
ca. 1967
Box 12, Folder 34
R/V
Wando River
ca. 1967
General note
Carried vibrating corer tool called Horton Sampler onboard.
Box 12, Folder 35
Search for sunken 727 aircraft
1969
Box 12, Folder 36
Mining in Thailand
ca. 1969
Box 12, Folder 37
Scallop boats
1969-1970, undated
Box 12, Folder 38
Nonsuch
1970
General note
Replica of 1650 ketch built by the Hudson's Bay Company to celebrate its 300th anniversary.
Box 12, Folder 39
R/V
ALCOA SEAPROBE
ca. 1970-1979
Box 12, Folder 41
Explorers Club meeting
1977 November 9
Box 12, Folder 42
Bascom receiving Explorers Club medal
1980 May
Box 12, Folder 43
Sea of Marmara sonar charts
1992
Box 12, Folder 44
Sea of Marmara expedition
1993
Box 12, Folder 45
At sea in Mediterranean
1994
Box 13, Folder 1
Arctic research station and landscapes
undated
Box 13, Folder 2
Hawaiian Electric Co. Model Std. (C-245)
undated
Box 13, Folder 3
Ship crew at work
undated
Box 13, Folder 4
Unidentified men posing with items dredged from seafloor (labelled "Treasure Hunt")
undated
Box 13, Folder 5
Weapons Effects Buoy System (WEBS) buoys
undated
Box 13, Folder 6
Miscellaneous photos of Bascom
ca. 1964-1993
Box 13, Folder 7
Miscellaneous photos people and crew members
ca. 1961-1970
Box 13, Folder 8-9
Miscellaneous photos of ships and equipment
ca. 1963-1969
Box 13, Folder 10-11
Miscellaneous work at sea
1966-1970
Box 13, Folder 12
CUSS I - Oil drillship contracted for Project Mohole
1959-1964
Box 13, Folder 13
Puerto Rico WHOI survey expedition aboard R/V
Vema
1959
Box 13, Folder 16
Willard Bascom and Ted Chamberlain on Lanai
1964
Box 13, Folder 19
SEALAB III site survey
1966
Box 13, Folder 31
Bow thruster at Avondale Shipyard
1967
Box 13, Folder 32
OSE vibrating core drill off Newport, Calif.
1968
Box 13, Folder 34
ASPSS 1st drop equipment (Sherwood)
1969
Box 13, Folder 35
Navy parachute tests on beach
1969
Box 13, Folder 36
OSE Director's Lunch
1969
Box 13, Folder 37
Broward County Beach Restoration Project field office
1970
Box 13, Folder 38
Diagrams of submersible corer
1970
Box 13, Folder 39
Ft. Pierce, FL beach
1970
Box 13, Folder 40
Newport vibratory anchors
1971
Box 13, Folder 42
R/V
ALCOA SEAPROBE
1971-1972
Box 13, Folder 43
Ocean Science & Engineering MCLS sea trials
1972
Box 13, Folder 46
"Ocean Motion" crane - Unidentified equipment yard and machinery
1973
Box 13, Folder 47
Ocean Science & Engineering MCCB
1973
Box 13, Folder 49
Russian expedition off Crimea
1991
Box 13, Folder 51
Artemision Expedition
1993
Box 13, Folder 52
Pompano Beach dredge in Florida
undated
Box 13, Folder 53
Measuring L.A. River floodwater
undated
Box 13, Folder 54
Oceaneering Vibracorer shop pictures
undated
Box 13, Folder 55
South Africa landscape
undated
AUDIOVISUAL MATERIAL
Scope and Content of Series
Series 10) AUDIOVISUAL MATERIAL: Various 16mm films and Hi8 videocassettes detailing Bascom's work. Subjects of note include
Project Mohole, underwater archaeology expeditions in the Mediterranean Sea and Black Sea, mineral excavation and research
vessels at work.
Oversize FS-114
Oceanography
ca. 1940-1960
General note
Montage of miscellaneous oceanographic work. Includes footage of Willard and Rhoda Bascom on beach, amphibious vehicles, military
beach assault exercises, various equipment and machinery, a man demonstrating beach erosion in simulator, Bascom at work in
the arctic and Weapons Effects Buoy System (WEBS) deployment and demonstration. Time 00:32:00, no sound, both color and b/w.
Digitized version available upon request.
Access
Original restricted (digital version available).
Oversize FS-104
Air Force Weapons Laboratory Deep Ocean Buoy System
ca. 1960
General note
Produced by AF Special Weapons Center at Kirtland Air Force Base Air Force Systems Command. Footage of crew working with buoys
in U.S. Naval Construction Battalion Center and deploying buoys at sea. Time 00:05:43, color, no sound. Digitized version
available upon request.
Access
Original restricted (digital version available)
Oversize FS-108
Oceanography at Work: Diamonds Under the Sea
ca. 1963
General note
Produced by Ocean Science and Engineering Inc. Film about diamond mining in South Africa. Subjects of note include local people,
landscapes and scenery, equipment and technology, and diving for gems. Time 00:25:55, color, sound. Digitized version available
upon request.
Access
Original restricted (digital version available)
Oversize FS-109
Project Mohole film
1966
General note
Promotional film discussing Project Mohole. Begins with footage of Willard Bascom as Director of Project Mohole explaining
project to NAS personnel, including Jack McClellan (Chief Engineer), Edward Horton (Drilling Engineer), Francois Lampietti
(Mining Engineer), Peter Johnson (Naval Architect), and Robert Snider (Oceanographic Engineer). Subjects of the film include
include CUSS I, onboard technology, ship controls, test drilling off the coast of Guadalupe Island, pipe installation at sea,
geologists examining cores and Bascom at work. Time 00:23:18, color, sound. Digitized version available upon request.
Access
Original restricted (digital version available)
Oversize FS-115
A New Harbor for Cape Town
1967
General note
Film about OSE ocean floor geophysical survey and coring program in Cape Town Harbor. Time 00:23:30, color, sound. Poor quality
audio.
Access
Restrictions apply.
Oversize FS-107
Soundtrack for A New Harbor for Cape Town
1967
General note
Reel-to-reel sound recording.
Access
Original restricted (digital version available)
Oversize FS-105
Wong Miew Choong Mines, Thailand
ca. 1967
General note
Footage of mineral prospecting operation at Wong Miew Choong Mines in Thailand. Includes some shots of local people, monks
at temple, local scenery and wildlife. Time 00:10:00, color, no sound.
Access
Restrictions apply.
Oversize FS-110
Santa Barbara oil spill Pt. I
1969
General note
Footage of oil spill, cleanup crews and effects on wildlife and environment. Time 00:13:30, color, no sound. Digitized version
available upon request.
Access
Original restricted (digital version available)
Oversize FS-111
Santa Barbara oil spill Pt. II
1969
General note
Time 00:16:00, color, no sound.
Access
Original restricted (digital version available)
Oversize FS-113
R/V
ALCOA Seaprobe
ca. 1970
General note
Miscellaneous footage of crew at work, machinery, instrumentation and ship life aboard R/V
ALCOA Seaprobe. Time approx. 00:34:00, color, no sound. Digitized version available upon request.
Access
Original restricted (digital version available)
Oversize FS-106
R/V
ALCOA Seaprobe
undated
General note
Created by Q.E.D. Productions, NYC. Narrated film about R/V
ALCOA Seaprobe. Includes aerial footage of vessel at sea, interviews with ship engineers, and footage of onboard equipment and drilling
operations. Time approx. 00:22:00, color, sound.
Access
Restrictions apply.
Oversize FS-112
Tomorrow's World Dredger
undated
General note
Footage of crew with dredging machine on beach. Time 00:19:50, color, no sound. Digitized version available upon request.
Access
Original restricted (digital version available)
Hi-8 tapes and digital recordings
Box 13, Folder 56
Turkey Pt. I
1991
General note
Begins with landscape and scenery. At 00:10:00 Bascom with Izdar Moussa and unidentified Turkish representatives examining
maps and discussing proposed underwater archaeology trip. At 00:42:40 Bascom talking about sunken ships and his project entitled
"Straight Search" to be conducted in cooperation with Turkish government. At 01:07:00 Bascom discussing sunken ships with
unidentified man at ship museum. At 01:30:25 Bascom sitting with unidentified people in room discussing sonar and ROV searching
technology for sunken ships. Time 02:03:42. Digitized version available upon request.
Access
Original restricted (digital version available)
Box 13, Folder 56
Turkey Pt. II
1991
General note
Bascom discussing "Straight Search" with Turkish representatives. Time 01:58:22.
Access
Original restricted (digital version available)
Box 13, Folder 56
Black Sea trip
1991
General note
Footage of underwater camera searching ocean floor for sunken ship with audio commentary from Bascom and others.. At 01:38:25
Bascom finally says "Eureka, we found it!". Time 01:46:31. Digitized version available upon request.
Access
Original restricted (digital version available)
Box 13, Folder 56
Black Sea Expedition Pt. I
1992
General note
Men prepare underwater camera, Russian crew loads bus with equipment, Bascom in museum looking at artifacts retrieved from
shipwrecks, miscellaneous shots of crew at work on boat, Bascom and others discussing ancient Bosphorus in the Black Sea through
Russian translator in ship cabin. Time 02:03:49. Digitized version available upon request.
Access
Original restricted (digital version available)
Box 13, Folder 56
Black Sea Expedition Pt. II
1992
General note
Willard Bascom and crew raising Adventurer's Club flag on deck, crew members at work, Willard Bascom conversing with scientists.
Includes some cut-away shots to scenery on land. Time 01:55:13. Digitized version available upon request.
Access
Original restricted (digital version available)
Box 13, Folder 56
Genoa and Marmara
1993
General note
Bascom receiving honorary doctoral degree and giving speech at the University of Genoa, Italy on 1993 January 1. At 00:13:30
cuts away to work in the Sea of Marmara. Time 01:03:56. Digitized version available upon request.
Access
Original restricted (digital version available)
Digital_file 1
Brother Jonathan paddle steamer Pt. I
1996
General note
Footage of Delta Oceanographics crew deploying submersible at sea and discussing project to locate and salvage nineteenth-century
paddle steamer
Brother Jonathan. Time 01:03:22.
Digital_file 2
Brother Jonathan paddle steamer Pt. II
1996
General note
Crew retrieves submersible and examines recovered gold coins on ship deck. Time 00:50:26.