Transpac Expedition, 1953

SPENCER F. BAIRD worked in the Gulf of Alaska, southern Bering Sea, and the western North Pacific Ocean on hydrography and pelagic biological collections (net tows). Jimmu Guyot in the Emperor Seamount chain was dredged for ice-rafted Kiril volcanic cobbles. Observations were made in the Oyashio and Kuroshio Currents off Japan and Russia. Geologist Robert L. Fisher was the first person to visit Bayonnaise Rocks to retrieve volcanic specimens. Transpac was the first U.S. oceanographic expedition to visit Japan after World War II, and its scientists were welcomed by Japanese marine scientists and honored with a palace laboratory visit with Emperor Hirohito.

Explore the UC San Diego Digital Collections for more photos from the expedition

Report:

• Transpac Expedition, Quarterly progress report, October-December 1953, pages 8-11.