The German Hydrographic Institute in the year 1969 
109 
President of the Federal Council and the Secretary of State in the Federal Ministry 
of Transport, Karl Wittrock, visited the ship. 
Cruise No, 16 from 14 January to 9 May, was divided into three sections. During 
the first one, the “Atlantic Trade Wind Experiment“ (ATEX), the research vessel 
Planet of the German Armed Forces as well as the British survey ship HMS Hydra 
and the U.S.American research vessel Discoverer operated together with the 
Meteor. The programme of the second section, in a year of a sunspot maximum, 
subsequently followed the investigations in the fields of geomagnetism and 
ionospheric physics carried out in 1965 during the “Year of the Quiet Sun“. The 
GHI participated with geomagnetic observations in an equatorial anchoring station 
and, at the same time, in the island of Fernando de Noronha. Besides, the 
anchoring station was used for oceanographic measurements. During the third 
cruise section, mainly aerological and air chemistry investigations were carried 
out. 
Cruise No. 17 from 3 June to 19 July served geophysical/geological studies of the 
sub-bottom of the Mediterranean, especially in the Ionian Sea. Due to engine 
trouble, the cruise had to be discontinued and all further trips planned were 
cancelled. After completion of the repair work and before a short trial trip in the 
North Sea, the Meteor called at the port of the Freie Hansestadt Bremen 
on 11 December where she was received by Senator Dr. Borttscheller. 
Early in August 1969, the British survey ship Hecate called at the port of Ham 
burg in order to get into contact with the GHI. 
The new survey and research vessel Komet which had been ordered in 1967 at 
the Jadewerft in Wilhelmshaven and which is to replace the old ships Ruden 
and Hooge was launched on 24 January. Georg Leber, Federal Minister of 
Transport, delivered the christening speech and Mrs. Erna Leber named the ship. 
The Komet was taken over on 26 August by Secretary of State Wittrock on behalf 
of the Federal Republic and handed over to the GHI. 
The srv Komet has a gross register tonnage of 1252, her speed is 15 knots and 
she carries along 6 plastic speedboats for parallel and single survey. All data 
are recorded automatically. Besides, a helicopter can be taken on board. For this 
ship, a measuring instrument of sound velocity in water was developed which 
brings about a greater accuracy of soundings than hitherto. A fully automated 
“position lines regulator“ enables automated sailing with high position accuracy 
on selectable position lines of hyperbolic navigational systems. 
The Komet participated in the inauguration of the Traffic Separation Scheme in 
the German Bight by Secretary of State Wittrock. Continuing the work of the year 
before, the survey and wreck searching vessels Atair and Wega searched the 
remaining 255 nautical square miles of this area as well as a further 80 nautical 
square miles and 20 special positions. A total of 72 wrecks were examined, 34 of 
which had been unknown so far. 
During 14 cruises in the North Sea and the Baltic, the srv Gauss covered a 
distance of 12 657 nm. The other survey ships ran a total of 8 885 nm of sounding 
profiles. 
In December, the sections “Radioactivity“ and “Marine Chemistry“ which, inter 
alia, have to control the ocean water with regard to pollution moved into a new 
building of laboratories in Hamburg-Sulldorf. The respective sections of the 
Federal Fisheries Research Institute and the Biological Institute of Heligoland have 
also been accomodated in this building. Since industry began to dispose of wastes