Oceanography Timeline

  • Submarines

    Submarines were invented for safe underwater travel for long periods of time. The first successful submarine was invented in 1620. (Navigation)
  • Pressure Proof Diving Suits

    Pressure proof diving suits are used to go to depths of the ocean that have too much pressure for the human body to withstand. They were first invented to aid in salvage work. (Navigation)
  • Modern Trawls

    Trawls are used for collecting organisms in the water. They are large nets carried behind a boat. (Trade)
  • Steamboats

    The first steamboats were invented for faster travel. These would eventually lead to the invention of other faster forms of aquatic travel. The first steamboat was the Clermont. (Navigation)
  • Magnetometer

    Magnetometers are used to measure changes in the Earth's magnetism. They were invented in 1832, but weren't used for marine uses until the 1960s. (Scientific Research)
  • Submersible Pump

    The submersible pump was invented to be attached to the first underwater engine. It is used primarily for collection of samples. (Scientific Research)
  • Hydrophones

    The first hydrophones were used to detect bells rung by lighthouses and ships. They are used for listening to underwater sound. (Navigation/Military)
  • GIS

    GIS, or Geographical Information Systems, were invented to map out large areas within a computer. The first ideas of GIS were made in the early 1960s with the use of computers. (Navigation)
  • Multibeam Sonar

    Multibeam sonar is a form of sonar that uses beamforming to map out the ocean floor. (Navigation)
  • Acoustic Doppler Current Profiler

    While in 1903, the first mechanical flow meter was invented, the first Acoustic Doppler Current Profiler, or ADCP, was invented. This device measures the speed and direction of currents. (Scientific Research/Navigation)