I spent part of my first sea-going experience at sea with David on board the R.V.
R.D. Conrad. Later on, he came to work in France, so our lives have been
intertwined for nearly half a century.
Captain Hartmut Andresen was one of the captains of the German Research
vessel F.S. Sonne prior to his retirement. He was a typical explorer and eager for
new adventures and new sensations. He was slender, well over 6 feet tall, and often
wore a headband rather than a sea captain’s cap on his head. He was always the
first to take the zodiac out to sea to go to test the feasibility of landing in unknown
area. We went together to visit Pitcairn Island, which will remain one of the high
points of my memories of going at sea.
Vincent Renard is a geophysicist who graduated from Rice University before
completing his studies at Lamont-Doherty in New York. He joined the group of
CNEXO organized by Le Pichon in 1970 along with David Needham and myself.
Born in Belgium, Vincent was chief scientist on several ocean-going expeditions.
He has been among the best chief scientists that I have shared cruises with, perhaps
because Vincent is a discrete and friendly person who is very sensitive to people
and who is always ready to share his time and expertise, in order to help others. As
well as being good in communicating with the various groups on board the ships,
Vincent is also very knowledgeable about the different techniques and instruments
used at sea. Competence and communication are two keys to being a successful
chief scientist.
Xavier Le Pichon is a French geophysicist who still wears round glasses on his
gentle-looking round face. We met at Lamont-Doherty, and later he invited me to
join his group after he founded the French marine geology group of CNEXO
(Centre National d’Exploitation des Oceans) in 1968. Xavier is a pragmatic person
who knows how to hide his emotions. At the same time, he is altruistic and ready
to help people in need. I am very grateful to Xavier because he introduced me to
underwater exploration in 1971 during the ‘‘FAMOUS Project’’. I also have a great
admiration for Xavier because, he, along with Jason Morgan, is one of the pioneers
who advanced the theory of plate tectonics based on observations on the sea floor.
Jason Morgan is a person who has been a part of my life since he and his
family came for a sabbatical in France, in 1972. We discovered we were born the
same week of the same year, and our wives and children always appreciated seeing
each other as if we were all part of the same family. Although Jason and I have
never published a paper together, the conversations we have shared over the years
are certainly an important part of my life and work as an undersea geologist.
Peter Stoffers, who was originally trained as a sediment geochemist, was a
professor of marine geology and Department Head at the University of Kiel in
Germany. Peter is a fervent believer in scientific research and has the personality
of a stately professor who feels that rules need to be obeyed, but he is also a gentle
and understanding father figure for his students. Peter has been very keen in
helping young scientists succeed in the field of marine geology. His honesty,
humanity and capacity for uniting knowledgeable people and for obtaining funding
for his many projects are extremely important qualities. I believe Peter was the
scientist who was granted the largest number of cruises in Germany during his
Colleagues and Collaborators
7
R.D. Conrad. Later on, he came to work in France, so our lives have been
intertwined for nearly half a century.
Captain Hartmut Andresen was one of the captains of the German Research
vessel F.S. Sonne prior to his retirement. He was a typical explorer and eager for
new adventures and new sensations. He was slender, well over 6 feet tall, and often
wore a headband rather than a sea captain’s cap on his head. He was always the
first to take the zodiac out to sea to go to test the feasibility of landing in unknown
area. We went together to visit Pitcairn Island, which will remain one of the high
points of my memories of going at sea.
Vincent Renard is a geophysicist who graduated from Rice University before
completing his studies at Lamont-Doherty in New York. He joined the group of
CNEXO organized by Le Pichon in 1970 along with David Needham and myself.
Born in Belgium, Vincent was chief scientist on several ocean-going expeditions.
He has been among the best chief scientists that I have shared cruises with, perhaps
because Vincent is a discrete and friendly person who is very sensitive to people
and who is always ready to share his time and expertise, in order to help others. As
well as being good in communicating with the various groups on board the ships,
Vincent is also very knowledgeable about the different techniques and instruments
used at sea. Competence and communication are two keys to being a successful
chief scientist.
Xavier Le Pichon is a French geophysicist who still wears round glasses on his
gentle-looking round face. We met at Lamont-Doherty, and later he invited me to
join his group after he founded the French marine geology group of CNEXO
(Centre National d’Exploitation des Oceans) in 1968. Xavier is a pragmatic person
who knows how to hide his emotions. At the same time, he is altruistic and ready
to help people in need. I am very grateful to Xavier because he introduced me to
underwater exploration in 1971 during the ‘‘FAMOUS Project’’. I also have a great
admiration for Xavier because, he, along with Jason Morgan, is one of the pioneers
who advanced the theory of plate tectonics based on observations on the sea floor.
Jason Morgan is a person who has been a part of my life since he and his
family came for a sabbatical in France, in 1972. We discovered we were born the
same week of the same year, and our wives and children always appreciated seeing
each other as if we were all part of the same family. Although Jason and I have
never published a paper together, the conversations we have shared over the years
are certainly an important part of my life and work as an undersea geologist.
Peter Stoffers, who was originally trained as a sediment geochemist, was a
professor of marine geology and Department Head at the University of Kiel in
Germany. Peter is a fervent believer in scientific research and has the personality
of a stately professor who feels that rules need to be obeyed, but he is also a gentle
and understanding father figure for his students. Peter has been very keen in
helping young scientists succeed in the field of marine geology. His honesty,
humanity and capacity for uniting knowledgeable people and for obtaining funding
for his many projects are extremely important qualities. I believe Peter was the
scientist who was granted the largest number of cruises in Germany during his
Colleagues and Collaborators
7