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One Man’s Contribution

Research specialist and hydro-acoustics engineer Sydney “Bud” Knott (above) is considered the father of modern echo-sounding. In the 1950s, he was the principal developer, with Warren Witzell, of the precision graphic recorder (PGR), one of the first modern echosounders. In April 1964, Knott and others at the Institution responded to a call from the U.S. Navy for help searching for the submarine Thresher, which had been lost at sea in waters near Cape Cod. As a result of his help using a PGR in the search, Knott received the U.S. Navy’s Meritorious Public Service Citation, one of the highest honors the Navy grants a civilian.(Photo courtesy of Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution Archives)