Much of the data captured during these voyages led to the research and publication of charts of the world\u2019s oceans. It also allowed us to accurately map the ocean floor for the first time in history. Mountain peaks, valleys, canyons, troughs, and plains were precisely depicted in the form of numbers on large mylar sheets. Some of the early data gathering was processed on Univac (IBM) computers the size of refrigerators \u2014 a stark contrast to the digital cell phones available in today\u2019s world. <\/p>\n\n\n

The entire crew felt immense loyalty to the mission, knowing in their own way that their time at sea could reduce the probability of a nuclear war between the U.S. and Russia. The data that we collected allowed our country to arm its nuclear submarines and safely navigate within harm\u2019s way of Russia. At the same time, our Poseidon nuclear missile program now had important gravity data to compensate for the drag on projectiles in order to hit targeted territories.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n

Our voyages did not come without challenges, however. Sea legs had to be earned and constantly tested under terrible weather conditions in the North Atlantic and Western Pacific oceans. The sea dominated control of the ship during severe winds and often created huge elevator rides up and down between large swells of water, while the constant pounding and groaning of the ship imposed fear among many in the crew. <\/p>\n\n\n

The crew generally avoided eating meals during these dangerous times due to the lack of cooks, the taste of the food and the chance of physical harm from slipping or falling. Cream chip beef, considered a staple while at sea, allowed most of us to survive from one day to the next. But it didn\u2019t ease the mental strain of being at sea. The long periods of separation from our family and friends proved to be challenging for many of us. <\/p>\n\n\n

All personnel, aside from the Military Sealift Command service crew, were cleared for “secret” or “top secret” classification by the Department of Defense so we weren\u2019t allowed to share our location or details about our assignments with family or friends. It wasn\u2019t until the 1990s that our missions were successfully declassified by then-Vice President Al Gore as part of a broader push to utilize Cold War data for environmental research.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n