Captain Charles B. Bishop, USN (Ret.) Receives the Roger Revelle Award

Naval Submarine League Update
July 05, 2002

From: Bill Decker bdecker@shentel.net
Sent: Saturday, July 06, 2002 9:00 AM

FOR YOUR INFORMATION

Subject: NSL UPDATE 07-05-02

 NEWS FROM NSL HEADQUARTERS:

1.   Captain Charles B. Bishop, USN (Ret.) Receives the Roger Revelle Award. 

Captain Charles B. Bishop, USN (Ret), a longtime San Diegan who served  over  thirty years in the Navy, will be honored on Thursday, June 20, 2002 by the  San Diego Oceans Foundation.  Bishop, who spent most of his life at sea in ships and submarines will  receive the Roger Revelle Award for his lifelong devotion to undersea research and development. The Roger Revelle Award is intended to recognize  individuals from science, academia, industry, military, recreation and  philanthropy who take the initiative in helping to resolve ocean issues to  encourage ocean stewardship of ocean resources. The award is named for the late Dr. Revelle, the former director of Scripps and a driving force for  UCSD's early development.

As a graduate student at UCLA, Bishop worked in the summer at Naval Electronics Laboratory, San Diego with the group that developed the special  sonar that made it possible for submarines to operate under the Arctic ice pack. A few years later he came back as Commanding Officer of the  experimental submarine USS BAYA (AGSS-318) and helped Scripps scientists conduct underwater gravity measurements off San Diego.

While working for the Chief of Naval Research, Bishop arranged for the evaluation in Italy of the bathyscaphe TRIESTE as a vehicle to support  undersea research. TRIESTE was later based in San Diego for years and helped establish San Diego as a center for undersea research and development.

Years later under the Chief of Naval Operations, Bishop arranged for the transfer of TRIESTE from San Diego to Portsmouth, New Hampshire to conduct the successful search for the lost submarine USS THRESHER (SSN-593). This event  marked the beginning of the Navy's Deep Submergence Program, Submarine Development Group and the creation of the submarine rescue capabilities which are now located across San Diego Bay at North Island Naval Air Station.

Charles Bishop's accomplishments are many, including conducting the first underwater environmental survey at Pearl Harbor, Hawaii; establishing the Navy's first position of Environmental Officer at the Naval Undersea Center (this officer later became the first Environmental Officer for the Chief of Naval Material in Washington); and establishing the existing position of Naturalist on San Clemente Island, which was then under his command.

To this day, Captain Bishop continues his activities under and in support of the Oceans of the World. After retiring from the Navy, Bishop served as Assistant Director of the Marine Physical Laboratory at Scripps Institution of Oceanography. He has been a member of the Marine Technology Society since 1965 and has served as its San Diego Chapter Chairman. He has been an active member of the San Diego Oceans Foundation since 1985 and currently serves as Chairman of the Advisory Board.

Charles Bishop was honored by the San Diego Oceans Foundation at the Marine Technology Society Recognition Dinner on Thursday, June 20, 2002 at Tom Ham's Lighthouse Restaurant.