FAU HARBOR BRANCH AT 50
ANNIVERSARY
17
explore the oceans.
Well known in aviation
circles, Link had invented
the pioneering Link Trainer,
an early flight simulator that
helped train more than 10,000
pilots during World War II. Link
had since turned his attention
to ocean exploration and immediately
began building the
submersible Johnson-Sea-Link I at
Harbor Branch in 1971.
SUBMERSIBLES SUCCESS
The Johnson-Sea-Link I and
its successor Johnson-Sea-Link
II in 1975 were revolutionary
in having a 2-meter diameter
acrylic clear sphere that allowed
scientists an almost 360-degree view of the ocean, to a depth
of 900 feet. The craft had lockout capabilities, allowing divers
to exit and re-enter the sub at depth.
At the time, Harbor Branch was one of only three centers
in the United States and one of only six similar worldwide
organizations using submersibles for scientific discovery.
For the next three decades, the JSLs made more than 9,000
dives worldwide, allowing researchers to unlock many mysteries
of the deep ocean.
The submersibles were key to the discovery of previously
unknown deep-sea coral reefs only a few miles north of Fort
Pierce by Harbor Branch researcher John Reed.
Reed, 73, is the longest-employed scientist at Harbor
Branch. He started there straight out of graduate school in
1976, when it was just beginning to use the submersibles as
useful scientific tools.
He recalls the staff at Harbor Branch as a small tight-knit
group of young researchers, engineers and operational staff
who worked and played hard together.
It was the submersibles that really put the institute on the
map, Reed believes.
“People saw them on TV and the national news and immediately
associated them with us,” he says.
CORAL REEF FOUND
At first, Reed was involved in aquaculture research, but
because he had free access to the submersibles, he was able to
switch his area of interest. Reed discovered the Oculina Reef
in 300 feet of water off the Treasure Coast. It was a pristine
world of fantastic coral formations and thousands of fish.
One soccer ball-sized head of coral could support up to 2,000
>>
The FAU Harbor Branch
campus has undergone
major changes during its
half-century lifespan.
John Reed is the longest-employed
researcher at Harbor Branch. He
has worked on deep-sea reefs and
their protection since arriving in
Fort Pierce in 1976.
The Oculina Bank, previously unknown deep-sea coral reefs only a few
miles north of Fort Pierce, was discovered by Reed in 1984.