The sight of a tall ship under full sail can charm even the most hard-headed oceanographer, but to those studying marine science in the deep ocean in the 18th and early 19th centuries, being at the mercy of the winds was yet another problem to be faced alongside the absence of effective instrumentation, the lack of suitable space on board, the death of scientists and crew through disease or accident, and even the loss of the ship itself by storm, shipwreck or piracy. Thus, after marine steam power became available in the first half of the 19th century, its use was enthusiastically embraced by the scientific expeditions that marked the birth of modern oceanography. Sail power, however, has never disappeared completely from the world's research fleets and may be about to make a resurgence.
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