Cruise NE 79-06 of the R/V NEECHO was conducted by the U.S. Geological Survey during September 27-0ctober 3, 1979, in the nearshore zone (3-30 m water depth) seaward of Coast Guard Beach and the northern part of Orleans Beach, east of Cape Cod, Massachusetts. The purpose of the study was to map the types and extent of nearshore bed forms and to define the late Pleistocene and Holocene history of the area.
The equipment used on this cruise consisted of an EG&G Uniboom, Raytheon echo sounder, and Edo Western sidescan-sonar system. The Uniboom data were mostly filtered to 400-4000 Hz and were recorded at a 1/4-s sweep rate. The 60-kHz echo-sounding data were recorded on a 6-in strip chart on which the depth was calibrated in feet. The sidescan sonar had an operating frequency of 100 kHz and was set to scan 50 m or 100 m to each side of the towed fish. All three data types were collected along 153 km of trackline.
Navigation during the survey was by Loran-C and Motorola miniranger systems. Two shore stations were set up for the miniranger system and fixes were collected at either 1- or 2-min intervals. This system malfunctioned during parts of the survey, and during these times navigation was by Loran-C using a Northstar system.
The original records can be seen and studied at the U.S. Geological Survey Data Library at Woods Hole, MA 02543. Microfilm copies of the subbottom, echo-sounding, and sidescan-sonar records can be purchased only from the National Geophysical and Solar-Terrestrial Data Center, NOAA/EDIS/NGSDC, Code D621, 325 Broadway, Boulder, CO 80303, (303-497-6338).