Features of underwater acoustics from Aristotle to our time

Underwater acoustics has been one of the fastest growing fields of research in acoustics. In particular, the 20th Century has taken our understanding of underwater acoustics phenomena a great step forward. The two World Wars contributed to the recognition of the importance of research in underwater acoustics, and the momentum in research and development gained during World War II did not reduce in the years after the war. The so-called cold war and the development in computer technology both contributed substantially to the development in underwater acoustics over the second half of the 20th Century. However, the very widespread field of underwater acoustic activities started nearly 2300 years ago with human curiosity about the fundamental nature of sound in the sea. From primitive philosophical and experimental studies of the velocity of sound in the sea and through centuries of successes and failures, the knowledge about underwater acoustics has developed into its high-technological status of today. In particular the development through the period from Aristotle (384–322 BC) to 1960 formed the basis for the tremendous research and development efforts we have witnessed in our time. In this paper most emphasis will be put on the development in underwater acoustics through this period of nearly 2300 years duration, and only the main trends in later research will be mentioned.