Oct 17, 2020
Captain Larry Swanson graduated from Lehigh University in 1960 and joined the U.S. Coast and Geodetic Survey right away on June 20, 1960. He served on hydrographic survey ships and commanded the C&GS Ship MARMER doing Tide and Current Surveys and the NOAA Ship MALCOLM BALDRIGE (RESEARCHER) doing oceanographic research. Larry attended Oregon State University and earned a PhD in Physical Oceanography in 1971. He then served as Chief of the Oceanographic Division, NOS and was Project Manager of the New York Bight Project which studied the circulation of the Bight's waters and the impact of Deep-Sea Dump Site 104, a sewage dumpsite 104 n.m. offshore of New York Harbor. He is the author of numerous publications. Larry retired from NOAA in 1987 to become Associate Dean of the School of Marine and Atmospheric Sciences at the State University of New York Stonybrook until his demise.
Captain Larry Swanson is survived by his wife, Dana Lamont Swanson and their two sons, Larry and Michael. Larry's father was Captain Michael (Mike) Swanson, C&GS, who served many years in the Coast and Geodetic Survey and was much involved in the use of photogrammetry for shoreline mapping and other applications.