John Piña Craven
Encyclopedia
John Piña Craven is known for his involvement with Bayesian search theory
and the recovery of lost objects at sea.
Craven holds a Bachelor of Arts
degree from Cornell University
, a Master of Science
degree from the California Institute of Technology
, a Ph.D.
from the University of Iowa
, and a law degree from the National Law Center of the George Washington University
.
Craven has 40 years of experience in the innovation, development, design, construction and operational deployment of major oceanic systems. As a boy, Craven studied ocean technology
at the Brooklyn Technical High School
, and he became familiar with the ocean on the beaches of Long Island
and on the waterfront of New York City.
During World War II
, Craven served as an enlisted man on the USS New Mexico
. In 1944, Craven was selected for the Navy's V-12 program
for officer trainees, and from this, he earned his commission as an ensign
in the Navy. After earning his Ph.D., Craven worked at the David Taylor Model Basin
of the Naval Surface Warfare Center
at Carderock, Maryland
, working on nuclear submarine
hull designs. He received two civilian service awards in connection with these developments. He was later appointed as the Project Manager for the Navy's Polaris submarine
program, and also the Navy's Special Projects Office. He later became its Chief Scientist. Craven was awarded two Distinguished Civilian Service Awards (the Department of Defense’s highest honor for civilians) among other commendations.
While working for the Navy, Craven helped pioneer the use of Bayesian
search techniques to locate objects lost at sea (Bayesian search theory
). Craven's work was instrumental in the Navy's search for the missing hydrogen bomb that had been lost in the Mediterranean Sea
, off the coast of Spain
in 1966. Craven's next large accomplishment was in the search for and locating of the submarine USS Scorpion
, which had disappeared in deep water in the Atlantic Ocean
east of Portugal
and Spain.
As Chief Scientist of the Special Projects Office, Craven was in charge of the Deep Submergence Systems Project, which included the SEALAB
program. In February 1969, when aquanaut
Berry L. Cannon
died while attempting to repair a leak in SEALAB III, Craven headed an advisory group that determined the best method of salvaging the SEALAB habitat
.
After leaving the Navy, Craven became the Marine Affairs Coordinator for the State of Hawaii and also the Dean of marine programs at the University of Hawaii
. During his time in Hawaii, it has been alleged that Craven was involved in the development and operation of the secretive salvage ship, Glomar Explorer.
Craven also served during the Carter Administration on the U.S. Government's Weather Modification Commission. During that time, a hypothetical method was developed to significantly reduce the impact of hurricanes. In 1976, after losing in his campaign to become a member of the U.S. House of Representatives, Craven was appointed as the Director of the Law of the Sea Institute. In 2001, he was the president of the Common Heritage Corporation.
Craven has resided in Honolulu, Hawaii
for years.
Craven's daughter, Sarah Craven, is a prominent international advocate of women's rights. She is the mother of three children. Craven also has a son, David Craven, who is the father of two children. His brother, Kenneth Craven, is a distinguished educator and scholar, who served as the Chancellor of the City University of New York
during the 1960s.
After having earned his law degree through degree program at night, Craven was responsible for the direction of the International Law of the Sea Institute. In 1990 he established the Common Heritage Corporation for the management of innovation for the benefit of the common heritage. Craven is a member of the National Academy of Engineering
.
According to Wired Magazine, Craven's current undertaking is to link islands in the Pacific Ocean
with sustainable energy, agriculture, and fresh water through the use of Deep Ocean Water
pumped up using pipes from offshore. He is developing a new and innovative cold water therapy which may produce significant health breakthroughs and slow the aging process.
Craven wrote the book, The Silent War: The Cold War Battle Beneath the Sea.
Bayesian search theory
Bayesian search theory is the application of Bayesian statistics to the search for lost objects. It has been used several times to find lost sea vessels, for example the USS Scorpion.-Procedure:The usual procedure is as follows:...
and the recovery of lost objects at sea.
Craven holds a Bachelor of Arts
Bachelor of Arts
A Bachelor of Arts , from the Latin artium baccalaureus, is a bachelor's degree awarded for an undergraduate course or program in either the liberal arts, the sciences, or both...
degree from Cornell University
Cornell University
Cornell University is an Ivy League university located in Ithaca, New York, United States. It is a private land-grant university, receiving annual funding from the State of New York for certain educational missions...
, a Master of Science
Master of Science
A Master of Science is a postgraduate academic master's degree awarded by universities in many countries. The degree is typically studied for in the sciences including the social sciences.-Brazil, Argentina and Uruguay:...
degree from the California Institute of Technology
California Institute of Technology
The California Institute of Technology is a private research university located in Pasadena, California, United States. Caltech has six academic divisions with strong emphases on science and engineering...
, a Ph.D.
Ph.D.
A Ph.D. is a Doctor of Philosophy, an academic degree.Ph.D. may also refer to:* Ph.D. , a 1980s British group*Piled Higher and Deeper, a web comic strip*PhD: Phantasy Degree, a Korean comic series* PhD Docbook renderer, an XML renderer...
from the University of Iowa
University of Iowa
The University of Iowa is a public state-supported research university located in Iowa City, Iowa, United States. It is the oldest public university in the state. The university is organized into eleven colleges granting undergraduate, graduate, and professional degrees...
, and a law degree from the National Law Center of the George Washington University
George Washington University
The George Washington University is a private, coeducational comprehensive university located in Washington, D.C. in the United States...
.
Craven has 40 years of experience in the innovation, development, design, construction and operational deployment of major oceanic systems. As a boy, Craven studied ocean technology
Oceanography
Oceanography , also called oceanology or marine science, is the branch of Earth science that studies the ocean...
at the Brooklyn Technical High School
Brooklyn Technical High School
Brooklyn Technical High School, commonly called Brooklyn Tech or just Tech, and also administratively as High School 430, is a New York City public high school that specializes in engineering, math and science and is the largest specialized high school for science, technology, engineering, and...
, and he became familiar with the ocean on the beaches of Long Island
Long Island
Long Island is an island located in the southeast part of the U.S. state of New York, just east of Manhattan. Stretching northeast into the Atlantic Ocean, Long Island contains four counties, two of which are boroughs of New York City , and two of which are mainly suburban...
and on the waterfront of New York City.
During World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
, Craven served as an enlisted man on the USS New Mexico
USS New Mexico (BB-40)
USS New Mexico was a battleship in service with the United States Navy from 1918 to 1946. She was the lead ship of a class of three battleships. New Mexico was extensively modernized between 1931 and 1933 and saw service during World War II both in the Atlantic and Pacific theatres. After her...
. In 1944, Craven was selected for the Navy's V-12 program
V-12 Navy College Training Program
The V-12 Navy College Training Program was designed to supplement the force of commissioned officers in the United States Navy during World War II...
for officer trainees, and from this, he earned his commission as an ensign
Ensign
An ensign is a national flag when used at sea, in vexillology, or a distinguishing token, emblem, or badge, such as a symbol of office in heraldry...
in the Navy. After earning his Ph.D., Craven worked at the David Taylor Model Basin
David Taylor Model Basin
The David Taylor Model Basin is one of the largest ship model basins — test facilities for the development of ship design — in the world...
of the Naval Surface Warfare Center
Naval Surface Warfare Center
The Naval Sea Systems Command Warfare Centers are composed of the Naval Surface Warfare Centers and the Naval Undersea Warfare Center . They operate in a seamless, integrated manner, and they collaborate with customers using a common work assignment process to get the right work to the right...
at Carderock, Maryland
Carderock, Maryland
Carderock, Maryland, is located in Montgomery County, Maryland, along the Potomac River. Carderock is just west of Bethesda.It is the location of a division of the U.S. Naval Surface Warfare Center ....
, working on nuclear submarine
Nuclear submarine
A nuclear submarine is a submarine powered by a nuclear reactor . The performance advantages of nuclear submarines over "conventional" submarines are considerable: nuclear propulsion, being completely independent of air, frees the submarine from the need to surface frequently, as is necessary for...
hull designs. He received two civilian service awards in connection with these developments. He was later appointed as the Project Manager for the Navy's Polaris submarine
Ballistic missile submarine
A ballistic missile submarine is a submarine equipped to launch ballistic missiles .-Description:Ballistic missile submarines are larger than any other type of submarine, in order to accommodate SLBMs such as the Russian R-29 or the American Trident...
program, and also the Navy's Special Projects Office. He later became its Chief Scientist. Craven was awarded two Distinguished Civilian Service Awards (the Department of Defense’s highest honor for civilians) among other commendations.
While working for the Navy, Craven helped pioneer the use of Bayesian
Bayesian probability
Bayesian probability is one of the different interpretations of the concept of probability and belongs to the category of evidential probabilities. The Bayesian interpretation of probability can be seen as an extension of logic that enables reasoning with propositions, whose truth or falsity is...
search techniques to locate objects lost at sea (Bayesian search theory
Bayesian search theory
Bayesian search theory is the application of Bayesian statistics to the search for lost objects. It has been used several times to find lost sea vessels, for example the USS Scorpion.-Procedure:The usual procedure is as follows:...
). Craven's work was instrumental in the Navy's search for the missing hydrogen bomb that had been lost in the Mediterranean Sea
Mediterranean Sea
The Mediterranean Sea is a sea connected to the Atlantic Ocean surrounded by the Mediterranean region and almost completely enclosed by land: on the north by Anatolia and Europe, on the south by North Africa, and on the east by the Levant...
, off the coast of Spain
Spain
Spain , officially the Kingdom of Spain languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Spain's official name is as follows:;;;;;;), is a country and member state of the European Union located in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula...
in 1966. Craven's next large accomplishment was in the search for and locating of the submarine USS Scorpion
USS Scorpion (SSN-589)
USS Scorpion was a Skipjack-class nuclear submarine of the United States Navy, and the sixth ship of the U.S. Navy to carry that name. Scorpion was declared lost on 5 June 1968 with 99 crew members dying in the incident. The USS Scorpion is one of two nuclear submarines the U.S...
, which had disappeared in deep water in the Atlantic Ocean
Atlantic Ocean
The Atlantic Ocean is the second-largest of the world's oceanic divisions. With a total area of about , it covers approximately 20% of the Earth's surface and about 26% of its water surface area...
east of Portugal
Portugal
Portugal , officially the Portuguese Republic is a country situated in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula. Portugal is the westernmost country of Europe, and is bordered by the Atlantic Ocean to the West and South and by Spain to the North and East. The Atlantic archipelagos of the...
and Spain.
As Chief Scientist of the Special Projects Office, Craven was in charge of the Deep Submergence Systems Project, which included the SEALAB
SEALAB (United States Navy)
SEALAB I, II, and III were experimental underwater habitats developed by the United States Navy to prove the viability of saturation diving and humans living in isolation for extended periods of time...
program. In February 1969, when aquanaut
Aquanaut
An Aquanaut is any individual who remains underwater, exposed to the ambient pressure, long enough to come into equilibrium with his or her breathing media. Usually this is done in an underwater habitat on the seafloor for a period equal to or greater than 24 continuous hours without returning to...
Berry L. Cannon
Berry L. Cannon
Berry Louis Cannon was an American aquanaut who served on the SEALAB II and III projects of the U.S. Navy. Cannon died of carbon dioxide poisoning while attempting to repair SEALAB III...
died while attempting to repair a leak in SEALAB III, Craven headed an advisory group that determined the best method of salvaging the SEALAB habitat
Underwater habitat
Underwater habitats are underwater structures in which people can live for extended periods and carry out most of the basic human functions of a 24-hour day, such as working, resting, eating, attending to personal hygiene, and sleeping...
.
After leaving the Navy, Craven became the Marine Affairs Coordinator for the State of Hawaii and also the Dean of marine programs at the University of Hawaii
University of Hawaii
The University of Hawaii System, formally the University of Hawaii and popularly known as UH, is a public, co-educational college and university system that confers associate, bachelor, master, and doctoral degrees through three university campuses, seven community college campuses, an employment...
. During his time in Hawaii, it has been alleged that Craven was involved in the development and operation of the secretive salvage ship, Glomar Explorer.
Craven also served during the Carter Administration on the U.S. Government's Weather Modification Commission. During that time, a hypothetical method was developed to significantly reduce the impact of hurricanes. In 1976, after losing in his campaign to become a member of the U.S. House of Representatives, Craven was appointed as the Director of the Law of the Sea Institute. In 2001, he was the president of the Common Heritage Corporation.
Craven has resided in Honolulu, Hawaii
Honolulu, Hawaii
Honolulu is the capital and the most populous city of the U.S. state of Hawaii. Honolulu is the southernmost major U.S. city. Although the name "Honolulu" refers to the urban area on the southeastern shore of the island of Oahu, the city and county government are consolidated as the City and...
for years.
Craven's daughter, Sarah Craven, is a prominent international advocate of women's rights. She is the mother of three children. Craven also has a son, David Craven, who is the father of two children. His brother, Kenneth Craven, is a distinguished educator and scholar, who served as the Chancellor of the City University of New York
City University of New York
The City University of New York is the public university system of New York City, with its administrative offices in Yorkville in Manhattan. It is the largest urban university in the United States, consisting of 23 institutions: 11 senior colleges, six community colleges, the William E...
during the 1960s.
After having earned his law degree through degree program at night, Craven was responsible for the direction of the International Law of the Sea Institute. In 1990 he established the Common Heritage Corporation for the management of innovation for the benefit of the common heritage. Craven is a member of the National Academy of Engineering
National Academy of Engineering
The National Academy of Engineering is a government-created non-profit institution in the United States, that was founded in 1964 under the same congressional act that led to the founding of the National Academy of Sciences...
.
According to Wired Magazine, Craven's current undertaking is to link islands in the Pacific Ocean
Pacific Ocean
The Pacific Ocean is the largest of the Earth's oceanic divisions. It extends from the Arctic in the north to the Southern Ocean in the south, bounded by Asia and Australia in the west, and the Americas in the east.At 165.2 million square kilometres in area, this largest division of the World...
with sustainable energy, agriculture, and fresh water through the use of Deep Ocean Water
Deep ocean water
Deep Ocean Water is the name for cold, salty water found deep below the surface of Earth's oceans. Ocean water differs in temperature and salinity, with warm, relatively non-salty water found at the surface, and very cold salty water found deeper below the surface layer. Deep ocean water makes...
pumped up using pipes from offshore. He is developing a new and innovative cold water therapy which may produce significant health breakthroughs and slow the aging process.
Craven wrote the book, The Silent War: The Cold War Battle Beneath the Sea.
See also
- Sherry Sontag, Blind Man's Bluff: The Untold Story of American Submarine EspionageBlind Man's Bluff: The Untold Story of American Submarine EspionageBlind Man's Bluff: The Untold Story of American Submarine Espionage , published in 1998 by Sherry Sontag, Christopher Drew, and Annette Lawrence Drew, is a non-fiction book about U.S. Navy submarine operations during the Cold War...
(New York: Public Affairs, 1998), ISBN 1891620088. Craven is mentioned frequently in this nonfiction book on American submarine-based espionage.
- Roger C. Dunham, Spy Sub - Top Secret Mission To The Bottom Of The Pacific (New York: Penguin BooksPenguin BooksPenguin Books is a publisher founded in 1935 by Sir Allen Lane and V.K. Krishna Menon. Penguin revolutionised publishing in the 1930s through its high quality, inexpensive paperbacks, sold through Woolworths and other high street stores for sixpence. Penguin's success demonstrated that large...
, 1996), ISBN 0-451-40797-0
- Roy Varner and Wayne Collier, "A Matter of Risk: The Incredible Inside Story of the CIA's Hughes Glomar Explorer Mission to Raise a Russian Submarine", 1978