Nicholas Heck
| Nicholas H. Heck | |
|---|---|
Nicholas H. Heck, probably ca. 1940.
|
|
| Born |
1 September 1882 Heckton Mills, Dauphin County, Pennsylvania |
| Died | 21 December 1953 (aged 71) Fairfax County, Virginia |
| Place of burial | Arlington National Cemetery Arlington, Virginia |
| Allegiance |
 United States
|
| Service/branch |
|
| Rank |
|
| Battles/wars | World War I |
Captain Nicholas H. Heck (1 September 1882 – 21 December 1953) was a career officer of the United States Coast and Geodetic Survey Corps. A leading geophysicist of his time, Heck made important contributions in the study of seismology and oceanography. He also revolutionized hydrographic surveying by developing the wire-drag surveying technique and introduced radio acoustic ranging into Coast and Geodetic Survey hydrography.
Nicholas Hunter Heck was born on 1 September 1882, the son of John Lewis Heck (1843–1927) and the former Mary Frances Hays (1848–1904), in Heckton Mills – a settlement named for his grandfather, Dr. Lewis Heck (1810–1890) – in Dauphin County, Pennsylvania, near what is now Heckton. After primary and secondary education at private schools in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, Heck attended Lehigh University, from which he graduated with a bachelor of arts degree in 1903 despite enduring an attack of typhoid fever. He continued to study at the university for an additional year, receiving a bachelor of science in civil engineering in 1904.
After completing college, Heck accepted civilian employment with the United States Coast and Geodetic Survey in 1904. That year, the Coast and Geodetic Survey introduced the wire-drag method of conducting hydrographic surveys, which prior to the advent of sidescan sonar and multibeam sonar late in the 20th century was the only means of searching large areas of water for underwater obstructions or sunken ships or aircraft. Between 1906 and 1916, Heck was responsible for much of the development of the wire-drag technique, expanding the capability of wire-drag systems from a relatively limited area to sweeps covering channels two to three nautical miles (3.7 to 5.6 km) in width. Wire-drag surveying played a notable role in clearing unsurveyed channels in the waters of Alaska, discovered hundreds of obstructions elsewhere, and proved particularly useful to the United States during its participation in World War I. The wire-drag technique was a major contribution to hydrographic surveying during much of the rest of the 20th century, not falling into disuse until the early 1990s.
...
Wikipedia