Model of GLORIA Mark I

Model (scale 1:8) of GLORIA (‘Geological Long-Range Inclined Asdic’) Mark I, in travelling case, designed by the Institute of Oceanographic Sciences, Wormley, Surrey, UK, early 1970s.

GLORIA is a side-scan sonar device designed to be towed behind a research ship. Travelling around 50 metres below the sea surface, its acoustic signals were used to generate three-dimensional maps of the sea floor. The first instrument, GLORIA Mk1, was constructed in 1965 by the National Institute of Oceanography, the precursor of the Institute of Oceanographic Sciences. GLORIA devices enabled oceanographers and geologists to map ocean-floor features, including certain underwater volcanoes, canyons, and tectonic plate boundaries.