John C. Swallow

{{Short description|English oceanographer}}

{{Use dmy dates|date=April 2022}}

{{Infobox scientist

| name = John Crossley Swallow

| image =

| image_size =

| alt =

| caption =

| birth_date = {{Birth date|1923|10|11|df=y}}

| birth_place =

| death_date = {{Death date and age|1994|12|03|1923|10|11|df=y}}

| death_place =

| residence =

| citizenship =

| nationality =

| fields =

| workplaces =

| alma_mater =

| doctoral_advisor =

| academic_advisors =

| doctoral_students =

| notable_students =

| known_for =

| author_abbrev_bot =

| author_abbrev_zoo =

| influences =

| influenced =

| awards =

| signature =

| signature_alt =

| footnotes =

| spouse =

}}

John Crossley Swallow FRS{{Cite journal | last1 = Charnock | first1 = H. | author-link = Henry Charnock| doi = 10.1098/rsbm.1997.0028 | title = John Crossley Swallow. 11 October 1923--3 December 1994: Elected ER.S 1968 | journal = Biographical Memoirs of Fellows of the Royal Society | volume = 43 | pages = 505 | year = 1997 | doi-access = free }} (11 October 1923 – 3 December 1994) was an English oceanographer{{cite-NBK|John C. Swallow, Measuring Ocean Currents, Movement of Ocean Water, Oceanography}}, pages 33 [letter O] and 568 [letter S]. who invented the Swallow float (sometimes referred to as a neutral buoyancy float), a scientific drifting bottle based on the messages in bottles that shipwrecked sailors hoped would reach inhabited shores, summoning assistance.

He was elected a Fellow of the Royal Society in 1968. He candidature citation read: "Dr. J.C. Swallow is internationally known both for his distinguished geophysical work on the voyages of H.M.S. "Challenger", and for his measurements of deep ocean currents. {{anchor|Swallow float}}He is the inventor of the "Swallow float", a hydrostatically stable, freely drifting source of sound underwater, which can be followed by a ship at the surface. By numerous observations with this ingenious device, he and others have completely changed our picture of the deep circulation of the ocean, showing the presence of strong deep currents in the western North Atlantic, and a reverse flow beneath the Gulf Stream. He has recently contributed to our knowledge of the equatorial undercurrent and of other currents in the Indian Ocean. Dr. Swallow combines a devotion to his work and a careful attention to detail with a mastery of the practical handling of a research ship at sea. The quality and originality of his contributions has already been recognized in the U.S.A. by the award of the Bigelow Medal and of the Albatross Award of the American Miscellaneous Society." {{cite web| url = http://www2.royalsociety.org/DServe/dserve.exe?dsqIni=Dserve.ini&dsqApp=Archive&dsqCmd=Show.tcl&dsqDb=Persons&dsqPos=0&dsqSearch=%28Surname%3D%27swallow%27%29| title = Library and Archive catalogue| publisher = Royal Society|access-date= 2012-03-02}}