Henry Benedict Hachey

Hachey, Henry Benedict

Henry Benedict Hachey, oceanographer (b at West Bathurst, NB 7 June 1901; d at St Andrews, NB 24 June 1985). Educated at St Thomas U, Saint Francis Xavier, McGill and U of T, he was professor of physics at UNB before joining the Biological Board of Canada (later the Fisheries Research Board) at St Andrews, NB, in 1928. In 1930 he was appointed officer in charge of the Hudson Bay Fisheries Expedition. His service with the armed forces (1940-46) included operational research and antisubmarine duties. As chief oceanographer of Canada (1946-64), he co-ordinated the work of various government agencies in developing Canadian OCEANOGRAPHY. As head of the Atlantic Oceanographic Group of the FRB he established the course of oceanographic studies on the East Coast and Arctic now largely sustained by the BEDFORD INSTITUTE OF OCEANOGRAPHY. He was the first Canadian to use mathematical techniques to calculate ocean currents. His outstanding scientific contributions to oceanography have been widely recognized.