This volume runs across a broad spectrum of domains in various eras, regions and disciplines. Topics range from very early Chinese nautical inventions and tidal observations to the scientific campaigns carried out under various flags. The prime material of the manuscript consisted of the papers selected from those presented at the sixth International Congress on the History of Oceanography (ICHO VI, Qingdao, PR China, 1998), hosted by the first Institute of Oceanography (FIO) of China's State Oceanic Administration (SOA). These papers were carefully reviewed, edited and augmented as appropriate by an Editorial Panel appointed by the Intergovernmental Oceanographic Commission (IOC) of UNESCO, in consultation with FIO, and made up of senior scientists working under the chairman of physical oceanographer Selim Morcos.