Martin Klein, a long-time leader in underwater exploration technology, developed the first commercially viable sidescan sonar system in the 1960s. He began his career as a student at MIT, studying sonar and the processing of returning sound signals in a lab run by Professor Harold “Doc” Edgerton. After graduating in 1962, Klein became a program manager at Edgerton’s firm, Edgerton, Germeshausen & Grier (later, EG&G, Inc.), while continuing to work on sonar. Klein left EG&G in 1969 to found his own firm, Klein Associates. There, he developed, marketed, and produced a series of increasingly advanced sidescan sonar systems. Klein sold Klein Associates in 1989 shortly after overseeing a switch to digital displays, but has remained active in the field.

The Martin Klein collection consists of research materials, technical literature, equipment manuals, business records, and images related to the development, production, and use of sidescan sonar technology in the second half of the twentieth century. All material was created, collected, or used by Martin Klein, most of it in connection with this firm, Klein Associates. It is a wide-ranging and detailed record of commercial sidescan sonar that begins with the earliest development of the technology.

Title: Martin Klein Collection

Creator: Martin Klein; Klein Associates

Dates: 1951-2010

Extent: 22 linear feet

Language: English

Repository: MIT Museum, Hart Nautical Collection

Access: Open for research by appointment and online

Copyright: Some copyright restrictions may apply

Credit: Martin Klein Collection, Hart Nautical Collections, MIT Museum

See more detail in the Martin Klein Collection Guide [PDF].