John H. Steele was director of the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution for 12 years and was an intellectual leader of the national and international ocean science community. He was a member of the Advisory Board of the SESAME project, as well as part of the IASON project and a key-note speaker in the Conference organised under the Greek Presidency in Thessaloniki in 2003. He has been a great supporter of the SESAME and IASON projects and the PERSEUS management team wishes to acknowledge all his support and guidance throughout the years, as Dr. Steele sadly passed away in early November 2013.