Basil Wrigley Wilson

[1] He studied Civil engineering at the University of Cape Town, graduating with a Bachelor of Science degree in 1931.

[2] In 1942 he oversaw the design and operation of a large physical model of Table Bay and its harbour, and conducted experiments on methods for the control and reduction of the effects of storm surges, using much of the work as the basis for his Doctor of Science dissertation at the University of Cape Town in 1951.

In addition to work on the dynamics of mooring lines for large ships, he developed a procedure for predicting the height and period characteristics of waves.

[4] He also undertook work on storm surges caused by hurricanes, researching the effects in New York Harbor and the Gulf of Mexico.

Work by Yoshimi Goda and other Japanese researchers subsequently provided modifications to the formulae to consider these effects.