In the
Dirk Pitt series of adventure
novels by Clive Cussler that debuted in 1973 with
The Mediterranean Caper novel, NUMA is a government organization. The fictional agency is devoted to oceanic exploration and investigation, and employs the main characters in the series of books. Its headquarters is a 30-story building located on the east bank of the
Potomac River, overlooking the Capitol building in
Washington, D.C. The agency comprises over five thousand employees and scientists that often work around the clock on expeditions. It is often referred to as a marine version of
NASA or the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (
NOAA), an American scientific agency focused on the conditions of the oceans and the atmosphere, and has research vessels that conduct many missions that are similar to the actual NUMA. The fictional NUMA is headed by the character Admiral
James Sandecker, with Rudi Gunn as second in command, although Dirk Pitt is eventually asked to take over when Sandecker pursues the vice presidency. Housed inside this headquarters is one of the world's most advanced computer systems which contains almost every known piece of information, both current and ancient, about the sea. The computer center takes up the entire 10th floor but is in an "open" setting with a raised circular platform that uses a hologram to display an artificial intelligence designed by Hiram Yeager, named Max, at its center. There are no cubicles. Yeager designed, runs, and maintains the computer lab. ==
The Sea Hunters ==