about and head north and east through some rafted and hummocky ice to 

 where scattered pack was reached at about 70° S« At I2503O' W, , open 

 water was reached and the ship headed southeast and later east, passing 

 through stretches of scattered and broken pack 3 to 6 feet thick and, 

 at about 120° W. through a short patch of close pack 9 feet thick. The 

 heavier pack to the south was skirted by keeping to the north during the 

 first and second days of February. During this period, the ATKA passed 

 through open water with scattered pack ice to the south. A few small 

 bergs were visible on the horizon. The open water was rather rough and 

 there was some icing on the starboard quarterdeck. 



On the afternoon of 2 February, the ATKA was making fair progress 

 heading southeast through scattered and then broken pack of between 6 

 and 7 feet thickness, toward the Thurston Peninsula, When within 10 

 miles of the continental slope, a dispatch from CNO was received at 

 0130 LST on 3 February, ordering the ship to abandon efforts to reach 

 the coast and proceed toward the Weddell Sea, This was the last attempt 

 to break through the coastal icepack to reach the coast between Cape 

 Colbeck and the Palmer Peninsula, 



Broken pack followed by scattered ice and finally open water were 

 passed through on 3 February as the ATKA headed northeast. Open water 

 was entered at 69°50' S. 10h° W, Numerous bergs were encountered 

 between noon on 2 February and noon on 3 February, Then only occasion- 

 al bergs were seen past Peter I Island through Bransfield Strait (fig, 

 9). Close pack protected the southern and eastern shores of Peter I 

 Island and extended half way up the western side, but all the water 

 from approximately 70° S. 10li° W. , to the Weddell Sea was open. 



From Bransfield Strait, the ATKA proceeded on a general southeast 

 course, sighting and entering ice at 2000 LST on 8 February at 65°30' S. 

 Ii7°10* W. (fig. 10), A few bergs had been visible on the horizon 

 during the day. Broken brash and block were soon encountered, and the 

 pack became closed and heavier. Finally, the course was shifted to 

 the northeast to skirt the heavier pack to the south. Following along 

 the outer margin of the pack in the Weddell Sea, the ship passed through 

 areas of close but not heavy pack, followed by scattered ice of 2/10 

 to 1{/10 concentration. Upon turning again to the southeast, open water 

 was entered just north of 65° S. From this point a southeasterly 

 course, with only one Jog to the northeast, kept the ATKA in open water 

 as far as 68° S. 35° W, Here, 'light scattered pack was encountered, 

 followed by a long stretch of open pack conposed mainly of brash and 

 block ice with some small floes between 5 and 7 feet in thickness. 

 Some rpf ting xiras noted in this ice on 11 February, and the pack became 

 generally thicker to the south. At 69°30' S. 26°20' W. , the course 

 was shifted to the north and a wide detour around the heavier ice was 

 commenced, which took the ship back to nearly 65° S. 20° W. Although 

 the pack was considerably heavier and closer to the south of this path. 



29 



