shore. B}^ the 19th of the month the southern hmits had retreated to 

 the 47th parallel, between the 51st and 52d meridians. 



During this recession the m.ain field's closest approach to the Newfound- 

 land coast occurred off of Cape Spear. There was a shore lead 12 miles 

 wide at this position. Elsewhere the leads ranged from 30 to 45 miles. 

 A tongue of close pack ice, cover ranging from five-tenths to seven-tenths, 

 ran along the 100-fathom curve of the Grand Banks extending as far 

 south as 47°30' N., and as far east as 47°10' W. This tongue reached 

 its maximum easterly extension on the 27th of the month being contained 

 on the east by the 46th meridian. By the end of the month the southern 

 limits of the main field were definitely retreating to the north. The 

 tongue of field ice running along the 100-fathom curve of the Grand 

 Banks was all that remained with the exception of scattered strings and 

 patches of sludge in the west in the vicinity of Cape Race and Cape 

 Spear and in the east along the meridian of 47°30' W., between 45°40' N., 

 and 46°50' N. These scattered strings and patches represented no hin- 

 drance to navigation however. 



In the meantime the melting of the main field released numerous 

 bergs and growlers. These bergs were now free to move independently 

 of the field itself. In the absence of field ice, the predominant force 

 acting upon the bergs is, of course, the ocean currents. The main 

 branch of the Labrador Current running southward along the eastern 

 slope of the Grand Banks swept 5 bergs and 12 growlers into a position 

 to become a menace to ships traveling on the scheduled track C. There- 

 fore on 1 April United States-European traffic was shifted to track B, 

 10 days earher than the date of prescribed shift, 11 April. 



The St. Lawrence ice reached its maximum southerly extension during 

 the first week in March. During the first week the field spread as far 

 south as 44°20' N., in the vicinity of Sable Island and west to the 64th 

 meridian just off the coast of Nova Scotia. There was a belt of slush ice 

 to the east running from the Newfoundland coast south to the 45th 

 parallel between the eastern boundary of the main field running along 

 the meridian of 58°40' W., and the 58th meridian. During the first part 

 of the month the main field was light to moderately heavy winter ice. 

 It was unnavigable, however, except for a small shore lead along the New- 

 foundland coast between Cape Ray and C'ape Anguille. By the 19th 

 of the month the southern boundary had retreated to Misaine Bank and 

 the field had narrowed considerably. The eastern boundary now ran 

 from Cape Ray to Burgeo Bank, south to Artimon Bank and thence 

 west to Misaine Bank. The western boundary ran from C'ape Egmont 

 southeast to 46° N., 59° W., and thence southwest to Misaine Bank. By 

 the end of the month the outer hmits of the field ice ran from Cape Ray 

 to 46°20' N., 58°30' W., to 45°00' N., 58°30' W., and thence to Scatari 

 Island. 



An estimated 60 bergs entered the area south of the 48th parallel 

 during March; the majority of them during the latter half of the month. 



8 



