Current moving south along the eastern slope of the Grand Banks con- 

 tinued their southward movement until on the 23d several bergs and 

 growlers were reported as far south as 43° N., 49° W. 



Anticipating the advent of unfavorable conditions for aerial recon- 

 naissance during the early part of May, the USCGC Mendota departed 

 from Argentia, Newfoundland at 2031 G.c.t., 26 April on an ice observa- 

 tion cruise in the vicinity of the Tail of the Banks, the bergs in that area 

 representing the greatest potential menace to vessels traveling track B. 

 By the end of the month 2 bergs had rounded the Tail of the Banks, one 

 being located at 43°04' N., 50°19' W., the other at 42°57' N., 50°38' W. 

 As the month ended, bergs, upon arriving in the area between the Grand 

 Banks and Flemish Cap, still tended to separate, the greater proportion 

 proceeding southward along the slope of the Grand Banks but with a 

 smaller proportion still persisting in moving to the southeast to a position 

 just to the south of Flemish Cap. Here their progress to the southeast 

 ceased. No current chart for this period and area was available but it 

 appeared likely that the northeasterly flowing Atlantic Current was 

 blocking their further progress to the southeast. For that reason, bergs 

 taking the southeastern branch at the fork represented little or no menace 

 to track B, the critical area being near the Tail of the Banks. 



It is estimated that 210 bergs drifted south of 48° N., during April. 

 The distribution of bergs and field ice during the month of April is shown 

 graphically in figure 4. 



MAY 



During the last few days in April and the first few days in Ma}^, the 

 ice observation vessel scouted out the areas south and west of the Tail 

 of the Banks. Of the two bergs that had been sighted on the 29th of 

 April just to the west of the Tail of the Banks by an ice patrol plane, 

 only one was relocated at 43°03' N., 50°20' W. Conditions for aerial 

 reconnaissance in this area were unfavorable during the first part of May 

 until the 12th when the eastern slope of the Grand Banks between the 

 43d and 47th parallels was scouted out by ice patrol aircraft. The 12th 

 was merely the best of a series of bad days, however, and complete cover- 

 age was not possible. As a result the berg previously sighted at the Tail 

 of the Banks was not relocated nor were any l^ergs sighted to the east of 

 the slope. 



On the 13th of the month the ice observation vessel sighted a berg at 

 43°19' N., 50°10' W. This was undoubtedly the same one sighted pre- 

 viously at 43°03' N., 50°20' W. An examination of the current chart 

 for the period 6 to 10 May, contained elsewhere in this bulletin, will show 

 the presence of a small clockwise eddy centered just north of the Tail of 

 the Banks. After rounding the Tail of the Banks late in April, this 

 particular berg was evidently carried to the northward in the above 

 mentioned clockwise eddy, subsequently grounding in 35 fathoms of 

 water in the position where it was sighted by the ice observation vessel 

 on the 13th. It is difficult to explain how a berg with its dimensions 



10 



