Iceberg Reconnaissance 

 and Communications 



During the 1989 Ice Patrol 

 year, 139 aircraft sorties were flown 

 in support of IIP. These included 

 preseason flights, ice observation 

 flights during the season, , and SLAR 

 research flights. The purpose of 

 preseason flights was to determine 

 iceberg concentrations north of 48°N 

 in order to predict when icebergs 

 would threaten the North Atlantic 

 shipping lanes. During the active 

 season, ice observation flights were 

 made to locate the southwestern, 

 southern, and southeastern limits of 

 icebergs. Postseason flights were 

 made to survey the iceberg distri- 

 bution and perform logistics and li- 

 aison in St. John's. The SLAR re- 

 search flights were in support of 

 LIMEX '89. 



Aerial ice reconnaissance 

 was conducted with SLAR-equipped 

 U. S. Coast Guard HC-130H and 

 HU-25B aircraft. The HC-130H air- 

 craft deployed from Coast Guard Air 

 Station Elizabeth City, North Caro- 

 lina, and HU-25B aircraft deployed 

 from Coast Guard Air Station Cape 

 Cod, Massachusetts. Both aircraft 

 participated in LIMEX '89, and both 

 were used on logistics flights. Tables 

 4, 4a, and 4b sfiow aircraft use during 

 the 1 989 ice year. 



The HC-130 'Hercules' air- 

 craft has been the platform for Ice 

 Patrol aerial reconnaissance since 

 1963. This was the second year for 

 the HU-25B to serve as an Ice Patrol 

 platform. Although the HU-25B does 

 not have the range of the HC-130, it 

 can serve as an excellent comple- 

 ment and is capable of covering a 

 majority of the IIP operations area. 



Each day during the ice sea- 

 son, IIP prepares the OOOOZ and 1 200Z 

 ice bulletins warning mariners of the 

 southwestern, southern, and south- 

 eastern limits of icebergs. U.S. Coast 

 Guard Communicatbns Station Bos- 

 ton, Massachusetts, NMF/NIK, and 

 Canadian Coast Guard Radb Statbn 

 St. John'sA/ON were the primary radb 

 statbns responsble for the dissemina- 

 tbn of the ice bulletins. Other transmit- 

 ting statbns for the bulletins included 

 Canadian Forces Meteorobgical and 

 Oceanographic Center (METOC) 

 Halifax, Nova Scotia/CFH, and U.S. 

 Navy LCMP Broadcast Statbns Nor- 

 folk/NAM, Thurso, Scotland, and 

 Keflavk, Iceland. 



IIP also prepares a daily 

 facsimile chart graphically depicting 

 the limits of all known ice for broad- 

 cast at 1600Z. U. S. Coast Guard 

 Communications Station Boston 

 assisted with the transmission of 

 these charts. Canadian Forces 

 METOC, Halifax/CFH, and AM Ra- 

 dio Station Bracknell/GFE, United 

 Kingdom used Ice Patrol limits in 

 their broadcasts. Canadian Coast 

 Guard Radio Station St. John's/ VON 

 and U.S. Coast Guard Communi- 

 cations Station Boston/N IK provided 

 special broadcasts. 



Table 4 • Aircraft Use During the 1989 IIP 

 Year (1 October 1988 - 30 September 1989) 



Aircraft 

 Deployment 



Preseason 

 Regular Season 

 Post Season 



Total 



Sorties 



12 



120 



7 



139 



Flight Hours 



44.6 



411.1 



15.8 



471.5 



Iceberg Reconnaissance Sorties by Month 



Page 8 



