APPENDIX A 



THE AVIATION HISTORY OF THE INTERNATIONAL ICE PATROL 



By LTJG S. R. Osmer, USCG 



"It seems to me a splendid practical use can be 

 made of aeroplanes of the type which flew across 

 the Atlantic, the NC type of plane. Two of 

 these, one being for a relief vessel stationed at 

 Trepassy Bay, Newfoundland, could with prac- 

 tically no trouble at all make a flying observation 

 of the Banks and locate reported and unreported 

 bergs during the short periods of clear weather, 

 when a vessel of the type used on patrol could 

 cover but a tenth of the distance and be further 

 hampered by weather conditions at the surface." 



CAPT. H. G. FISHER, USCG 



Senior Officer 



Summary of the Ice Patrol 



Season of 1919 



The 1975 Season marked the thirtieth anni- 

 versary of Ice Patrol aerial reconnaissance and 

 surveillance. This was also the 63rd year of the 

 International Ice Patrol, a service which has been 

 conducted since 1913. The impetus to found such 

 a service was provided by the tragic sinking of 

 the RMS TITANIC on 15 April 1912, with the 

 resultant loss of 1,513 lives. The service has 

 been conducted every year with the exception of 

 the war years, 1917 to 1918, and 1942 to 1945. 



History and Transition 



"The cautious and well-thought-out use of air- 

 craft to assist during periods of fine weather in 

 searching out the region in and near the critical 

 triangle area just north of the B tracks would 

 seem to be one of the most promising of the fields 

 of development that are open to the ice patrol at 

 the present time." 



Season of 1929 



Some of the Ice Patrol's 



Problems, and How It Attacks Them 



Historically, U.S. Coast Guard and Interna- 

 tional Ice Patrol aerial surveillance could be said 



to have its beginning in 1931 when the Coast 

 Guard was invited by the Aeroarctic Society to 

 assign an officer, experienced in ice patrol service, 

 to be a member of the scientific start' of the dir- 

 igible GRAF ZEPPELIN, especially to observe 

 ice and oceanographic conditions during her 

 arctic flight. Lieutenant Commander Edward 

 H. SMITH (later to be renowned as Admiral 

 "Iceberg" SMITH) was assigned. The cruise 

 lasted from 24 July to 31 July 1931. Among 

 the conclusions of this flight was aerial surveil- 

 lance of ice and ice conditions held great promise 

 for the future. 



The 1946 Ice Season commenced a new kind of 

 International Ice Patrol. For the first time air- 

 craft were utilized for iceberg reconnaissance. 

 The first flights were made on 6 February with a 

 PBY-5A CATALINA from the U.S. Coast 

 Guard Air Detachment at Argentia, Newfound- 

 land. 



The shift to aerial surveillance led to relocation 

 of the coordinating center from the patrol vessel 

 to Argentia where the planes were based. 



The 1949 Season marked the first time these 

 aircraft were the only reconnaissance tools uti- 

 lized. This was a light year, only an estimated 

 47 bergs south of 48°N, that did not require the 

 use of surface patrol vessels. 



The 1951 Season was the second year aircraft 

 operated without surface vessel assistance. This 

 season was so light, only 6 bergs estimated south 

 of 48° N, that one of the two PBlG's was rotated 

 between Argentia and its home base in Elizabeth 

 City, North Carolina. This helped keep Ice 

 Patrol operating expenses down, an important 

 consideration when the bill is footed by consigna- 

 tory countries. Today, nineteen countries pay for 

 the Ice Patrol based upon their shipping tonnage 

 traversing the area and benefiting from the 

 Service. 



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