Heavy polar pack ice persisting in tlie Belle Isle and northeastern 

 Newfoundland area at the beginning of June made an unseasonal 

 southerly advance and reached a maximum limit about 16 June as 

 shown on figure 12. Westerly wdnds, however, had cleared the Strait 

 of Belle Isle so that only the eastern approaches to the Strait were 

 blocked. By 24 June the pack limits had receded north of latitude 

 52°30' X., and except for rotting patches of drift ice and many 

 scattered bergs, the Strait was navigable with caution. 



At the middle of June, a southward movement of icebergs was 

 detected off the Labrador coast between the thousand fathom isobath 

 and the 52d meridian. A similar occurrence developed in 195S and 

 1959. At the month's end the leaders of this unseasonal movement 

 were approaching the northern slope of the Banks. However, warm- 

 ing sea temperatures were causing a high deterioration rnte and no 

 significant drifts were observed. 



No unusual berg positions were reported in Jiiiic except perhaps, for 

 the several bergs observed in Placentia Bay during the fii'st two weeks 

 of the month. These were survivors from the high concentrations 

 existing during May in the area south of Cape Race. On 1 June and 

 again on 12-15 June, bergs were visible from tli(> Ice Patrol Head- 

 quarters at Argentia. This year and in 1959, arc the only two years 

 where such an event has been recorded or remembered. 



During June, 44 bergs drifted south of latitude 48° X. A snmnuiry 

 of ice reports received during the month is plotted on figure 16. 



JULY 



The southward berg movement detectetl oif J.,ahrador diu'ing tlie 

 middle of June was maintained throughout July with the majority of 

 reports originating on tlie Belle Isle shipping route (track G) between 

 longitudes 50° W. and 52° W. A few scattered bergs of this group 

 arrived at the northern slope of the Banks and sightings indicate that 

 for the most part, they turned eastward without crossing the 48th 

 parallel. Typical of these were four bej-gs observed on 8 July near 

 48°30' X., 46°10' W. Several, however, remained under the influence 

 of the Labrador Current and passed between tlie Grand Banks and 

 Flemish Cap. Only one berg reached south of latitude 46° X. This 

 was observed on 3 July in 46°46' X., 46°41' W., on 10 July in 45°24' 

 X., 48°18' W., and was last seen the following day in 44°55' X., 

 48°52' W. This is the most extrenu' drift obsej'ved during the month 

 and tlie most southerly position a berg had occupied since 18 ^fay. 



An interesting and unusual berg sighting was received on 10 July 

 when SS Greek Cosmic reported a Ijerg in 52°40' N., 44°42' W. 



Occasional scattered bergs were reported along the coast of the 

 Avalon Peninsula through the 16th and on the northeast coast during 

 the entire month. 



It is estimated that four bergs drifted south of latitude 48° X., in 

 Julv. 



n 



