INTERNATIONAL ICE PATROL 1953 



The International Ice Observation and Ice Patrol Services in the 

 North Atlantic Ocean for 1953 were conducted as usual by the United 

 States Coast Guard carrying out the provisions of the International 

 Convention for the Safety of Life at Sea, London, 1948, and the U. S. 

 Code, Title 46, Sections 738-738d. 



The duty of Commander, International Ice Patrol to protect ship- 

 ping from drifting ice entails a three-phase operation: (1) the contin- 

 uous search for and location of all ice by the Ice Patrol planes (and 

 cutters if needed), (2) the collection, plotting, and evaluation of the 

 ice sighted and reported from all sources with the aid of oceanographic 

 and meteorological data, and (3) the dissemination of ice information 

 to shipping by means of scheduled ice broadcasts from Coast Guard 

 Eadio, Argentia, Newfoundland (NIK), and daily ice reports from 

 the United States Navy Hydrographic Office, Washington, D. C. 

 Oceanography is a vaulable aid in the first two phases of the ice patrol 

 operation. In planning ice observation flights, a knowledge of the 

 currents and their branches in the Grand Banks region is a prime factor 

 in determining the areas to be searched. To evaluate intelligently ice 

 sightings and reports and the ice situation in general, the use of ocean- 

 ography is invaluable. 



Capt. G. Van A. Graves, USCG, was Commander, International 

 Ice Patrol for 1953 and had his headquarters at the United States 

 Naval Station, Argentia, Newfoundland. Two long-range PBlG 

 (B-17) type aircraft attached to the United States Coast Guard Air 

 Detachment, Argentia, were made available for aerial ice observation. 

 The United States Coast Guard Cutter Evergreen, a 180-foot tender 

 class cutter, was assigned as oceanographic vessel and the United 

 States Coast Guard Cutters Tampa and Achushnet were designated as 

 surface patrol vessels. These two latter ships remained on standby in 

 their home ports in the United States. The Evergreen conducted 4 

 oceanographic surveys during the regular season and 1 postseason 

 survey in July. These oceanographic surveys are discussed in detail 

 in another section of this bulletin. For the third successive year, it 

 was not necessary to use the two cutters assigned for ice patrol, thereby 

 keeping the cost of operation to a minimum. 



The United States Coast Guard Air Detachment, Argentia, New- 

 foundland, began intermittent preseason ice reconnaissance flights 

 over the Grand Banks area and to the north on 10 February, at the 



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