observation flights over the Gulf of St. Lavprence on 1 April, and at the 

 very early date of 2 April reported that the steamer tracks for Cabot 

 Strait to the St. Lawrence River and to Montreal were navigable. By 

 15 April all the gulf and river routes were open to navigation except 

 the Strait of Belle Isle, which was navigable by 11 May, also a very 

 early opening date. The ice situation in the Gulf of St. Lawrence is 

 of much interest, for many requests are received from shipping for ice 

 information in the gulf and on the river route. Table 2 below lists 

 the approximate opening dates of the Gulf of St. Lawrence and the 

 Strait of Belle Isle. 



Tabic 2.— THE APPROXIMATE OPENING DATES FOR THE GULF OF ST. 

 LAWRENCE AND THE STRAIT OF BELLE ISLE FOR THE YEARS 1946-53 



Aerial ic3 observation flights on 1 June revealed just one offshore 

 berg south of 53°00' N., in position 48°10' N., 51°00' W. This berg 

 was first sighted at the end of April in position 52°10' N., 51°43' W., 

 and had drifted south in the Labrador Current at 10 mUes per day. 

 (See fig. 1.) Its position on the banks and out of the main Labrador 

 Current, its small size, and the warming of the water all reduced greatly 

 the possibility of this berg ever reachmg the shipping lanes. Conse- 

 quently, the services of the International Ic3 Patrol for 1953 were 

 terminated on 6 June. 



Although the International Ice Patrol is terminated annually when 

 it is apparent that shipping is safe from the menace of ice for the 

 remainder of the year. Commander, International Ice Patrol keeps 

 himself informed of the ice situation throughout the year. A plot of 

 aU ice reported during the off-season is maintained and occasionally 

 the United States Coast Guard Air Detachment, Argsntia, makes post- 

 season ice reconnaissance flights at the request of Commander, Inter- 

 national Ice Patrol to insure that the steamer tracks remain ice free. 

 Such a flight was made on 29 December in connection with two large 

 bergs reported at 49°30' N., 50°30' W., on 24 December. The two 

 bergs were not sighted on this flight which scouted the area to the south 

 and southeast of the reported position of the bergs. Subsequent ice 

 reconnaissance flights made in January 1954 to locate and determine 

 the drift of these two bergs, as well as any other ice in the area, will be 

 discussed in the 1954 Ice Bulletin of this series. 



