year, ships are requested to transmit ice reports to the U.S. Naval 

 Oceanographic Office, Washington, D.C., for further dissemination. 

 U.S. Coast Guard radio station (NJN), Argentia, will be available 

 for relay of ice reports and also for transmission of safety broadcasts 

 when unseasonable ice threatens shipping lanes near the Grand Banks. 

 A permanent nucleus of the International Ice Patrol Office will main- 

 tain a plot of ice reports on the Grand Banks and vicinity year round 

 and will answer ship requests for ice information via NJN during 

 the offseason. 



During the 1963 season, ice patrol communications facilities 

 handled a total of 10,791 radio messages and 18,559 landline messages. 

 Statistics on ship reports are as follows: 



Number of ice reports received from vessels 251 



Number of vessels furnishing ice reports 129 



Number of weather reports received from vessels 4633 



Number of vessels furnishing weather reports 342 



Number of requests for special ice information 66 



Total number of vessels worked (not including relays) 387 



The percentage distribution of reporting vessels by nationality is 

 as follows: 



Country 



United Kingdom 

 United States. _. 



Germany 



Norway 



Netiierlands 



Sweden 



Liberia 



France 



Denmark 



Italy 



Panama 



Greece 



Ireland 



Country 



Israel 



Switzerland 



Belgium 



Canada 



India 



Japan 



Yugoslavia 



Iceland 



Lebanon 



Poland 



Spain 



24 nations 



Number of 



reporting 



ships 



361 



Percentage 

 of total 



ICE CONDITIONS 1963 

 JANUARY 



Although most of the United States and Europe were experiencing 

 a severely cold early winter, Newfoundland and Labrador and 

 surrounding waters were having slightly above normal temperatures 

 after a mild autumn. The sea ice off the east coast of Labrador and 

 in the Gulf of St. Lawrence was accordingly slow in forming. A 

 special iceberg survey flight made on 13-14 January along the Labrador 

 coast to Baffin Island determined the limits of ice south to Belle Isle 

 and east to 55° W. Although still open at this time, Belle Isle 

 Strait was declared closed to navigation on the 15th by the Canadian 

 Department of Transport. North of 55° N. the sea ice generally 

 extended to about 100 miles offshore. Although the sea ice limits 

 were about average, it is estimated that the ice thickness was well 



