year. While no threat developed to Track C, Track F was pestered 

 by a few bergs until late July with one berg persisting until early 

 August. After the deterioration of the latter berg, no other bergs 

 were expected to reach the Grand Banks the remainder of the year. 

 "Wliile the number of bergs drifting south of 48° N. was very heavy 

 during March and April, the May total of 19 was very light and the 

 June and July totals of 28 and 5 were well below normal. 



The appearance of several conspicuous flat-topped tabular bergs 

 similar in height on the northern Grand Banks in early April was of 

 considerable interest. There is no doubt that these tabular bergs were 

 fragments of ice island WH-5 which had grounded across Kennedy 

 Channel early in 1963. Kennedy Channel is a link between the Arctic 

 Ocean and the North Atlantic Ocean located between Ellesmere 

 Island and northwestern Greenland. By the end of July 1963 WH-5 

 had broken up into three major pieces designated Alpha, Bravo, and 

 Charlie and many small fragments, and all commenced drifting south 

 at this time. Charlie cleared Smith Sound around mid-August to 

 enter the south seeking Baffinland Current in Baffin Bay. There is 

 little doubt that the many fragments arriving at the Grand Banks 

 were pieces of Charlie. Fragments were observed in the vicinity of 

 Hamilton Inlet in July and a couple were spotted in Baffin Bay in 

 October 1964. The travel times of inidvidual pieces originating from 

 the same location varied considerably thus pointing out the vagaries 

 of iceberg drift southward from northern Baffin Bay, the region of 

 many iceberg producing glaciers. The fact that icebergs can drift 

 from the glaciers to the Grand Banks in less than a year with ease has 

 been amply demonstrated. 



Sea ice conditions on the Grand Banks were about normal on 

 1 March with local and Labrador winter ice covering the northern 

 Grand Banks north of 47°20' N. and west of 48°20' W. The sea ice 

 limits generally followed the weather patterns. By mid-March the 

 limits had expanded to 46°20' N. and east to 48° W. By the end of 

 March the east limits receded to west of 51° W. while the southwest 

 limits expanded to 100 miles southeast of Cape Race. As a result of 

 strong southwesterly winds in the first half of April the south sea ice 

 limits receded to north of 48° N. while a 10-20 mile belt of sea ice 

 extended about 170 miles to the southeast from the pack at 49°30' N., 

 50° W. By the end of April the east limits receded to west of 50° W. 

 Sea ice persisted along the east coast of Newfoundland from St. John's 

 northward until mid-May and in Notre Dame until the third week of 

 June. Belle Isle Strait was considered navigable by mid-June. 



The Gulf of St. Lawrence, including Cabot Strait and the North- 

 east Arm, experienced a slightly heavier than normal ice year. The 

 steamer track through Cabot Strait and the Central Gulf and into 

 upper St. Lawrence River was not declared navigable until 5 Aj)ril, 



