that season. In 1913 this duty was performed by the Revenue Cut- 

 ters Seneca and Miami. In this year the British Government also 

 had chartered and fitted out the steam trawler Scotia for ice patrol 

 and ice observation duty. The work of the Scotia was mostly limited 

 to ice and weather observations along the coast of Newfoundland. 

 The Scotia also cooperated with the cutters in broadcasting ice infor- 

 mation to shipping. 



As a result of the international conference for safety of life at sea 

 an agreement was signed in 1914 by the principal maritime nations of 

 the world providing, amongst other things, for the inauguration of the 

 international service of derelict destruction, ice observation, and ice 

 patrol. A continuous patrol of the regions most endangered by ice 

 was to be maintained during the entire ice season. The United States 

 was invited to conduct this international service, the expense of which 

 was to be assumed in certain specified proportions by the high con- 

 tracting parties. 



On February 7, 1914, the President of the United States directed 

 the Revenue Cutter Service (now Coast Guard) to conduct the inter- 

 national service of ice observation and ice patrol provided under the 

 provisions of the International Convention for the Safety of Life at 

 Sea. Since that time, with the exception of the World War years of 

 1917 and 1918, the Coast Guard has carried out this international 

 service, and has collected valuable data concerning the drift of ice 

 and ocean currents in the ice-infested regions. Briefly stated, the 

 duties of the Coast Guard in conducting the international service of 

 ice observation and ice patrol in the vicinity of the Grand Banks of 

 Newfoundland where, in the spring and early summer, icebergs form 

 a menace to navigation, consist in locating the icebergs and field ice, 

 determining their set and drift, reporting their positions to the Hydro- 

 graphic Office, and broadcasting the information by radio to shipping. 

 The Coast Guard cutters also perform additional duties that do not 

 interfere with the paramount duty of the patrol, such as rendering 

 assistance to vessels in distress, giving medical aid to crews of passing 

 vessels, removing obstructions to navigation, and conducting scientific 

 observations for the furtherance of oceanographic knowledge. 



In 1932 the International Ice Patrol and Ice Observation Service 

 was carried on by the United States Coast Guard cutters Pontchar- 

 train and Tampa, and the 125-foot patrol boat General Greene. The 

 cutter Mojave acted as stand-by vessel, but she was not called on for 

 active duty on patrol. The Pontchartrain and the TamjJa carried on 

 the duties of ice patrol, while the General Greene was the ice obser- 

 vation and oceanographic vessel. Capt. William T. Stromberg was 

 commanding officer of the Pontchartrain and, in addition, commander 

 of the International Ice Patrol and Ice Observation Service. The 

 Tampa was under the command of Commander J. H. Cornell. 



