CRUISE REPORTS 



FIRST CRUISE "MENDOTA", APRIL 12 TO APRIL 29, 1934 



The Mendota sailed from Boston at 10:50 a. m. April 12, 1934, on an 

 ice-observation cruise. Outside of Boston Harbor the course was 

 laid for the tail of the Grand Banks to begin a search for ice. Head 

 winds and fog greatly curtailed the progress of the vessel during 

 passage to the ice-patrol area. On the evening of the 13th all ships 

 were asked to report to this vessel all ice sighted and when crossing the 

 ice-patrol area to report their position, course, speed, and sea-water 

 temperature every 4 hours. The following morning the scheduled 

 ice broadcasts were started. At 11:22 a. m. April 16, having reached 

 the cold current southwest of the tail of the Grand Banks, the Men- 

 dota stopped and drifted in dense fog to await better A^sibility in order 

 to begin a search for ice. 



The 17th was spent drifting in a dense fog. During the 16th and 

 17th, 41 separate bergs were reported on the Grand Banks along 

 track E. In accordance with Coast Guard headquarters radiogram 

 of April 17, the ice patrol was inaugurated with the 10 p. m., broad- 

 cast. By April 18 the fog had become general over the entire ice- 

 patrol area. Vessels using track E either stopped and drifted or 

 followed a course taking them south of the ice-infested waters. 

 During April 18 the Mendota ran at 5 knots on course 45° true. At 

 6 p. m. the ice-patrol vessel stopped and drifted near the tail of the 

 Grand Banks. The general fog continued over the entire ice regions 

 durmg the 19th, 20th, and 21st. At 2:40 p. m. April 20, the General 

 Greene made contact with the ice-patrol vessel and the commander, 

 international ice-patrol, ice-observation officer, and senior physical 

 oceanographer held a conference. At 8 p. m. April 20 we steamed at 

 slow speed on course 127° to return to the tail of the Grand Banks as 

 the vessel had been drifting with the wind in a northwesterly direction 

 for the past 2 days. At 1:23 p. m. April 21 we stopped and drifted 

 in the fog. At 5:10 p. m. the fog lifted and the Mendota was headed 

 on course 90° for deep water just east of the banks in latitude 43°09'. 

 Then we searched until dark on course 22° in the cold current between 

 the 100- and 1,000-fathom curves. At 9 p. m. the fog set in again. 

 On the afternoon of the 22d we steamed on course 165° at slow speed 

 in dense fog. 



At 9:30 p. m. we stopped and drifted in the fog. No scouting could 

 be done on the 23d on account of the dense fog. In the afternoon the 



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