24 



SECOND CRUISE, "PONTCHARTRAIN", MARCH 26 TO APRIL 10, 1935 



The Pontchartrain contacted the Mendota at 0650 March 26, 1935. 

 At 0726 Lt. G. Van A. Graves, ice observer and the observer's 

 party reported aboard and at 0800 the Pontchartrain relieved the 

 Mendota as Ice Patrol vessel in latitude 42°28' N., longitude 52°00' 

 W. The Pontchartrain then stood to the eastward for the tail of the 

 Grand Banks to begin a search for ice. At 1435 dense fog set in 

 and the Pontchartrain slowed to one-third speed, and so throughout 

 the night. The next day, March 27, the Pontchartrain with fair vis- 

 ibility ran search courses south of the tail and up the eastern edge 

 of the Grand Banks as far as latitude 44°22' N. The search was inter- 

 rupted by snow flurries of short duration, otherwise the visibility 

 was 6 to T miles. No ice was sighted and the Pontchartrain cruised 

 at slow speed on comfortable courses throughout the night. On March 



28, with excellent visibility the entire day, the Pontchartrain scouted 

 north of the previous day's search east of the Banks, an area 60 miles 

 wide as far north as latitude 45° 15' N. No ice was sighted. 



The scouting on the 27th and 28th of March had completed a 

 thorough search of the cold current just east of the Grand Banks 

 from latitude 42° 30' N., to latitude 45° 15' N. As no ice was sighted, 

 and no very marked set was experienced to the southward while in 

 the cold water, it was considered that no serious menace to the trans- 

 Atla]itic lanes existed for the time being in this critical area. A = 

 several bergs had been reported to the eastward between longitudes 

 44° and 47° W., seriously menacing both east and west bound track 

 C, which track many vessels were still using, the Pontchartrain 

 steamed on course 90° true, just south of the 45th parallel on March 



29, to A'erify these reports, and to determine the number of bergs and, 

 if possible, the direction of their drift. On the evening of March 

 29, the Pontchartrain arrived in latitude 44°49' N., longitude 45°07' 

 W., and stopped to drift for the night. No bergs or field ice were 

 sighted this day. At daybreak, March 30, the Pontchartrain began 

 a rectangular search along track C, in an area through which no 

 ships had passed during the previous two days as determined from 

 the radio reports of passing vessels. No bergs were sighted and it is 

 believed those bergs reported in this area had drifted north and 

 east, clear of the tracks in the North Atlantic drift. During the 

 remainder of the day the Pontchartrain steamed due west just north 

 of the 45th parallel in order to determine whether any unreported 

 bergs were drifting southeasterly and menacing the westbound track 

 C in this area. At 1705, March 30, a berg was sighted in latitude 

 45 ''30' N., longitude 47°47' W. This was a medium-size berg about 

 200 feet on a side and 80 feet high. It was an old berg recently 

 turned over and show^ed signs of rapid erosion. The sea water was 



