INTERNATIONAL ICE PATROL 



The International Ice Patrol Service for 1965 was carried out by the 

 U.S. Coast Guard in accordance with the provisions of the Interna- 

 tional Convention for the Safety of Life at Sea, 1960 and United States 

 Code, Title 46, Sections 738-739d. The mission of protecting ship- 

 ping from the dangers of ice drifting in the Grand Banks area was 

 accomplished by the collection of ice information from all available 

 sources and by means of twice daily radio broadcasts and daily fac- 

 simile broadcasts disseminating to shipping the description of the 

 current ice situation. The scientific program dealing with the factors 

 influencing the distribution and drift of ice in Baffin Bay. Lab- 

 rador Sea and Xorth Atlantic Ocean was continued. 



The Commander, International Ice Patrol, Capt. R. L. Fuller, 

 U.S.C.G., had the following facilities available to him during the ice 

 season: a staff of 2 officers and 14 enlisted men: radio and landline 

 communication facilities of Coast Guard Eadio Station NIK ; Hercules 

 HC-130B reconnaissance aircraft support pi'ovided by the U.S. Coast 

 Guard Air Station, Argentia, Newfoundland; two surface patrol 

 cutters, U.S. Coast Guard Cutter Tamaroa and U.S. Coast Guard 

 Cutter Aoushnet. and an oceanographic survey vessel, U.S. Coast 

 Guard Cutter Evergreen. The efficiency of the aerial ice reconnais- 

 sance and the distribution of ice made it unnecessary to utilize a sur- 

 face patrol vessel for the sixth consecutive year. This was the second 

 year the Commander, International Ice Patrol was permanently sta- 

 tioned at Argentia, Newfoundland, the hub for all ice reconnaissance 

 activities for the ice patrol areas. 



Preseason aerial ice reconnaissance indicated a light ice season and 

 on 15 February indicated ice present on tlie Grand Banks. The first 

 of 35 ice observation flights made ckiring the season was flown on 

 9 March. Radio broadcast of the twice daily ice broadcasts to ship- 

 ping was commenced at 1330 G.m.t., 1 March 1965. The radio broad- 

 casts were also sent via landline to the U.S. Navy Oceanographic 

 Office, the Canadian Department of Transport, R.C.N. Radio Station, 

 Albro Lake N.S., and othere for further dissemination. 



The principal sources of ice information during the ice season were 

 the ice observation flights made by International Ice Patrol aircraft, 

 reports made by commercial and military vessels and aircraft, ice re- 

 connaissance flights by the Canadian Department of Transport in the 



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