INTERNATIONAL ICE PATROL-1968 



The International Ice Patrol Service for 1968 

 was carried out by the U.S. Coast Guard in ac- 

 cordance with the provisions of the Interna- 

 tional Convention for the Safety of Life at Sea, 

 1960, and the United States Code, Title 46, 

 Sections 738, 738a through 738d. The mission 

 of protecting shipping from ice was accom- 

 plished by collecting ice information from all 

 available sources and disseminating it twice 

 daily by radio broadcasts and daily by fac- 

 simile. 



The Ice Patrol forces were: 



• Commander, International Ice Patrol and 

 his staff 



• Ice observers in Argentia 



• Coast Guard Radio Station Argentia 

 (NIK/NJN) 



• Hercules HC-130B aircraft deployed on 

 temporary duty from U.S. Coast Guard 

 Air Station Elizabeth City, North Carolina 

 to Argentia, Nfld. 



• Surface Patrol Vessel, U.S.C.G.C. Acush- 

 net. 



• Oceanographic vessel, U.S.C.G.C. Ever- 

 green. 



The distribution of ice made it unnecessary 

 to utilize a surface patrol vessel for the ninth 

 consecutive year. This was the second year that 

 Commander, International Ice Patrol directed 

 the patrol from U.S. Coast Guard Base, Gover- 

 nor's Island, New York. 



Ice Patrol aircraft and their crews, ice ob- 

 servers, additional radiomen for the Ice Patrol 

 radio station (NIK), and other support per- 

 sonnel, deployed to Argentia on 20 February 

 1968 to open the ice observer's office. Commun- 

 ication links with the Commander, Interna- 

 tional Ice Patrol, New York were tested and 

 put into use. Aerial ice reconnaissance began 

 with a flight on 24 February. On 14 March 

 1968 the season opened with the first broad- 

 cast. 



The Ice Patrol staff directed flights, received 

 ice and environmental reports, maintained 

 plots and forecast ice conditions, prepared ice 

 broadcasts and ice bulletins, and answered 

 special requests for ice information. Periodi- 

 cally throughout the ice season the Ice Patrol 

 Officer deployed to Argentia for first hand ob- 

 servations of the existing ice conditions. 



The Ice Patrol officially terminated on 21 

 July. The operation of the Service from Sep- 

 tember 1967 through August 1968 is summar- 

 ized as follows : 



• Two northern aerial iceberg surveys were 

 made into Baffin Bay ; one survey in Sep- 

 tember and one in December 1967. 



• One pre-season ice reconnaissance flight 

 was made in January 1968 to guard 

 against an undetected early ice threat to 

 the shipping lanes. 



• Seventy six ice reconnaissance flights 

 were made during the season. 



• Two post-season flights were made in 

 August to guard against an undetected 

 late ice threat to the shipping lanes. 



• Ice and weather reports and sea surface 

 temperatures were collected and analyzed. 



• Ice conditions were forecast every twelve 

 hours. 



• Ice broadcasts were made up and trans- 

 mitted every twelve hours. 



• Ice bulletins were sent out every twelve 

 hours to interested agencies. 



• Ice facsimile charts were broadcast daily. 



• Special ice information w-as provided on 

 request. 



• Position plots were maintained on all 

 ships sending in ice and weather and sea 

 temperature reports to the Ice Patrol. 



• During three oceanographic cruises by the 

 U.S.C.G.C. Evergreen, eight oceanograph- 

 ic surveys of the Grand Banks were car- 

 ried out. 



