CRUISE REPORTS 



THE FIRST CRUISE, "TAMPA," MARCH 25 JO APRIL 11, 1926 



In accordance with headquarters telegram the Tampa sailed from 

 Boston at 11.55 on the morning of March 25, 1926, and stood out to 

 sea setting a course from the harbor entrance for the Tail of the Grand 

 Banks. Thus was inaugurated the season of 1926. On the second 

 day out we received the first steamer's report of icebergs which re- 

 ferred to a group of seven located on the eastern part of the Grand 

 Bank between latitudes 45° and 43° 30'. This same information 

 was contained in the radio broadcast from Arlington and so it was 

 thought to be the real reason for dispatching the first of the patrol 

 ships to the ice regions. 



Sunday, which was our fourth day out, found us about 200 miles 

 west of the Tail of the Grand Banks and there we stopped for an hour 

 to take the first oceanographic station of the year (No. 554), and 

 especially to give new members of the Tampa's crew an opportunity 

 during good weather and daylight, to see the manner in which the 

 station work is performed. In the afternoon dispatches were ad- 

 dressed to the wireless officer, Halifax, Nova Scotia, officer in charge 

 compass station, Cape Race; commercial radio station, Cape Race; 

 and the French radio station at St. Pierre, informing them all that 

 the ice patrol ship had now arrived in the ice regions and the same 

 service as rendered to shipping in previous years would be carried 

 out. 



Early in the morning of March 29 we arrived at the position of 

 oceanographic station No. 555, located about 75 miles off shore of 

 the southwestern edge of the Grand Banks. It was blowing with 

 gale force at the time and in order that an up-and-down cast be 

 secured the vessel was maneuvered head to the wind and sea with 

 sufficient headway only to prevent her from "falling off." A careful 

 and quick management of the helm under such conditions is neces- 

 sary, but the maneuver was easily affected and the sounding work 

 carried out with excellent results. When the third station, this same 

 day, however, was to be taken just south of the Grand Banks, it was 

 found that the oceanographic electric winch was burned out. More 

 careful investigation proved the trouble to be so serious that the 

 oceanographic program for the remainder of the cruise would have 

 to be abandoned. Added to this information came the news that 



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