17 



by the berg would have sufficed to have put them within striking 

 distance of the southernmost known berg. 



On Sunday, April 29, the berg was left early in the morning in 

 42° 46' N., 50° 32' W., in order to take oceanographic stations down 

 to the warm water. Fog shutting in at 2 p. m. forced the abandon- 

 ment of this plan. The berg left was headed for after the fourth 

 station had been completed, but it was not relocated on account of 

 the bad visibility. The ice patrol vessel was forced to drift blindly 

 four and one-half days, until 4.30 a. m. on May 4, when the clearing 

 conditions permitted the search for the southernmost berg to be 

 resumed. 



During these foggy days it was necessary to steam slowly at times 

 to retain position near the most probable location of the berg. Sound- 

 ings and radio bearings showed the drift was to leeward up over the 

 edge of the Bank, sometimes to the northeast and sometimes to the 

 northwest, depending on the tack on which the vessel was allowed to 

 drift. 



During the period from the morning of April 29 until the after- 

 noon of May 5, observations of the stars and sun were possible once 

 onl}', for a few hours on the morning of May 1. The ship's position 

 was fixed wholh^ by means of radio bearings and fathometer sound- 

 ings at all other times. The latter instrument was invaluable as 

 an aid to navigation. The uneven bottom enabled practicallj'^ as 

 good a track of the ship's position to be kept as though sights were 

 obtainable. 



Fifteen oceanographic stations were taken during the cruise. Con- 

 siderable trouble was had with the salinity testing cabinet, but it 

 was possible to keep it repaired sufficiently to work, and the stations 

 were all calculated on board. The currents found by computation 

 agreed well with what was to be expected from experience in the 

 area. On account of the prevalence of fog and of the necessity" for 

 keeping close watch on the southernmost berg, no comprehensive plan 

 of oceanographic surveying could be carried out. The stations had 

 to be taken here and there as opportunity^ offered. 



The only field ice reported during the third cruise was located along 

 the south Newfoundland coast and in the Gulf of St. Lawrence by 

 the Canadian ice patrol vessel Montcalm. Seventy reports of bergs 

 and growlers were received from 43 different ships and shore stations. 

 With the exception of the one berg which the patrol guarded the entire 

 cruise near the Tail, and one berg reported on the 23d as in 47° 00' 

 N., 40° 57' W., most of the glacial ice was concentrated close to the 

 line from 47° 30' X., 46° 00' W. to 44° 30' N., 49° 00' W. It probably 

 was disintegrating slowly on account of being in cold smooth water. 

 The weather was remarkable for the slight seas and absence of gales. 



