31 



northeast of the Tail on the afternoon of the 17th although a double 

 lookout was posted aloft and much area was covered. 



From the 13th to the 19th several weather reports by radio were 

 sent each day to Cape Race for the benefit of the two planes wait- 

 ing in Newfoundland for favorable conditions to cross the ocean. 

 These reports gave not only the weather of the patrol vessel but also 

 contained a compilation of late reports from a number of vessels 

 strategically scattered over the ice-patrol area. Messages from the 

 plane Friendship to Cape Race were intercepted on the afternoon of 

 June 17 until about three hours after the plane had left Newfoundland 

 for Europe. 



Advantage was taken of continued good visibility on June 18 to 

 search about 4,000 square miles of the Labrador current between 43° 

 20' N. and 45° 30' N. No ice was seen. Unfortunately five hours of 

 dense fog on the following day prevented the search from being contin- 

 ued as far north as had been planned. B}^ running at 80 to 85 revolu- 

 tions per minute an area of about 3,500 square miles was searched on 

 the 19th, however. This area lay between 45° 10' N. and 46° 40' N. 

 and just west of the fortj^-eighth meridian. Agaiji no ice was seen. 



The Modoc spent the night of June 19 steaming across the Banks 

 toward a rendezvous with the Mojave. That vessel was met and 

 given the patrol duty at 11 a. m. on June 20 in approximately 45° 08' 

 N., 51° 39' W. 



No derelicts were seen, but one was twice reported during the sixth 

 cruise. It was a schooner floating bottom up and was last reported 

 on June 16 from 46° 31' N., 55° 25' W. Ten buoys, trees, and logs 

 were reported to the patrol from in and near the ice-patrol area. 



During the sixth cruise 15 oceanographic stations were taken, 

 bringing the total for the season up to 95. During 122 hours, or 34 

 per cent of the time, visibility was less than two miles. Very moder- 

 ate weather was experienced. It was only during the blow of the 15th 

 and 16th that winds as strong as force 7 were observed. The wind 

 blew with greater force than 5 during but 34 hours. 



Continued surface warming of the sea was noted — 38° water 

 retreated north of the forty-eighth parallel during the sixth cruise 

 as completely as 34° water retreated north of the same latitude 

 during the fifth cruise. This effect undoubtedly made the ice dis- 

 integrate faster and faster in the higher latitudes. Only one berg 

 was seen during the whole cruise and that one but for a short time 

 on one day, so no great amount of first-hand information regarding 

 disintegration could be accumulated. 



The isotherms on the cruise chart are based on 1,147 observations 

 from 131 vessels; 87 reports of ice were received during the 15-day 

 cruise from 36 ship and shore stations, but during the last week 

 the falling off was so great that only 16 ice reports were received 



