SUMMARY REPORT OF THE COMMANDER, 

 INTERNATIONAL ICE PATROL 



Commander W. H. Munter 



The Mojave left Boston on March 20, 1928, to inaugurate inter- 

 national ice patrol. When 43° N., 52° W. was reached on March 

 24, the first patrol cruise was started. The Modoc divided evenly 

 with the Mojave six full 15-day cruises. The patrol was discontinued 

 at word received from Coast Guard headquarters on June 22, when 

 the Mojave was on the third day of the seventh cruise. 



Halifax, N. S., was used as a base for fuel and supplies as in 

 previous seasons. During the season the two patrol vessels cruised 

 a total of 18,083 miles, including the distance run in going to and 

 from the base. 



Weather during the whole time was remarkably moderate on the 

 average. A few moderate gales, but no really severe ones, were 

 experienced. Somewhat more than the usual amount of fog prevailed. 

 The season was a very early one. The effect of this, combined with 

 the mild winter preceding, was seen in the practical absence of field 

 ice south of the forty-seventh parallel, in the unusually small amount 

 of field ice reported by the Canadian ice patrol in the Gulf of St. 

 Lawrence, in the general use of the Belle Isle tracks by the early 

 date of June 21, and finally in the early recall of the international ice 

 patrol vessels. The patrol's discontinuance on June 22 was earlier 

 than in any year since 1920, when it ended on June 20. 



While the total number of bergs that drifted south of 48° N. was 

 greater than normal, less than half of the normal number of 51 bergs 

 drifted south of the forty- third parallel. Early in the season many 

 of the bergs came south well to the eastward of the Grand Banks 

 and entered the Gulf Stream current south of Flemish Cap. They 

 were then carried toward the northeast and melted clear of the B 

 United States-Europe tracks but foul of the steamers on the C United 

 States-Europe tracks between the forty-third and the forty-seventh 

 meridians. There is grave danger under such conditions in adhering 

 to the C tracks as late as was done this year. 



During May the average position of the bergs was farther west 

 in the Labrador current with the result that many of them were 

 caught in the branch that flows along the eastern edge of the Grand 

 Banks; some of these avoided being set onto the Banks or being 

 curved off to the northeast. They are the ones that drifted south 



past the Tail of the Banks. 



(36) 



