15 



No ice was sighted on the 16th or 17th because of dense fog. The 

 Tampa drifted on those days near the southernmost known berg 

 waiting for clearing weather and the arrival of the Modoc. The bad 

 visibility was widespread over the Labrador Current, cutting down 

 the ice reports to practicall^v nothing on the 17th. On the 18th, 

 which was also foggy over large areas, the two cutters steamed slowly 

 toward each other, sighting several bergs and growlers on the way. 



Relief of patrol took place in dense fog at approximately 42° 

 40' N., 50° 05' W., at 5 p. m. on June 18. The weather was so thick 

 that the annual surfboat race between the cutters could not be held 

 until dusk, by which time a sufficient distance had been run to the 

 southwest to get out of the fog area and into an area of good visibility 

 over waters warmed by the Gulf Stream. 



The fifth cruise was marked by the large number of bergs between 

 the forty-second and forty-third parallels. They did not cross the 

 westbound "B" tracks, but seemed to spread out east and west just 

 south of the Tail between longitudes 48° 30' W. and 52° 30' W., 

 keeping, except for the berg of the 7th reported from 41° 38' N., 

 well to the north of the warm Gulf Stream water and north of the 

 forty-second parallel. Throughout the cruise occasional reports of 

 ice came in from the few vessels crossing the ocean between the Tail 

 of the Banks and Flemish Cap. This showed that there was still 

 ice in the Labrador Current between 43° N. and 47° N. some of which 

 could be expected to drift below the latitude of the Tail. Bergs 

 were unusually numerous in the much traveled waters north of the 

 forty-seventh parallel, but they were somewhat fewer there than 

 during the pre^^ous patrol cruise, and they were on the average 

 distinctly farther to the westward in the ocean. 



The fifth cruise saw a general rise of sea temperatures throughout 

 the ice patrol area; 34° water was not reported from anywhere to 

 the patrol during the last 10 days of the period, but, even so, the 

 surface temperatures in most localities averaged from 2° to 4° colder 

 north of the forty-second parallel than on the corresponding dates 

 in 1928. The oceanographic equipment worked excellently through- 

 out the fifth cruise, 10 stations being occupied and computed. 



On June 7 because of the number of bergs between 42° N. and 43° 

 N., because of the southward push of cool mixed water down to 41° 

 30' X., and because of the berg reported from 41° 38' N., 48° 56' W., 

 the patrol recommended that traffic be shifted from tracks "B" 

 to tracks "A" immediately. On June 12 word was received that 

 "A" tracks were being put into effect. 



The weather was extremely moderate throughout practically all 

 the fifth cruise, only 6 hours of gales and 10 hours of strong breezes 

 being experienced. At night and on cloudy days the unusually 

 cold surface water caused some comparatively low air temperatures 



