92 



arrangement only gives fragmentary dynamic information, and most 

 assuredly does not permit the making of current maps of a sort that 

 can be used as the basis for confident prediction of berg drifts. 



The Convention for the Safety of Life at Sea that was held in 

 London in 1929 took up the matter of the ice patrol and recommended 

 that a maximum of three instead of two ships be made available for 

 the work. It is hoped that in the future it will be possible to employ 

 a third vessel whose complement will include a professional ocean- 

 ographer. The ice-scouting and information-broadcasting vessels 

 could then be relieved of the burden of the larger part, at least, of 

 the scientific oceanographic work. 



The addition of a vessel primarily for the scientific program would 

 mean a great step forward and would be justified even if the dynamic 

 current maps which it could make should finally prore to be of small 

 practical value. In addition to the large funds of knowledge that 

 such a ship should be able to obtain for pure science in such fields as 

 oceanic circulation and submarine bottom configuration, her pres- 

 ence about the Grand Banks under the direction of the commander, 

 International Ice Patrol, would at critical times be of great practical 

 value. She could send in surface temperature and weather conditions 

 reports to the scouting ship from areas from wliich no ships were 

 reporting and could be called upon when necessity arose to search 

 key areas or to trail and observe the final disintegration of especially 

 dangerous bergs. 



The main patrol vessels, on the other hand, when relieved of the 

 oceanographic station work could better take on board the necessary 

 additional personnel and gear to permit a start to be made in the 

 matter of ice scouting by aircraft from the patrol vessels. The cautious 

 and well-thought-out use of aircraft to assist during periods of fine 

 weather in searching out the region in and near the critical triangular 

 area just north of the B tracks would seem to be one of the most 

 promising of the fields of development that are open to the ice patrol 

 at the present time. 



