4. Hudson Strait Area — Includes strait proper from eastern entrance to Hudson 

 Bay, Foxe Channel, Ungava Bay, Frobisher Bay and waters oflf the eastern 

 entrance to the Strait. 



5. Davis Strait and Baffin Bay Area — Western half of Davis Strait from the en- 

 trance of Frobisher Bay north into and including Baffin Bay. 



6. Greenland Area — Coastal and offshore waters from latitude 76° N. on the 

 east coast south through Denmark Strait, past Cape Farewell, and north 

 along the west coast. 



ST. LAWRENCE AREA 



The entire St. Lawrence area was open until well after the mid- 

 dle of December 1942, at which time a severe storm accompanied 

 by low temperatures and dangerous icing conditions swept through 

 the gulf. Some local winter ice was formed, principally in shel- 

 tered places. The effect was cumulative in that the lowered tem- 

 peratures of the waters favored the survival of ice drifting south 

 along the Labrador coast. By 30 December the Strait of Belle Isle 

 was all but blocked. A vessel with difficulty made the passage that 

 date, the last reported for the season. Heavy pack ice was but a 

 short distance north along the Labrador coast, and was reported 

 on 4 January at less than 50 miles from the eastern entrance to the 

 strait. This heavier pack ice probably began to work through the 

 strait into the Gulf of St. Lawrence early in January. The straits, 

 however, were considered closed for through traffic on 30 Decem- 

 ber and infrequent reports only are available from this area from 

 that time until the beginning of the spring break-up. During 

 January the pack ice, augmented by locally formed winter ice, 

 pushed through the gulf and out through Cabot Strait. All cross- 

 gulf shipping was at a standstill until the spring break-up. Patches 

 of heavy field ice rafted by wind were reported at a position of 30 

 miles southwest of the Miquelon Islands on 24 January. This ice 

 came from the Gulf through Cabot Strait as no heavy ice had been 

 passing Cape Race, the other possible course, at that early date. 

 The discharge from the gulf came earlier and was heavier than 

 on an average year. 



Throughout the month of February heavy field ice drifting from 

 the gulf constantly choked Cabot Strait and occasionally closed in 

 on the Newfoundland coast at Port Aux Basques blocking that 

 harbor. Heavy ice at times was blown east to longitude 57° W., 

 and one one occasion drifted south past latitude 45° N. Except for 

 a few days, about 4 to 7 February, vessels bound from Halifax to 

 Argentia keeping south of latitude 45° N., until east of longitude 

 57° W., would have encountered no heavy ice. The master of a 

 coastal vessel, long experienced in ice navigation of Newfoundland 

 and Gulf of St. Lawrence waters, reported on 5 February that the 

 ice working through Cabot Strait was the heaviest to that date of 

 any year since 1935. On 13 February what appeared to be a berg 

 was sighted by a plane pilot off the coast of Cape Breton Island, 



15 



