16 



CRUISE REPORTS 



FIRST CRUISE "PONTCHARTRAIN". MARCH 23 TO APRIL 4, 1936 



The Pontchartrain sailed from Boston, Mass., at 1705, March 23, 

 1936, on an ice-observation cruise in the vicinity of the Grand Banks 

 of Newfoundland. The outbound run was uneventful and on March 

 27 the Pontchartrain arrived at the Tail of the Grand Banks and began 

 scouting out the eastern slope of the Grand Banks in the cold water to 

 locate ice. 



Upon entering the Ice-Patrol area (east of longitude 60 °W.) on 

 March 25, the district radio commissioner, Halifax, Nova Scotia, was 

 informed by radio that this vessel was making an ice observation-cruise 

 in the interests of International Ice Patrol, and requested that the 

 Canadian radio stations lend the same valuable assistance in the col- 

 lection and dissemination of ice information as in former years. This 

 same day our presence in the Ice-Patrol area was made known by a 

 general call to all vessels, informing them that the Pontchartrain was 

 making an ice observation cruise and requesting ail vessels to report 

 to this vessel their sea-water temperature, weather, barometer, visi- 

 bility, position, course, and speed every 4 hours. The regular ice 

 broadcasts were commenced at 1900 March 28, 1936. 



From March 27 to April 3 the Pontchartrain carried out an intensive 

 search for field ice and bergs from the Tail of the Grand Banks (latitude 

 43°00' N., longitude 50°00' W.) to latitude 49°15' N., in the cold 

 water on the eastern edge of the Banks. This search passed through, 

 or in the near vicinity of, every ice report that has been received this 

 year. No field ice of any kind was sighted ; no icebergs were sighted 

 or have been reported this season ; only three small growlers were seen 

 in this extensive and usually ice-infested area. 



These small pieces of ice sighted by the observation vessel were hardly 

 large enough to constitute a danger to navigation and were located 

 in the following positions: Two small growlers, latitude 46°49' N., 

 longitude 48°25' W., and one growler in latitude 48°40' N., longitude 

 50°18' W. No field ice has been reported since March 29, and the 

 two growlers sighted on that date are believed to have disappeared. 

 This leaves only one piece of ice, a growler, remaining in the Ice-Patrol 

 area at the end of this cruise. (See fig. 19.) 



On the evening of April 3, the Pontchartrain steamed to the west- 

 ward toward the contact point and at 0737 April 5, met the Champlain 

 in latitude 42°43' N., longitude 56°32' W. A boat was lowered and 

 Lt. G. Van A. Graves, ice observation officer, and the observer's party 

 were transferred to the Champlain and at 0800 the Champlain reheved 

 the Pontchartrain as ice observation vessel. The Pontchartrain set 

 course for Boston, Mass., arri\ang there at 0735 April 7, 1936. 



