19 



THIRD CRUISE "PONTCHARTRAIN", APRIL 20 TO MAY 4, 1936 



The Pontchartrain departed Boston, Mass., at 1715, April 17, 1936, 

 ^n ice-observation duty. The voyage to the ice area was uneventful 

 and at 0052, April 20, the Pontchartrain met the Champlain in lati- 

 tude 43°08' N., longitude 55°38' W. Lt. G. Van A. Graves, ice- 

 observation officer, and the observer's party reported aboard and at 

 0230 the Pontchartrain relieved the Champlain as ice-observation 

 vessel. 



The Pontchartrain proceeded to the eastward to meet the General 

 Greene and at 2059, April 20, contact was made in latitude 44°02' N., 

 longitude 50°50' W. The commanding officer of the General Greene 

 and Senior Oceanograplier Floyd M. Soule reported aboard for a con- 

 ference and Mr. Soule delivered a current map of the area along the 

 eastern slope of the Grand Banks between latitudes 47° N,, and 41° N. 

 At 2344 the General Greene proceeded to St. Jolm's, Newfoundland, 

 and the Pontchartrain set course due east for the eastern edge of the 

 Grand Banks. On April 21 and 22 the Pontchartrain scouted up 

 the axis of the cold current as shown on the current map. Poor 

 visibility curtailed scouting on April 22, but an effort was made to 

 locate a berg reported on the western edge of the cold curent in lati- 

 tude 46°15' N., longitude 47°44' W., on that day. This search was 

 continued on April 23 until it was demonstrated that the berg had 

 not been in the position reported. The next day, April 24, this berg 

 was relocated by another vessel in latitude 46°20' N., longitude 

 48° 10' W., some 20 miles northwest of its supposed position and well 

 out of the southerly current. 



On April 24 and 25 the Pontchartrain searched up the axis of the 

 cold current just outside the hundred-fathom curve from latitude 

 45°30'N., to latitude 48°00' N., to try and relocate some of the 13 

 bergs sighted by the Champlain on the last cruise. The effectiveness of 

 this scouting was reduced materially by poor visibility and was 

 brought to an end at 1500 April 25, when the wind reached gale force 

 from the northeast and increased steadily throughout the night, 

 reaching force 11, a storm, from the northwest at 0900, April 26. Due 

 to heavy seas, blizzard conditions, and generally low visibility, the 

 Pontchartrain hove to throughout the day and night of April 26, and 

 resumed scouting on the following morning, April 27. On this day, 

 courses were run directly through the positions of the bergs sighted 

 last cruise and no ice was seen. 



There being no ice threatening the United States-European shipping 

 lanes and little known ice obstructing the Canadian tracks, advantage 

 was taken, on April 28 and 29 of fine clear weather to scout up the 

 Labrador Current well to the northward outside the regular area to 

 determine what ice, if any, was moving southward. This search 

 carried the Pontchartrain north to latitude 52° N., the latitude of the 



