34 



was sighted in tliis critical area. During the night and the morning 

 of the next day the Champlain ran northeastward across the Banks 

 to commence scouting to the northward along the eastern slope of the 

 Grand Banks. A berg was located in latitude 44°25' N., longitude 

 48°35' W., and the Champlain stopped to drift with this ice for the 

 night. The berg had drifted 25 miles south by east from its reported 

 position the previous day, April 21, and was observed to drift 15 miles 

 during the night of April 22. 



The next day, April 23, the Champlain searched an area between 

 latitudes 44° N., and 45°20' N., extending 40 miles east of the 100- 

 fathom curve. Only one small growler was sighted in tliis area and 

 the Champlain returned to the beig to drift for the night. The next 

 6 days, April 24 to 30, the patrol vessel was occupied observing the 

 rapid southward drift of tliis berg wliich carried it south to latitude 

 42°07' N. (See fig. 30.) On April 23, 24, and 25 the berg averaged 

 34 miles a day. This very rapid drift was not due, however, entirely 

 to the current but to the strong northerly winds on those dates in 

 addition to the current. Also tliis was a comparatively shallow draft 

 berg with two high fiat sided peaks presenting a large sail area. Such 

 bergs are greatly influenced by strong winds. April 26, 27, 28, 29 

 and 30, with the cessation of the strong northerly winds, the berg 

 assumed a more reasonable average daily rate of 15 miles per day. 

 On April 28, the berg reached its farthest south, latitude 42°07' N., 

 and turned northeastward. At tliis time it had been reduced to a 

 growler. The Champlain stayed with this growler until the evening 

 of April 30, when it was so small as to hardly be a danger to naviga- 

 tion. The following morning it could not be located and it was struck 

 from the ice-patrol records. 



The next daj^, May 1, the Champlain, with only fair visibility, 

 headed north for the critical area around the Tail of the Banks to 

 locate any southward moving ice in that vicinity. A search was run 

 from latitude 43°25' N., south southwestward on the eastern slope of 

 the Banks just outside the 100-fathom curve and around the Tail 

 and westward to longitude 51° W. No ice was sighted. The follow- 

 ing day no scouting could be done because of east northeast gales and 

 low visibility. On May 3, dense fog persisted all day but the 

 Champlain steamed at slow speed northeastward throughout the day 

 in order to be in a position to commence scouting up the eastern edge 

 of the Banks in cold current when the weather cleared. The next 

 day, May 4, with excellent visibility, the cold current was scouted out 

 from latitude 42°50' N., to latitude 44°50' N. No ice was sighted. 

 On May 5, dense fog prevented scouting in the morning but in the 

 afternoon, with good visibility, a berg was located, apparently aground 

 in latitude 45°13' N., longitude 48°52' W. The Champlain drifted 

 with berg for the night. The next day the Champlain searched north 



