from port. The General Greene bases normally on St. John's, New- 

 foundland, during the season and on Halifax, Nova Scotia, when ice 

 conditions make St. John's inaccessible. 



The Tahoe departed from Boston, Mass., on February 12, 1938, on 

 an ice-observation cruise in the Grand Banks region to determine 

 actual ice conditions in this area. On this date the only ice that had 

 been reported since the first of the year was a berg on the northern 

 edge of the Banks on February 10 and two bergs which had drifted 

 down close in along the Newfoundland east coast. These last two 

 were now in vicinity of Cape Race and were reported as breaking up. 

 The Tahoe arrived in the Ice-Patrol area (fig. 1) on February 14 and 

 shipping was advised of our presence in the ice area by a radio broad- 

 cast on 500 kilocycles informing them of our mission and requesting 

 that all ships cooperate, as usual, by reporting all ice sighted and by 

 sending in their regular reports every 4 hours giving the ship's position, 

 course, speed, weather conditions, and sea-water temperature while in 

 the Ice-Patrol area. Also, the valuable assistance of the Canadian 

 radio stations in collecting and disseminating ice information was 

 requested through the district radio commissioner at Halifax, Nova 

 Scotia. 



During this first observation cruise, although scouting was con- 

 siderably curtailed by the extreme severity of the weather conditions 

 (see figs. 13 to 15), the critical area, south of the Tail of the Banks, 

 and the eastern slope of the Banks north to latitude 46°50' N., was 

 scouted out. No ice was sighted in this important area. Reports 

 from other parts of the region showed field ice extending 200 miles 

 east northeast from St. John's, Newfoundland, and 60 miles south- 

 east from Cape Race. Only one berg was reported and this could 

 not be found after a thorough search. St. Lawrence ice made pas- 

 sage north of Sable Island dangerous. This ice situation made track 

 F (Cape Race route) unsafe, blocked by field ice, but left track E 

 clear, by passing south of Sable Island. The prescribed steamer 

 routes for this time of year, tracks C and D, passed well south and 

 east of all ice. (See figs. 1 and 5.) The reported field ice showed no 

 tendency to move southward. No bergs were in the area except in 

 vicinity of Cape Race. The ice-observation vessel experienced no 

 appreciable southward drift when in the usual course of the cold, ice- 

 bearing current. The surface isotherms, also, indicated no strong i 

 movement of Arctic water down the eastern slope of the Banks. In 

 view of this favorable ice situation and because there were no signs \ 

 of any immediate change in conditions a continuous patrol was not 

 deemed necessary. So, on February 25, the Tahoe set course for 

 Halifax, Nova Scotia, to await reports indicating a more urgent 

 situation. 



