INTERNATIONAL ICE PATROL, 1939 



The Ice Patrol vessels for the season of 1939 were the United States 

 Coast Guard Cutters Chelan and Champlain, and the patrol boat 

 General Greene again was the oceanograpliic vessel. The Chelan was 

 commanded by Commander Ed. H. Smith, former Ice Observation 

 Officer, who was also Commander International Ice Patrol for this 

 season. The commanding officer of the Champlain was Commander 

 R, T. McElligott. On board the General Greene were Cliief Boat- 

 swain Thomas Noland, commanding, and Senior Physical Oceanog- 

 rapher Floyd M. Soule. The Ice Observation Officer, technical 

 adviser to the Commander International Ice Patrol, was Lt. William 

 P. Hawley, who remained at sea with liis two assistants throughout 

 the Ice Patrol season. 



The primary aim of the International Ice Patrol is to safeguard 

 life and property at sea. Therefore, the object of the Ice Patrol 

 service is to locate by scouting and by radio information the icebergs 

 and ice fields nearest to and menacing the North Atlantic steamship 

 lanes. ^ The patrol vessels determine the southeastern, southern, and 

 southwestern limits of the ice region in the vicinity of the Grand 

 Banks of Newfoundland, keep in touch with the ice as it moves 

 southward, and disseminate this information by radio broadcasts 

 which are transmitted four times daily, giving locations and descrip- 

 tions of the ice, particularly that which may be in the vicinity of North 

 Atlantic routes. Vessels using the North Atlantic steamsliip tracks 

 will not run unwarned into ice-infested waters provided they copy these 

 broadcasts. However, the safe passage of vessels, passengers, and 

 freight across the Ice Patrol region is the responsibility of the indi- 

 vidual sliipmasters. 



Fog is a serious handicap to the scouting activities of the patrol 

 vessels during the months of May, June, and July. When warm 

 southerly winds of tropical air are experienced, dense fog can be 

 expected to cover the cold water as surface cooling of this air mass 

 begins immediately. A 2°F. cooling of a tropical air mass may 

 produce fog and a corresponding rise dispel it. In one particular 

 instance fog existed continuously for 13 days, June 6 to 17, and it 

 was necessary for the Ice Patrol vessel to confine its search for ice 

 to the southern limits of the fog-covered area. At such times ice 

 •conditions in the cold water become unknown. Steamship tracks 



> The prescribed tracks during the year 1939 are graphically shown on the August ice chart. (See fig. 8.) 



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