rent. The tracks of all reporting ships are plotted as they cross 

 the area. It should be reassuring to a master to know that his 

 ship's position is checked constantly and he will receive any 

 reports of ice sighted on his track ahead. 



Merchant ships worked traffic with NIK on 425, 454, 468 or 

 480 kcs. or their assigned 8 mc. band. NIK transmitted on 466 

 or 8650 kcs. 



International Ice Patrol also operated a branch teletype station 

 from the Naval teletype relay at Argentia. This circuit was used 

 for the transmission and receipt of ice information between the 

 United States Naval Hydrographic Office, the Canadian Depart- 

 ment of Transport Ice Information Office at Halifax, U.S. Coast 

 Guard Headquarters and other interested agencies. 



During the 1958 season Ice Patrol communications facilities 

 handled a total of 7,847 radio messages and 8,875 landline dis- 

 patches. The statistics concerning ship reports is given by the 

 following table : 



Number of ice reports received from vessels 245 



Number of vessels furnishing ice reports 46 



Number of sea surface temperatures reported 5,998 



Number of vessels furnishing sea surface temperatures 408 



Number of requests for special ice information 84 



Total number of vessels worked (not including relays) 428 



The percentage distribution of reporting vessels by nationality 

 was as follows : 



Percent of Percent of 



Nationality total Nationality total 



Great Britain 28.5 Netherlands 4.4 



United States 22.5 Liberia 3.9 



Germany 11.0 Italy 3.2 



Norway 6.3 France — 2.9 



Sweden 6.1 Others (18 nations) 11.2 



GULF OF ST. LAWRENCE AND STRAIT OF BELLE ISLE 



The annual Ice Reconnaissance and Advisory Service of the 

 Gulf of St. Lawrence was conducted again this year by the 

 Canadian Department of Transport. The program was under the 

 supervision of Capt. E. L. Kelso, Canadian Ice Information Officer. 



The service consisted of 11 flights over the main body of the 

 Gulf of St. Lawrence between 14 March and 28 April, and four 

 flights over the Strait of Belle Isle area between 21 May and 4 

 June. 



For the first time ice forecasting was employed and the services 

 of the Canadian Navy Ice Forecasting Central at HMCS Shear- 

 water, Dartmouth, Nova Scotia, were provided to the Department 



