USCGC Eastivind, eastbound, on 11 May. This vessel was, how- 

 ever, an icebreaker type and drove through deteriorating pack ice 

 from Belle Isle to longitude 54° W. The first commercial transits 

 were made by the SS Louisa Gorthon, westbound, on 20 May and 

 the SS Manchester Mariner, eastbound, on 24 May. A particularly 

 notable passage was by the transatlantic liner SS Empress of 

 Britain, westbound, on 28 May. 



The mariner should always be aware that the opening of the 

 Strait of Belle Isle does not preclude the possibility of encounter- 

 ing icebergs and growlers. On the contrary, icebergs and their 

 deteriorating fragments are usually present on Canadian Sea- 

 sonable Track "G," between longitudes 51° W. and 57° W. and 

 often in great numbers from the date of opening until autumn. 

 Occasional bergs may be found in this region throughout the year. 



The following table brings up to date this series of bulletins' 

 records of the annual opening dates of the St. Lawrence River 

 and the Strait of Belle Isle : 



The Approximate Opening Dates for the Gulf of St. Lawrence 

 and the Strait of Belle Isle for the Years 1946-53 



ICE CONDITIONS 1958 

 January-February 



The Grand Banks and the Newfoundland area was free of ice 

 at the start of the year and the most southerly ice reported during 

 this period were occasional bergs sighted along the Labrador 

 Coast and in the Strait of Belle Isle. Newfoundland ports re- 

 mained, for the most part, ice free with only loose strings of local 

 ice in bays and estuaries. The Strait of Belle Isle and the main 

 body of the Gulf of St. Lawrence were open and navigable through- 

 out January and February. 



Between February 10th and 20th the USCGC Half Moon and then 

 USCGC Barataria occupying Ocean Station Bravo at 56°30 / N. 

 51°00'W. sighted and tracked three icebergs to melting. The 

 sighting of bergs at this station in the middle of the Labrador 

 Sea is a rare occurrence, the last known time being March-April 

 1952. Such an event invariably raises the question whether or 

 not the bergs drifted from the Labrador or Greenland side. The 

 results of the tracking this year showed a definite drift to the 



