- 



*,• 



Lsfcrafcif 





*.' 



- >s 





T abrogate 



i> v 



Si L£ta,£r f :t I 



- 





71 >\ 



■ 



'..- .'...:- ■: 



iT 





-, ht- 



"^Sl John's 



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and oceanographic 



observational flight into 

 the Kara and Barents 

 Seas. While study of 

 the ocean remained a 

 critical component of 

 monitoring iceberg 



danger, IIP learned 

 from the light 1924 

 season and decided not 

 to call cutters 



and 



1CC- 



Figure 2. Map of Newfoundland and Labrador 



Pontchartrain 



Mojave to 



observation duty. 



In 1940 and 

 1941, Ice Patrol 

 followed procedures 

 similar to those of the 

 1931 season. In each of 

 these seasons, IIP 

 elected not to 



inaugurate a continuous 

 surface-vessel patrol. 

 In each of these years, 

 though, study of the 

 ocean remained a high 

 priority. In 1940, the 

 General Greene continued its oceanographic cruises. In addition, Northland made a cruise into 

 Baffin Bay along the west coast of Greenland to gain a better understanding of the source of 

 icebergs. The annual reports of 1931, 1940, and 1941 are not clear about any broadcast schedule 

 maintained by these scientific cruises, but it is evident that their presence on the Grand Banks 

 provided a safety factor for Ice Patrol. Still, the decision not to inaugurate a continuous surface- 

 vessel patrol is analogous to the present-day decision not to open the season since it is based on 

 ice conditions revealed through intense study of the ocean environment. 



Of particular interest is HP's 1940 annual report, which records hundreds of ice 

 observations from 10 different detachments of the Newfoundland Rangers. 10 During their short 

 15-ycar tenure (1935-1950), the Rangers were stationed in remote outposts of Newfoundland and 

 Labrador in places like Twillingate, Battle Harbor, and St. Anthony. The British Government 

 commissioned the Newfoundland Rangers in 1935 to serve as government representatives to these 

 outlying communities. This organization disbanded in 1950 shortly after Newfoundland joined 

 Canada. Of the 204 Newfoundland Rangers, 55 were accepted into the Royal Canadian Mounted 

 Police and continued to serve Canada." Although their information appeared only in HP's 1940 

 annual report, the Rangers are an excellent example of Ice Patrol's dependence on voluntary ice 

 observations and the spirit of international cooperation that is still alive today. 



Post-World War II : In the years following World War II, ever-advancing ice- and 

 oceanographic-observation techniques provided the Ice Patrol Commander with the tools 



49 



