AERIAL ICE RECONNAISSANCE 



During the period 1 September 1969 to 31 

 August 1970, a total of 78 ice observation flights 

 were made. Preseasoii flights made in September, 

 December, January, February, and March ac- 

 counted for 18 flights, and 60 flights made during 

 the season accounted for the remainder. The pur- 

 pose of the preseason flights was to study iceberg 

 distribution patterns in Baffin Bay and the Lab- 

 rador Sea, and to evaluate the iceberg potential 

 of the developing ice season. The purpose of the 

 flights during the season was to guard the south- 

 eastern, southern, and southwestern limits of ice- 

 bergs, to evaluate the short term iceberg potential 

 of the waters immediately north of the Grand 

 Banks, and occasionally to study the iceberg dis- 

 tribution along the Labrador coast. Flight statis- 

 tics are shown in table 1, and are exclusive of 

 time required to deploy from U.S. Coast Guard 

 Air Station, Elizabeth City, to the operating 

 base. 



Aerial ice reconnaissance was accomplished by 



Table I. -Aerial 



Reconnaissance Statistics— September 

 August 1970 



Number of flights 



September 5 



October 



November 



December 3 



January 3 



February 2 



March (through 23d) ._ 5 

 Preseason totals 



Season 

 March (from 24th) 



April 



May 



June 



July (through 24th) 



Season totals — 



Postseason 

 July (from 25th) . 

 August 



Postseason totals 



Annual totals 78 



30.9 









 20.0 

 15.0 

 12.3 

 25.4 





 476.3 



U.S. Coast Guard Lockheed HC130B aircraft 

 from the U.S. Coast Guard Air Station at Eliza- 

 beth City, North Carolina. During the preseason 

 flights the aircraft operated from U.S. Naval 

 Station Argentia, Newfoundland ; U.S. Air Force 

 Base Goose Bay, Labrador; U.S. Air Force Base 

 Sondrestrom, Greenland; and U.S. Air Force 

 Base Thule, Greenland. During the iceberg sea- 

 son Ice Patrol aircraft have in the past operated 

 from U.S. Naval Station Argentia, however in 

 February 1970 it was announced that operations 

 there were to be phased down, and it became 

 necessary to locate another airfield from which to 

 operate, thus terminating the long and fruitful 

 association of the International Ice Patrol with 

 the Naval Station. This association dates back to 

 the postwar reactivation of the International Ice 

 Patrol in 1946 when two U.S. Coast Guard 

 PB4Y-1 Liberators, based at the U.S. Naval Op- 

 erating Base, Argentia, became the first Ice 

 Patrol reconnaissance aircraft. 



After consideration of several alternatives it 

 was decided to operate from the Naval Station 

 in 1970 until instrument landing facilities were 

 discontinued, and then to deploy to Canadian 

 Forces Base Summerside, Prince Edward Island, 

 for the remainder of the season. 



On 17 ISIarch the Ice Reconnaissance Detach- 

 ment deployed to Argentia from Elizabeth City 

 and operated there until 30 April when the move 

 was made to Summerside. Summerside, approxi- 

 mately 500 miles west of the Grand Banks, was 

 the operating base for the Ice Reconnaissance 

 Detachment until 24 July when it returned to 

 the United States. 



The generosity and cooperation of the Cana- 

 dian Forces in permitting the International Ice 

 Patrol to operate from their base at Summerside 

 is gratefully acknowledged. In spite of the dis- 

 tance from the patrol area Ice Patrol operations 

 were conducted smoothly from Summerside. This 

 was certainly due in large measure to the excel- 

 lent logistic and communication support provided 

 by the Canadian Forces, as well as their efforts 

 to make the Ice Patrol feel genuinely welcome. 



