Table 5 

 Iceberg Reconnaissance Sorties 



has been used since 1988. The extent of the 

 iceberg distribution throughout the entire 1 996 

 season required the use of the HC-130H 

 rather than the HU-25B. The total number of 

 flight hours increased from 439.1 hours in 

 1995 to 449.1 in 1996. The number of sorties 

 decreased from 106 in 1995 to 103 in 1996. 

 The similarity in flight hours and patrol sorties 

 in 1995 and 1996 reflects the similar geo- 

 graphic limits of the icebergs in both years, 

 even though many more icebergs crossed 

 south of 48°N in 1995. 



Each day during the ice season IIP pre- 

 pared and distributed ice bulletins at OOOOZ 

 and 1 200Z to wam mariners of the southwest- 

 ern, southern, and southeastem limits of ice- 

 bergs. U. S. Coast Guard Communications 

 Station Boston, Massachusetts, NMF/NIK, 

 and Canadian Coast Guard Radio Station St. 

 John's NewfoundlandA/ON were the primary 

 radio stations responsible for the dissemina- 

 tion of the ice bulletins. In addition, the OOOOZ 

 and 1200Z ice bulletin and safety broadcasts 

 were delivered over the INMARSAT-C 

 SafetyNet via the AOR-W satellite. Other 



transmitting stations for the bulletins included 

 METOC Halifax, Nova Scotia/CFH, Canadian 

 Coast Guard Radio Station HalifaxA/CS, Ra- 

 dio Station Bracknel, UK/GFE, and U. S. Navy 

 LCMP Broadcast Stations Norfolk, Virginia/ 

 NAM, and Key West, Florida. 



IIP also prepared a daily facsimile chart, 

 graphically depicting the limits of all known 

 ice, for broadcast at 1600Z and 1810Z daily. 

 In addition, the facsimile chart was placed on 

 Comsat Corp's INMARSAT-A FAXMAIL 

 Server for receipt at sea. U. S. Coast Guard 

 Communications Station Boston/NIK assisted 

 with the transmission of these charts. Cana- 

 dian Coast Guard Radio Station St. John's 

 NewfoundlandA/ON and U. S. Coast Guard 

 Communications Station Boston/NIK also pro- 

 vided special broadcasts as required. 



As in previous years. International Ice 

 Patrol requested that all ships transiting the 

 area of the Grand Banks report ice sightings, 

 weather, and sea surface temperatures via 

 Canadian Coast Guard Radio Station St. 

 John's/VON, U. S. Coast Guard Communica- 

 tions Station Boston/NIK, or INMARSAT-C or 

 -A using code 42. Response to this request 

 is shown in Table 6. Appendix B lists all con- 

 tributors. IIP received relayed information 

 from the following sources during the 1996 

 ice year: Canadian Coast Guard Marine Ra- 

 dio Station St. John's/VON; Canadian Coast 

 Guard Vessel Traffic Centre/Ice Operations St. 

 John's; Ice Centre Ottawa; Canadian Coast 

 Guard Marine Radio Station Halifax, Nova 

 Scotia/VCS; ECAREG Halifax, Nova Scotia; 

 U. S. Coast Guard Communications and Mas- 

 ter Station Atlantic, Chesapeake, Virginia; U. 

 S. Coast Guard Atlantic Area Command Cen- 

 ter; and U. S. Coast Guard Automated Mer- 

 chant Vessel Emergency Response/Opera- 

 tions Systems Center, Martinsburg, WV. Com- 

 mander, International Ice Patrol extends a sin- 



10 



