MONTHLY WEATHER REVIEW
VOL. 62 No. 2
W. 3. do. 829 FEBRUARY, 1924 CLOSED APEIL 3, 1924 IBBUED MAY 9. 1024
5c/ +67(%/-/) A CRUISE WITH THE INTERNATIONAL ICE PATROL
By ROBERT DE C. WARD
[Esrvard University, October 18,19231
The Titanic memd s m ’ c e .-O n A ril 15, 1923, the
duty, took up her position at the exact spot where the Titunic sank,’after collision with an icebe 11 years
to the Associated Press on the night of April 14, asking that churches should ‘oin in a memorial service at 10
ships at sea were asked to hold services at the same hour.
All radios were silent for five minutes, between 10 and five minutes after 10. Under these circ.umstances, with many thousands of men and women and children, on land and on the high seas, unitin in commemoratin the reat
M%c. “he American flag was at half-mast. Full military honors were paid to the dead.
This incident was one of extraordinary human interest and significance. “he Titanic sank, as other “missing)” vessels undoubtedly sank before her, in the
@ant White Star liner was a catastro he which should never occur lying-to over t e grave of the Titanic, is a symbol of a
high resolve that everything possible shall hereafter be done to revent any such disaster in the years to come.
ing the ice season. All paspin ships are given full in-
broadcast ice re orts are sent out twice a day from the Ice Patrol vessef Special reports can be requested, and are immediately furnished a t any hour, da or night.
co u$ d have before the patrol was established. They may sleep eacefully, knowing that a United States Coast Guar B cutter, on Ice Patrol service, is doing her duty not far away. No serious collision with ice has taken place in the area covered by the patrol since that service was inaugurated. Establishment o the International Ice Patrol.-The Titanic disaster le ;f to the establishment of the Ice Patrol. One month after that catastrophe, the United States Hydrographic Office (May 15,1912) m.ade a recommenda- tion to the Navy Department that one or more naval vessels should patrol in the vicinity of the steamer lanes and warn pessing ships of ice dan er. Such a patrol was
at once ut into operation, the I? S. S. Birmi.ngham and Cneeter ternating on this duty during the1912 ice season.
United States Coast Guard cutter iK J oc, on Ice Patrol
before.’ A radio messagefrom the Modoc ha 3 been sent
a. m. (eastern standar d time) on the following day. All
tr edy, the service was he 7 d on the quarter 8 7 eck o the
by, through collision with an iceberg. ‘The r oss o Pe the
. The ddodoc, on P ce Patrol duty,
To-day t \ e danger zone is patroled day and night dur-
formation about the location o B menacing bergs. Radio
Trans-Atlantic assengers may now pass t L ough the dan er zone wit R a feeling of safety which they never
ears
Tin
- 3
I The Tilank sank on Apr. 14, 1912, in latitude 41e 46‘ N., longltude 500 14’ W. Over
1,W lives were lost. For the illustrations accompanying this article the wrlter is indebted as follows: Flgs. 4-6 snd 8 to Lkut. Commander William J. Wheeler Fi 3 9 and 10 toiLleut E. E. Smlth; hg. 7, to Chief Radlo Man W. W. Reynold. &&)and a ahfrom th; Hlot Chad oJtba No& AUanL Ocean for March. 1928.
94018-61
In 1913 the United States Revenue Cutter Service (now the Coast Guard) took over the task, the cutters Seneca and Miami alternating in the service, while the British S. S. Scofia., well known as an Antarctic exploring ship, cooperated and completed a valuable series of meteoro- lo ical and oceanographic observations. In the autumn
Life a t Sea was held in London, as one result of w&ch 14 maritime nationsagreed (January20,1914) to maintain a continuous patrol of the area of the North Atlantic most endangered by ice during the ice season. The United States Government was asked to undertake the management of this service, and each of the contracting powers agreed to assume a share of the expense in pro- portion to its shipping tonnage. Since 1914, with the exception of 1917 and 1918, during the war, the Ice Patrol has been maintained during each ice season by the United States Coast Guard. The United States Coast Guard and the United Stabs Hydrographic Office cooperate in the administration and operation of the atrol. The former furnishes the ships and the men, whi Q e the latter disseminates the information collected b the patrol vessels to shipping interests, and
ministrative matters are vested in a board composed of the Commandant of the Coast Guard, the Hydrographer of the Nav the Director of the Bureau of Standards, the Chief of &e Weather Bureau, and a member of the Fisheries Board. Dr. Henry B. Bigelow, of Harvard University, is an honorary member and scientific adviser. The Commandant of the Coast Guard is president of this board. The li e history of the icebergs in the danger zone.-The
Atlantic steamship traffic may be briefly stated. Most of the bergs come from the fringe of laciers bordering the west coast of Greenland, east of B &n Bay, and represent the wastage from the Greenland ice cap. A few come from the east coast of Greenland, round Ca e Farewell, and travel north as far as Davis Strait bezre turning south in the Labrador Current. Others doubtless start in the Smith Sound re ‘on and even farther north. One glacier in west Gree 3 and is reported to “calve” on the avera e one iceberg a day, and this
icebergs are afloat, and free to move, they start to drift under the influence of the currents and winds. Many
doubtless never leave their home latitudes. Others after drifting to and fro, find their way into the cold current flowmg southward thro h Dams Strait, known
become stranded off the Labrador coast. Others ground
o P; 1913 an International Conference for the Safet of
also contro s s the shifting of the steamdup tracks. Ad-
essentia f facts regarding the ice which menaces North
(See fig. 1.)
record is probably equaed k in other cases also. Once
farther south as the Labrador F urrent. Some of these
71
72 MONTHLY WEATHER REVIEW ~B U ~Y , 1924
on the northern slope of the Great Bank. Others move westward along the southern coast of Newfoundland. Relatively few eventuall travel eastward and theh south-
constitute the greatest danger to trans-Atlantic steamers while followin the most-used steamer lanes. Here the
Gulf Stream water, resulting in a more or.less complex
ward toward the Tail o 9 the Bank; and it is these which
interplay of t % e cold Labrador water and the warmer
month, and it9 track waa carefull7 computed and plotted. The rate of drift of icebergs vmea a good deal, a maxi- mum of about 0.7 knot has been observed late in the season in the cold current around the Tail of the Bank. It has been estimated that if a berg keeps in the current, it will take it about five months to travel from Ca e Dyer, Baffin Land, to south of latitude 45' N. Bergs $ o not long survive in the warm waters of the Gulf Stream,
-u rrulj-6 PGAIGD VI UUUAGP uuu cILuAuuua, u r u ~~u m uuo UUL 8
5 back and forth. Their courses, which often seem erratic, now appear, after careful study, to conform more or less to certam general rules. The typical drift of a large berg during the period from April 11 to May 12, 1921, is
shown in Figure 2.
This berg waa identified by m e w of photo aphs and in other ways; it was sighted four tunes r mng the
allu u u y s-arary UI-uIr lllus-u u a l l a l U W lllllw WUW u1 lls
northern ma . Therefore the margind region be- tween the col 7Y and the warm currents is the critical one for shipping, and it is the determination of the shift- in boundary line between the safe and the unsafe areas w 5 'ch is one of the constant duties of the Ice Patrol. Hence the great importance of an accurate knowledge of the water temperature, in ascertaining which the
E ~R U A R Y , 1 N MONTHLY WEATHER REVIEW 73
cooperation of all steamers in the danger zone isasked and expected. The dividing line between Labrador Current
and Gulf Stream is often ve sharply defined, not only b temperature, but also by g e color of the water and by d e “nps” which are seen, and felt, between the two
currents. With the advance of summer, the icebe
drift of iceberg, April PI-May 12, Sg. 2). Were the ice always in the same zone, the situation would be a simple one. The difEculty is that the number of bergs vmea reatly from year to year, and that in some years they %rift much farther southward than in others. It is on this account that the continued and regular work of the
infested waters gradually become warmer; the Gu 7- f Ice Patrol is so important.
DRIFT TRACK
ICEBERG
SEASON 1921
-- OF AN
(THIS IS A TYPICAL DRI-)
55 50 4s
he. Z-Map showing typIcsl drlft of an Iceberp dnrin# the season of le21
Stream moves northward to the Tail of the Bank, and the ice season reaches its end. The regular steamer tracks between Europe and the United States are located to the south of the southern end of the Labrador Cur- rent where that current is turned backward and east- wad by the Gulf Stream at the Tail of the Bank (note
Organization Ofthe International Ice Patrol.-To cam on the Ice Patrol the United States Coast Guard detai 3 s
each year two of its newest and best-equi ped cutters. During the ast two years the Modoc an C r the Tampa, sister ships, gave been aasigned to this important duty. F h m March through June, and into July if neceasq,
14 MONTHLY WEATHER REVIEW FEBRUARY, 19%
these vessels base on Halifax, N. S., where they obtain fuel and supplies. They alternate in cruising in the ice region, the eriod of duty being 15 days on actual patrol,
fsx. When the 15 days have expired, the vessel on patrol is relieved by the sister ship a t sea. The relieving ship brings out the mail, and receives on board the offi- cer in charge of the scientific work of the atrol. This officer has, for the pa& five years, been E ieut. E. H. Smith. Duri the last two years, Lieutenant Smith
ferring from one cutter to the other a t the end of each lbday period. Under this plan, one man, who knows the locations and movements of all menacing icebe s
and &as prepared aU the chartrtsr, is on duty continuous T for about four months, with the resulting obvious abI vantage of a continuity of work and of responsibilit . Lieutenant Smith’s enthusiastic devotion to his tas z , which has deprived him of shore leave for about four months in succession during the ast two ice seasons,
Patrol. He has, furthermore, been fortunate in secur-
the Tam a (Lieut. Commander W. J. Wheeler).
invitation of Rear Admiral W. E. Re nolds, then comman- dant.of the United States Coast Juard, the writer was given the p r i d e eof taking art in the cruiseof the Tam a
her outward,trip the Tampa left Halifax June 14, and returned to ort July 5, making a round trip of exactly
The Tampa was built at Oakland, Calif., in 1921. She is an electric drive oil burner of 1,600 tons, 240 feet long, and has a com lement of somewhat less than 100 officers and men. 8he carries two 5-inch guns, one 3-inch gun, and two 6 pounders. She is named for an earlier Coast Guard cutter lost during the World War,
a disaster appro riately commemorated by means of a
earlier Tampa, having served as escort for a convo from Gibraltar, was proceeding to Milford Haven, Wa 9 es, on September 26, 1918, after discharging her duty to the convoy. At 8:45 p. m. a
loud explosion was heard, and before anyone could see what had occurred the Tampa was gone. British and American destro ers and ‘patrol vesse f s
revealed some pieces of wrec z age and the bodies of two men in naval uniform. Every man on the Tampa,
115 in all perished. “Listening m” stations on sLore re orted &at they had heard a submarine near the place
U43 later boasted that she had torpedoed an American vessel answering to the description of the Tampa. This was the greatest single disaster which befell any Ameri- can vessel during the war. It is a satisfaction to note here that Lieutenant Com- mander Wheeler, of the new Tampa, has a splendid war record. On two occasions, when in command of the United States Coast Guard Cutter Seneca, acting as
escort to a convoy between Gibraltar and the English Channel, he went to the rescue of the men on board of
a torpedoed ship, altho h it was then the established rule that if a vessel ha lf been torpedoed other vessels
exclusive o P the time occupied in going to and from Hali-
has spent all i o each ice season on the high sem, trans-
has contributed very largely to t E e success of the Ice
o % cera of the Modoc ( b ommander B. M. Chiswell) an %
The- d nited S t a b Coast Guard Cutter ((Tampa.”--By
on Ice Patrol d uty from &ne 16 to July 2, 1923. 8 n
three weeks. P
most helpful coo eration from the commandin
bronze memoria f tablet on the present Tampa. The
“he night was very black.
A search b
w % ere the Tampa sank, and the German submarine
* The writer in underpt obligations to the commanding ofem of the Tampa, Lieut Commander William . Wheder, for unfailing courtesy and thoughtful attention throuohout the crulae’ to Lleut. E. H Smith for most hdpN interest and coopexatulll, and to the other o d r n of the ship i& many favors.
near by should kee away and not run the risk of being themselves to e a oed. On one of these occasions (April 25, 1 9 1 ~, although the sinking British sloop Cowslip signaled ‘(Sta away; submarine in sight, port Captain Aeeler approached the Cowdip gE?mes, lowered his boats, and took off all the men who had not been killed by the explosion. For this he was commended by Admirals Sims and Niblack, by t.he British admiral a t Gibraltar, and later by the British Admiralty. On the second occasion (June 28, 1918) the British steamship Queen, u member of the c.onvoy, was
torpedoed and sank in five minutes. As before, without
a moment’s hesitation, Captain Wheeler steamed to the sinking ship, firing his guns and droppin depth bombs, and rescued all the survivors. The I$av cross was later awarded to Captain Wheeler for gis splendid services during the war. General tactws and roilfine on an Ice Patrol cruise.- Hunting icebergs is the. business of t,he Ice Patrol. More specifically, it is the duty of the Ice Patrol ship to determine the southern, east,ern, and western limits of the ice, and to keep in touch with this ice as it may move into the vicinity of the regular tmns-At,lantic steamship tracks. This duty involves a detnilcd search of the ocean area in the vicinity of t,he Tail of the Grecct Bank of Newfoundland, and therefore usually keeps the patrol vessel somewhat to the north of these tracks. Whenever the visibility is good, the Ice Patrol ship combs the critical areas, steaming on a rectangular, triangular, or zi zag course, keeping civeful lookout for
discovered, the course is changed so as to bring the ship near it. The berg is then examined a t close range and sketched or photographed so that it may later be ident,i- fied. In thick weather, and especially in fog, searching is out of the uestion. The atrol shi t-lierefore usually drifts, or,
ice, both from % ridge and crow’s nest. When a berg is
3 she is on the 8 reat B a d , anchors uiit.il the search can
Its position is also plotted on the chart.
FEBRUARY, 1924 MONTHLY WEATHER REVIEW 7s
her of the lpcation of any neighboring berG, and advisin tions immediate and full replies are sent. It not in- a' chance of course. When a report comes in to the atro ? frequent? h a p r that vessels reporting ice give a
ship o f an iceberg not previously seen and chartef and position or the erg which is many miles out of the way, in a dangerous position, a broadcast is at once sent out or even re ort a berg which careful search fails to reveal
.t.he patrol ship immedlately steams to the reported posi- wild-goose chases are well known on Ice Patrol duty. t.ion of the new berg. rhus, on the Tumpu, on two In addition to the very numerous individual messages
so that all vessels may be warned. At the same time at all, an cp which may have been a distant cloud. Such
6 BERGS
ca GROWLERS
occasions during the dune cruise such reports of ice led to the vessel's steaming a distance of 50 to '75 miles in order to investigate, and on one of these occasions the trip was made through dense fog. Again, inquiries bften come in askin5 whether a certain vessel, following
sent to passing ships, several regular broadcasts are sent out each day. Twice daily, at 6 a. m. and 6 p. m. (75th meridian time) a broadcast is sent to all vessels, giving full information regarding the position of dl dangerous
ice. m. (75th meridian time), a Once a day, at 7
a certain come, is likely to meet ice. To all such qua- message is sent to the Hy % ographic Oflice in Washington
76 MONTHLY WEATHER REVIEW h u a ~, 1924
wiving all essential facts as to ice and defining the ice
&mp zone.* Twice daily, a t 7 a. m. and 7 m. (75th meridian time), a message is sent to the Weat K' er Bureau in Washington, covering the regular meteorological observations. Without radio-tele aphy the Ice Patrol
the radio room on an Ice Patrol ship, and few places where more effective work is done toward saving human
life. Oceanographic stations.-At various times during the Ice Patrol season, as opportunity offers, observations of deep-sea temperatures and salinities are made at a series
of ocean0 aphic stations arranged alon five lines
the Great Bank. The observat,ions thus collected during the past few years by the Ice Patrol furnish the most complete body of data available for the study of the ocean currents of this part of the North At-lantic. On the June, 1923, cruise of the Tampa, as no ice duty farther south was immediately pressi 0, a series of such observa-
across the central part of the Great Bank toward Cape Race. This portion of the cruise took the vessel into the highest latitudes reached during Uie 15 days. The northernmost position was within about 25 miles of Cape Race, N. F. It was during this northern trip that n severe northeast gale, later referred to, was encountered. &!earner trucks.-The ice conditions found by the Ice Patrol are the determining factor in Sxig the location of the trans-Atlantic steamer tracks. These tracks are moved extra far to the south, even south of the usual summer tracks, when the ice is especially far to the south and east of the Bank, thus lengthening the course but contributing very greatly to safet Toward the end of June, a radio message reached t ,e Tampa from Washugton, asking whether the Ice Patrol would rtd- vise or recommend having the tracks shifted northward on July 1. The decision WM clear1 one involving a
heavy res onsibility on the art o 9 the commanding
scientific work. In view of the recent report of an ice- berg not far from the steamer tracks, the reply was sent that a dela in shifting the tracks was considered advis-
novel method of decreasing danger from ice which was tried during May, 1923, 'cruise of the Tampa. Gun- cotton wrecking mines were used on four successive days in order to shorten the life of a berg which had dnfted dangerously near the steamship lanes. The berg was already softened b being in warm air and warm water, but it is believe that its end as a da mer to navi ation was hastened by fully two days as t e
this be while a mine was being exploded, and gure 5
The us6 of wrecking mines for the urpose of destroy- ing icebergs is not feasible or ractica % le under ordinary circumstances. In the case {ere referred to, the berg was already in a stage of disintegration. It should be remembered that a large be in cold water, contains many thousands of tom of%d ice. A berg 65feet high and 1,690 feet long, seen by the Tampa, was calcu- lated to contain approximately 36,000,000 tons of ice. The destruction of such a mass is obviously quite beyond
would be impossible. There are T ew busier places than
radiating F rom a central point on the sout%ern part of
tions was made along a line 3 o stations extending north
officer of t IT le Tampa and of t % e officer in charge of the
able. In t ;K 's connection mention may be made of a
"A result o 9 the explosions. Figure 4 is a photo aph of
shows T t e result of the explosion.
i
$l
A sample of such a report is the followin Our osition, lat. 4 0 33', long. 48' 2 P three berg# within radius of 5 miles. Fog s %r L tiem at t i very dsngerous td -bound trSmc. A few bergs along east side of Great Bank anh around tail. One bar#, lat. 4!P 52', long, 49' 51'; om ber let. 4P 42', long 49' W, om ba lat. 48. Cn' hJ.4& ~f 6 a ~~m b ,~g s betwean @l e Cap pnd Great BanL. mowlm
human power, especially under the conditions obtaining at sea. Some typical iceber s.-Throu h the kindness of Lieut. Commander d f i a m J. h eeler, commanding officer of the Tampa, and of Lieut. E. H. Smith, it is possible to include seveqal views of icebergs taken during. recent cruises of that vessel. The size of icebergs is usually great1 overestimated. The Ice Patrol often receives re orts o 9 bergs stated to be 300 to 400 feet high, and h Bp f a mile long. During four years past, of the two largest bergs observed, one was 248 feet above the water at iB highest oint, and the other was 1,690 feet from end to end. Arne were accurate measurements, made with a sextant. Heteorologied obseruations.-A fairly complete meteor- ological lo was kept by the writer thro hout the June cruise. T%e pressures were convenient Y y recorded on the writer's small-size self-recording barometer, an in- strunient which successfully continued an almost unin- terrupted service of over 25 years. This instrument, as on previous voyages, was suspended from the ceiling of the stateroom at the end of a spiral spring, and waa prevented from excessive swinging by means of strings carried laterally to near-b stanchions. Water-surface
the ship's log. June is characteristically a fine weather month over the North Atlantic, with summer conditions well estab- lished, a minimum of weather changes, weak to moder- ate barometric gradients, and gales occurring only 5 to 7 per cent of the time over the stormiest portion of the northern steamship lanes. June and July are the months of most fo , the maximum ercentage of "da s with fog" acconfng to the June J&t Chart of f i e drth At- Zantic Ocean being 60 to 65 er cent over a considerable
run of the weather was, with one exception, what was to be expected in the first summer month. Moderately high and uniform pressure prevailed most of the time, with light variable winds, about e ually proportioned between those from northerly and t % ose from southerly points. There was little rain, and that in a few brief showers. There were many dull and overcast, and one or two bright sunny da s. The sea was mostly smooth to
Ice Patrol ship to spend most of her time narth of the
steamer lanes, in the cold water of the Labrador Current, temperatures, both of air and water, were low, being be- tween 40' and 50' F. during most of the time. It was not until the last few da , at the northern edge of the Gulf Stream, and with Sff. winds, that higher tempera- tures were recorded. The maximum was 67', on the last day of the patrol, and the minimum 38.' The daily range avera ed under 10'; on several days it was legs
than 5'. &e maximum and minimum water surfsce
temperatures were 62' at the edge of the Gulf Stream, and 38' in the Labrador water. When the Tampa on two or three occasions crossed) into the Gulf Stream water there was a sudden rise in temperature of 5' to lo', and a short spell of rough water.
nearly 70 per cent of the t h e , an avera e somewhat
(about 50 per cent). The fogs of the Bank are gener- ally known to be most prevalent with hght to gentle southerly (S., SE., SW.) winds, when warm momt air from the Gulf Stream drift is carried across the wld Labrador water. The conditions on the present Cruise
temperatures and night o l servations were taken from
area east and northeast of #- ewfoundland. The general
moderate. Owing to t E e fact that her duty requires the
Fog was the dominant feature. On the basis of hour1 observations fog of varying degrees of density prevaile 8
above that shown on the Pilot Chart for t% e same area
(To face p. 76.) M. W. R. February, 1924
c
, I -
. ..
FIG. 7.-A massive iceberg, waterworn near the surface 'FIG. 4.-Shortening the life of an iceberg by means of a wrecking mine
FIG. 5.-The result of explosions in breaking UI action an( FIG. 8.-A berg well smoothed by
3. B.-Ioeberg with two vertical faces and a small "growb TIC. 9.-The Tu close
L sms :g, well wa id mc ;he Tampa
~R W A R Y , 1924 MONTHLY WEATHER REVIEW 77
were in agreement with this fact, but considerable fog
also occurred with NE., N., and NW. breezes. The uestion arises whether norther1 winds are not more
rather than dunng the colder months.
Ia order to study the vertical distribution of tem- perature in fogs, several sets of simultaneous observa- tions were secured on the lower deck and in the “crow’s neat,” about 12 feet and 90 feet above the water line, reppectively. These observations were made when the
wlr~d was southerly in the morning and also about sunset,
duripg dense fo which extended vertically above the “crow’s nest.” The temperatures at 90 feet were 4’ to
5.5’ higher than those on the deck, the surface water being 4’ to 15’ colder than the air 12 feet above it. Inversions averaging about 5’ in 78 feet were thus found, or about 1’ in 15 feet. The marked chilli& of the air in close contact with the cold water is clearly seen in these observations. phenomehon was observed on a late
The shi herself was in a clear area, whilo around the
defined against the western s y. At frequent intervas wisps, streamers, columns, and often larger masses of fo rose above the general level top of the fog banks. Severa of these risi portions resembled waterspouts, and might easily “ga ve been mistaken for them. Others, more massive, looked like distant mountainous islands. Others Sin might readily have been recorded as ice- b ?!?areful observations from the brid e, both m F k e naked eye and with marine glasses, s % owed a slow spiralling or vortex motion in some of the smaller and more slender forms of these fog growths. It ap- peared as if this henomenon were due to a convectional
between the lower air, 1 g on the warm water, and the
tion at sunset. An eddying motion might easily be produced under such conditions. The surface wind at the time was very gentle, and the lower clouds gave no indication of a rapid movement of the air a short dis- tance aloft. Hence there seemed little opportunity for a
rolling-over and intermingling of surface and upper air
CUlT8Ilts.
The only marked atmospheric disturbance occurred during about 36 hours whde the Tampa was running across the Bank toward and from Ca e Race. Pres-
(barograph readings). Fresh NE. ales, reaching a
force of 10 Beaufort, blew for several % ours, with a rery rough sea and some rain squalls. The clinometer in the engine room showed a maximum roll of 46’. As the Tamp was ma - slow progress against the gale and
she was put about and headed south, before the wind. With a nsing barometer, the wind backed to the NW., with slowly diminish’ force and (i clearing sky. A radio report from Ca %ace reported tr, wind velocity of
exceeded on t,he Tampa. The weather broadcast from Arlington noted “a disturbance of considerable intensity central immediately south of Newfoundland moving slowly northeastward.” Confirmatory evidence of this fact was found in reports received on the Tampa from other vessels in the general vicinity but farther south, as well as in the observations made.on the Tampa herself, which apparently passed nearly through the center of the disturbance, and somewhat to the north of it. The
Lely to be f o g y in summer, w rl en they are warmest,
An interest’ afternoon near 7 t e northern margin of the Gulf Stream.
R T
horizon ps y fog banks, their u per surfaces b e i q clear1
7
ascent induced i y the vertical temperature gradient
colder air at the top o 9“ the fog banks, cooled by radia-
sur- fell from 30 inches to 29.15 inc % es in 18 hours
heavy sea, and ha 9 suffered dimage to one of her boats,
63 miles an hour at t L t station. This was undoubtedly
rem of the cloud sheet .was clearly seen retreating to the eastward on the following day. The highest pressures (30.45 inches) occurred durihg
a well-marked antic clone which prevailed throughout
report of an icebe not far from the steamer lanes, south of the tail of the%ank, had led to a quick run to the
southward. For three or four days the vessel “drifted” most of the time, lying a little north of the steamer lsllea near the northern edge of the Gulf Stream, in a dense fog, with a very smooth sea, variable breezes, mostly southerly and southwesterly, and calms; tem eratures between 60’ and 70’. These were “typical” conditions for fog. No search for ice was possible dur’ this spell. A?%ough, as stated above, the patrol shi spends most of her time in the cold water, she occasio nap ly runs acm the so-called “ Cold wall” into the Gulf Stream. The contrast between the cold greenish Arctic water and the
warm bluish Qulf Stream water is sometimes very clearly seen, as was the cme on the return voyage of the Tamp to Halifax early in July, 1933. On one occasion, in 1922, when the ship was placed directly across the “ Cold wall,” the water temperature at the bow was 34’, and at the stern 56’. On a fine da in June, 1922, swimming
shi into water at a temperature of 70°, while within a
hl!) mile to the northward there was an iceberg. Daily weder maps baaed on radio repork-Through the enerous cooperation of Chief Radio Man Reynolds of &e Tampa it was possible to construct s
re lar Weather Bureau observations broadcast from
d%&ton. w ith a few exceptions, a map was drawn
morning on the basis of the 8 . m. (75th meridian
based on the 8 a. m. observations, was also constructe . In addition to the laud stations regularly included in the broadcast, reporta from vessels at sea received by the Tampa, as well as the observation made on the Tampa, were also used in preparing these maps. The construc- tion and study of the maps proved most interestug not only from the point of view of the weather con tions prevailing at home, but also because of their use in general forecasts for the western North Atlantic. Such orecasts were made daily on board b the writer, and were not without interest and value. h e develop- ment and the later break-u over the eastern United
careful1 watched on these daily maps constructed a t sea. T i e Associated Press broadcasts received on the Tampa reported, as was expected, many deaths from sunstroke and thousands of heat prostrations within the hot-wave area. At sea during these same da. the
was be’ worn, and steam heat was turned on in the cabins.?he assage eastward down the St. Lawrence Valley, or fart 1 er to the south, of several depressions was also watched with interest with reference to their possible control over the weather at sea. With one exception, however, these June cyclonic areas were too weak, and passed too far to the northward, to cause any appreciable disturbance over the area of the Tampa’s cruising. Conditions in the -tern United States favorable for heat and for wind-shift line thunderstorms were readily picked out, even on the incomplete maps constructed on shipboard With regard to the use in the construction of daily weather maps at sea, 01 meteorological observations
the last few days o 9 the Tampa’s Ice Patrol duty. A
liberty was granted to all h a B s. The men dove off the
weather maps for the eastern United States base rptic on the
s :gT observations, and on most B ays a second ma ,
States of the hot wave of tg e third week of June was
temperatures were between 40’ and 50°, heavy c T othing
78 MONTHLY WZATHER REVIEW FEBRUARY, 1924
received from other vessels, the writer’s own experience leads to his makin the following suggestions. Under the present plan, d vessels in the danger zone are ex- ected to re ort to the Ice Patrol shi regularly every
fwe temperatures. These reports vaq com leteness and accuracy. There is iversity as to the 1: ours of observation and often extreme uncertaint as to what time is used, whether G. M. T. (Greenwic mean time), or ship’s local time, or 75th meridian time. Some vessels re ort barometer reading, wind direction
not. Further, a study of the iarometer readings re- ported to the Tampa showed beyond question that, these were often considerably in error, and therefore not com arable, or of value in drawing a synoptic ma .
reeult from (1) instrumental errors, (2) lfferences in elevation above sea level (3) carelessness in observation, and (4) other causes. If it is desirable that re daily weather maps should be properly constructepti board the Ice Patrol ships, and that such maps should become of real use in forecasting a t sea, it is suggested that definite arrangements be made with the regular passenger lines whereby two of the usual four-hourly observations now requested should alwa s be made a t 8 a. m. and 8 p. m., 75th meridian time (d. M. T., 1 a. m. and p.. m.) in order that they may synchronize with the Weather bureau broadcaste; that the ship’s baro- meters should frequently be compared with a standard, and the corrections determined; and that greater care should be taken in making all the observations. The complete record, to be sent to the Ice Patrol ship at 8 a. m. and 8 . m. (75th meridian time) in systematic
of vessels; time (0. M. T., given in a four-figured group of numerals, starting with 0000 at midnight); latitude; longitude; course; speed; surface water temperature; air temperature; barometer (reduced to sea level) ;
wind direction and force; fog ( es or no); remarks.
sending the r ar four-hourly reports already asked
Icebw s seen during the cruk-Although the June cruise
several icebergs dangerous to navigation were seen at very close quarters. Two of them were of a common type; low, elongated and well water-worn masses, without pinnacles or vertical sides, and of a general “ saddleback” form. One had two distinct “streaks” of dirt in it, and showed a well-
pour hours t \ eir position, course, spee B , and water sur-
YtlY in their
and force, weat E er, state of sea etc., while others do
f These a ifficulties in the pressure readin
f
probaby
and regular or t; er would be as follows: Name (letters)
This same scheme might naturaly T well be followed in
for by the Ice P atrol.
of the 29 a m p came just at the end of the 1923 ice season,
marked fissure extending from to to bottom, filled with a more bluieh ice than that o P the berg iteelf. The second, with many distinct water-worn gulliea on ib surface, showed a former sea-level erosion line tilted
by angular measure- highest peak it sloped point. On one side from top to bottom.
This last berg was by far the largest, most majestic and most impressive which was seen. All the bergs had numbers of sinal1 “gro~vlers” drifting near them. General im resswns of the cruise.-Many incidents
on the Ice Patrol: the first iceberg seen on a cold grey
day before sunrise, sullen, massive, forbidding; the numerous drills of the men; the fresh cod caught while the vessel was at anchor on the Bank: the friendly conrersations carried on by radio with the Cape Race and the St. Pierre operators cravin human contact
call for medical aid for a new-born bab on Sable Island,
Tumpa was over 200 miles away, drifting in a dense fog in the robable vicinity of ice; her immediate start for Sable gland, through the fo , on her errand of mercy;
the relief experienced by all % ands when a later message reported the bab better and no longer in need of help; the Fourth of Ju r y National sdute a t sea in a thick fog, on tlie westward course back to Halifax. But the out- standing thought is the s lendid work which is bei done, year after year, quie tF y and unostentatiously, a m 8 the dangers of ice and storm, by the faithful ofticem and men of the United States Coast Guard on Ice Patrol.’
come to min 3 as the m t e r recalls his cruise of 15 days
and sympathy at their lonely posts o B duty; the urgent
the “graveyard of the Atlantic,” whic % came when the
4 Fuller details comernine the work of the Ice Patrol and the movements of the &a may be found in the following. Edward H Smith (IIeutenant United Statan C a t Ouard), “Some meteorological &ecb of the’ ice patrol Tork idthe North Atlsntlc.” MONTE. WcA. REV.. December,, 1UZ2. pp. 6ZE-631. and Practical knowledp rqud- ing iceberg drifts for Lrans-Atlantic navieatom” Pibt Ckart of the Nora Atfunk -a. March 1W U S Hydro raphic Om&. The writer sckninvledgea his Indebtedmas to Lidten& Smih’s articfea, from which many of the factd here given w m obtained, and from wbkh two charts (flgs. 1 and 2) were ta)ren.