Iceberg Patrols Guard Ships Off Greenland

Press, Issue 29236, 21 June 1960, Page 23

Iceberg Patrols Guard Ships Off Greenland

(From «’ Reuter Correspondent)

COPENHAGEN, June 14.

A permanent air patrol has been set up by Denmark to protect ships from icebergs in the notorious sea-lanes south of Greenland, one of the most dangerous stretches of water in the world. Safety regulations for vessels sailing between Denmark and Greenland will also be tightened up. Two Danish ships have sunk in 16 months on the way from Greenland to Copenhagen, with a total loss of 113 passengers and crew.

The victims met their deaths as the ships turned out from the west coast of Greenland into the stormy North Atlantic, past the southern tip of the island somewhat grimly named Cape Farewell.

The first ship lost was the Hans Hedtoft, which hit an iceberg south of Cape Farewell on its maiden voyage in January last year, and with its 95 passengers and crew sank without trace. She had been specially fitted for the Greenland run, with double-thick iron plates, at a cost of £680,000.

The Hans Hedtoft tragedy shocked the nation, and led the Government to establish the iceberg patrol, at a cost of 16 million kroner (about £800,000). The spring, another ship, the Hanne S., has been lost at almost exactly the same spot, with 18 passengers and crew. Ironically, the Hanne S., disappeared at almost exactly the same time as the Danish Government was approving measures to set up the iceberg and weather patrol on a permanent basis. Now, Catalina flying boats will each day, weather permitting, scour the waters around the southern tip of Greenland, flying on an 800-kilometre (500-miles), crescent-shaped route. Their chief task will be to spot big icebergs and pin point them on the map. Icebergs Menace Shipping It is estimated that every spring about 9000 icebergs are “bom” in Greenland. They “calve off” from the huge ice-cap and drift south, a menace to North Atlantic shipping.

It was one of these which sank the Titanic, another the Hans Hedtoft.

The job of the Danish pilots, who started the patrol on a provisional basis last November, Is to know the position of every one of the large icebergs, and the direction of its drift Each iceberg is registered on the map and followed day by day. An ice-map is kept by the weather service, and with this ship’s captains can be kept up-to-date on the lastest positions of the icemasses. Even if bad weather stops flying for a day or two, the approximate position of the icebergs can be calculated with the help of wind and current charts. The pilots of the ice patrol will also act as guides when a ship is caught in a thick ice belt, pointing the way to clearer waters. This air patrol of the shipping lanes south of Greenland has finally been established in an atmosphere of bitter recrimination from some quarters in Denmark at what is considered slackness by the Government. There has been considerable criticism of regulations concerning sailing to Greenland. Some experts say that winter sailing in the area should be banned. Others say that many ships are hot strong enough, and inadequately manned to defy the hazards of these waters. . Stringent Precautions In addition to the air patrol, other stringent safety precautions are likely to be imposed on the Greenland run, following the dnking of the Hanne S. After her loss, there was a meeting of Denmark's joint shipping council, at which strong criticism was heard of Greenland sailing regulations. Seamen’s union leaders called for manning regulations for ships

on this route to be altered. At present, it was said, a ship the size of the Hanne S. (500 tons) can operate at night with only a deckboy at the rudder, and the captain or mate on the bridge, while the rest of the crew sleep. The union chairman. From Andersen, protested that ships of this size and strength are in any case not adequate for the rough seas south of Greenland. “Ships cannot be to strong for this run,” he said. “Few ships can survive a collision with an iceberg, but they should be strong enough to ride out the wont storm.”

Several newspapers have taken up his complaints that ships with wooden hatches are not strong enough for Greenland waters. It is believed that a heavy sea smashed the hatch covers of the Hanne S., flooding the holds and sinking her almost immediately. Ships' officers complain that ‘‘any ship which can be insured can be sailed on the Greenland run.” The Stokers’ Union alleges that ships are allowed to sail in the area with insufficient radio equipment for emergencies. In the face of this barrage of complaints, the Minister of Trade and Shipping, has promised to hold an Inquiry into the situation, and to ensure that all ships on the Greenland run have enough crew to enable an adequate round-the-clock watch to be maintained.