Patrol Boat Research Articles

Portugal's Strategic Territories

Portugal is lacking in heavy industry and is not in a position to contribute to the common cause on a large scale with raw materials and troops. Fully mobilized, her Army numbers 700,000 men, now rapidly being equipped with modern American and British mat?riel. Her Air Force is small and in the event of war seems destined to be used more for scouting and Atlantic rescue work than for combat. Her Navy comprises about 60 vessels, counting train ing ships, hydrographie ships and patrol boats; but it does not include a cruiser, battleship or aircraft carrier. Experts say that the Portuguese Navy is at least ten units below desirable strength, and although sloops, destroyers and submarines now regularly exercise with the other Pact fleets off the At lantic coast, no program has yet been set in motion to remedy this deficiency. Portugal's neutrality during the last war, and the loan of her Azores bases to the Allies within the framework of the 600-year-old Anglo-Portuguese Al liance, showed that her adjacent islands are of immense strategic value in warfare in the Atlantic. Last year the United States concluded an agreement with Portugal for the use of the full facilities of these bases in peace and war. The agreement also provided that the same facilities should be extended to Great Britain in the case of war, and that American officers should train Portuguese personnel at the Lajens air base. With the threat to world peace coming from the East, all of Portugal's vast overseas Empire assumes importance. Her overseas possessions?East and West?cover some 2,170,276 square kilometers. Their coastlines, not includ ing those of the adjacent islands, stretch along 5,534 kilometers of the At lantic and Indian Oceans or of other Asiatic seaboard. They vary in size from the vast 1,246,700 square kilometer tract of Angola in Africa to tiny Macao, 16 kilometers square, on the coast of China. The strategic significance of the Azores hardly needs emphasis. The Cape Verde Islands, which hold the key to the southern part of the Atlantic, are no less important as bases, lying as they do off the French West African coast, and on the air route to the South Americas. The large airport on Sal Island is already the nucleus of what may become a strategic wartime base. Angola and Guinea, with 1,816 kilometers of coastline on the Atlantic, may be regarded as an integral part of Atlantic defense. They also offer a vital outlet to the inland territories of Africa. Angola is an important source of foodstuffs and raw materials, producing sugar, cotton, rice, coffee, maize, sisal and vegetable oils, among other crops, as well as asphalt, copper, com mercial and other diamonds, mica and manganese. Although not a natural market for the United States, wartime needs and the tremendous develop

Tolerance of the Snail Thais Floridana to Waters of Low Salinity and the Effect of Size

The snail Thais floridana is one of the prominent molluscs of the Gulf coast. It is well known to oyster fishermen there as a predator of oysters. The size of this animal is considerably smaller in the vicinity of Pensacola than it is west of the Mississippi; also, the architecture of the shells is typically different. Thais floridana floridana Conrad from Santa Rosa Sound is a smooth-shelled form, whereas Thais fioridana haysae Clench, obtained in Grand Bayou and from Sugar House Reef, Barataria Bay, La., is characterized by a double row of protruding knobs about the largest whorl of the shell. The identification of these two geographical varieties was kindly made by Dr. Paul Bartsch of the United States National Museum, from specimens sent to him. Snails from various localities were used together in these experiments in order to obtain a complete range in size. There did not seem to be any specific difference in their reaction to the experimental conditions. In view of the fact that salinity is one of the important ecological variables of confined coastal waters, such as obtain in Santa Rosa Sound and Barataria Bay, a study was undertaken of the effects of salinity changes, particularly from high to low salinity, on the snail Thais. The significance of the study is twofold. First, there is the consideration that animals living in or near the tidal zone must in one way or another exhibit a high degree of tolerance to salinity changes in order to survive. A study of behavior in relation to this environmental factor is therefore of general importance to the great animal majority which makes the littoral zone the most populated region of the sea. Secondly, inasmuch as the snail under investigation is an important enemy of oysters, and in view of the fact that grounds where both the oyster and the snail live are normally subject to dilution with river water, a study of the salinity tolerances of Thais may have practical value in determining the location of planted oyster beds. This hypothesis is based, of course, on the supposition that the oyster itself possesses a higher range of tolerance than does the snail. All information now available (communication from Dr. A. E. Hopkins) indicates that such is actually the case. The work here reported was done at the U. S. Fish and Wildlife Service Laboratory at Pensacola, Florida, during the first half of the year 1942. For the use of the laboratory and for extending opportunities for studies in the field, I am deeply indebted to the Director, Dr. A. E. Hopkins. Material was collected locally; and from Barataria Bay by courtesy of Mr. J. N. McConnell of the Department of Conservation, who kindly allowed the use of the facilities of the patrol boat Louisiana for the purpose.

The oceanographic work of the United States Coast Guard in 1937 and plans for 1938

For the 1937 season the Coast Guard assigned the cruising cutters Champlain and Mendota to the duties of the International Service of Ice Observation and Ice Patrol. The 125‐foot patrol boat General Greene was again designated as the oceanographic vessel of the Ice Patrol Force. Because of the unusually early date upon which it was necessary to begin the service of Ice‐observation, the cutter Cayuga made one ice‐observation patrol, February 5 to 21. The iceobservation officer, who has charge of the scientific work on the patrol cutters, was Lieutenant G. Van A. Graves, and the oceanographer in charge of the scientific work on the oceanographic vessel was Floyd M. Soule. From several thousand temperature‐reports received by the patrol cutters from passing steamers the ice‐observation officer was enabled to maintain an up‐to‐date surface isothermal chart of the usually ice‐infested area in the vicinity of the Grand Banks and to prepare nine fortnightly sea‐surface isothermal charts which will appear in Coast Guard Bulletin No. 27.

The Oceanographic work of the United States Coast Guard in 1936 and plans for 1937

In 1936 the United States Coast Guard assigned two first‐class cruising cutters, the Pontchartrain and Champlain, to the duties of the International Service of Ice Observation and Ice Patrol in the North Atlantic Ocean. The 125‐foot patrol boat General Greene was designated as the oceanographic vessel of the Ice Patrol Force. The ice‐observation officer, who has charge of the scientific work on the patrol cutters was Lieutenant G. Van A. Graves, and the oceanographer in charge of the scientific work on the oceanographic vessel was Floyd M. Soule. As in past years, several thousand temperature‐reports were received from passing steamers, thus enabling the ice‐observation officer to maintain an up‐to‐date surface isothermal chart of the usually ice‐infested area in the vicinity of the Grand Banks. From these data six fortnightly sea‐surface isothermal charts were prepared and will appear in Coast Guard Bulletin No. 26 which is now in press.

The Oceanographic Work Of The United States Coast Guard in 1935 and Plans For 1936

During the season of 1935, the Coast Guard cutters Mendota and Pontchartrain carried on the duties of the International Service of Ice Observation and Ice Patrol in the North Atlantic, the Coast Guard 125‐foot patrol boat General Greene serving as oceanographic vessel of the Ice Patrol Force. Lieutenant G. Van A. Graves, U.S. Coast Guard, was Ice‐Observation Officer in charge of the scientific work of the Ice Patrol cutters, and Floyd M. Soule was Oceanographer in charge of the scientific work of the oceanographic vessel.

Oceanographic work carried on by the United States Coast Guard during 1934 and plans for 1935

The Coast Guard, following the practice of the past few years, assigned two first‐class cruising cutters, the Mendota and Pontchartrain, to the duties of International Ice Patrol for the season of 1934. Also, in addition, the 125‐foot patrol boat General Greene was detailed as oceanographic vessel.The General Greene, with which we are particularly interested, took oceanographic observations of the temperature and salinity in the area around the Grand Banks from April 17 to June 29. A series of four current‐maps was constructed and delivered to the Ice Patrol cutter on duty. This information was used by the Ice Observation Officer to guide and warn the steamships throughout the ice season. The first current‐ (hydrodynamic) map indicated that the Labrador Current in April was setting farther inshore than normal. As a consequence of this, practically all of the icebergs during April were swept inshore onto the northern slope of the Grand Banks. The month of May saw current‐conditions returning to normal with bergs drifting in the Labrador Current southward along the eastern side of the Grand Banks. The cold current, however, did not penetrate southward as far as normal. For that reason only a very few bergs succeeded in drifting south of the 43rd parallel latitude. Early in June it was observed from the current map constructed by the General Greene that the Labrador Current was pinched off by a wedge of warm Atlantic water associated with the Gulf Stream, which pressed inshore to the westward against the slope of the Grand Bank in latitude 44°. This development in the currents effectually blockaded icebergs from further threatening the steamships on the United States to Europe tracks and the Ice Patrol was discontinued on June 29.

Oceanographic work of the United States Coast Guard during 1931 and plans for 1932

Three vessels were detailed to the International Ice Patrol duty in 1931 by the United States Coast Guard instead of two as formerly. It was planned to have the Mojave and the Pontchartrain, the two larger vessels, remain with the southernmost ice‐limits southeast of Newfoundland primarily to gather ice‐information and to disseminate same to shipping. The third vessel, the 125‐foot patrol boat General Greene carried all the ice patrol s oceanographic equipment and was to be used mainly for the scientific program.

NEW PATROL BOATS FOR THE U. S. COAST GUARD

Journal of the American Society for Naval EngineersVolume 44, Issue 1 p. 53-65 NEW PATROL BOATS FOR THE U. S. COAST GUARD Commander Harvey F. Johnson, Commander Harvey F. Johnson U.S.C.G., Member.Search for more papers by this author Commander Harvey F. Johnson, Commander Harvey F. Johnson U.S.C.G., Member.Search for more papers by this author First published: February 1932 https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1559-3584.1932.tb05053.xAboutPDF ToolsRequest permissionExport citationAdd to favoritesTrack citation ShareShare Give accessShare full text accessShare full-text accessPlease review our Terms and Conditions of Use and check box below to share full-text version of article.I have read and accept the Wiley Online Library Terms and Conditions of UseShareable LinkUse the link below to share a full-text version of this article with your friends and colleagues. Learn more.Copy URL Share a linkShare onFacebookTwitterLinkedInRedditWechat Volume44, Issue1February 1932Pages 53-65 RelatedInformation