US Coast Guard Coast Guard Cutter Sebago was photographed on Station A in Alpha, Bravo, Charlie… January 1949. Ocean Weather Ships 1940–1980

Robertson P. Dinsmore cupied Ocean Stations 1 and 2—the forerunners of WHOI Marine Operations Stations D and E (see chart on next page). he ocean weather station idea originated in With the US entering the war, Coast Guard cut- the early days of radio communications ters were diverted to anti-submarine duties, and Tand trans-oceanic aviation. As early as 1921, the weather stations were taken over by a motley the Director of the French Meteorological Service assortment of vessels ranging from converted proposed establishing a stationary weather observ- yachts to derelict freighters, mostly Coast Guard ing ship in the North Atlantic to benefit merchant operated. As trans-Atlantic air traffic increased, so shipping and the anticipated inauguration of trans- did the number of weather and plane guard sta- Atlantic air service. Up to then, temporary stations tions. The role of weather during the Battle of Coral had been set up for special purposes such as the Sea and trans-Pacific flights resulted in stations be- US Navy NC-4 trans-Atlantic flight in 1919 and the ing set up in that ocean also. At the service’s peak, ill-fated Amelia Earhart Pacific flight in 1937. there were 22 Atlantic and 24 Pacific stations. The loss of a PanAmerican aircraft in 1938 due At war’s end, the Navy intended to discontinue to weather on a trans-Pacific flight prompted the weather ship operations, but pressure from several Coast Guard and the Weather Bureau to begin tests sources resulted instead in establishment of a per- of upper air observations using instrumented bal- manent peacetime system of 13 stations. These are loons. Their success resulted in a recommendation shown on the next page, with the positions and by Commander E. H. Smith of the International operating nations listed in the accompanying table. Ice Patrol (and future Director of the Woods Hole Costs of the program were shared by nations oper- Oceanographic Institution) for a network of ships in ating transoceanic aircraft. the Atlantic Ocean. A typical weather patrol was 21 days on-station. World War II brought about a dramatic increase A “station” was a 210-mile grid of 10-mile squares, in trans-Atlantic air navigation, and in January 1940 each with alphabetic designations. The center President Roosevelt established the “Atlantic Weath- square, which the ship usually occupied, was “OS” er Observation Service” using Coast Guard cutters (for “on-station”). A radio beacon transmitted the and US Weather Bureau observers. Most flights at ship’s location. Overflying aircraft would check in this time were using southern routes. On February with the ship and receive position, course and speed 10, 1940, the 327-foot cutters Bibb and Duane oc- by radar tracking, and weather data. Surface weather

OCEANUS ◆ 9 Ocean Weather Stations frequently riding the 1940 – 1980 ships. In addition to serv- ing as weather reporters and navigation aids, weather ships occasion- ally rescued downed aircraft and foundering M ships. Dramatic weather B AI station rescues include the Bermuda Sky Queen P C J in 1947 (Station C), Pan- D K American 943 (Station N) V H E in 1956, and SS Ambas- N sador (Station E) in 1964. ATLANTIC By 1970, new jet air- Sta. Position Operator craft were coming to rely A 62°00' N; 33°00' W U.S. & Neth. less on fixed ocean sta- B 56°30' N; 51°00' W U.S. C 52°45' N; 39°30' W U.S. tions, and satellites were D 41°00' N; 41°00' W U.S. beginning to provide E 35°00' N; 48°00' W U.S. Jayne Doucette weather data. In 1974, H 36°00' N; 70°00' W U.S. I 61°00' N; 15°00' W U.K. observations were transmitted the Coast Guard an- J 52°30' N; 20°00' W U.K. every three hours, and “upper nounced plans to terminate the US stations, and, in K 45°00' N; 16°00' W France M 66°00' N; 02°00' E Norway airs”—from instrumented bal- 1977, the last weather ship was replaced by a newly loon data—every six hours. Using developed buoy. The international program ended PACIFIC radiosonde transmitters and radar when the last ship departed Station M in 1981. Sta. Position Operator tracking, balloon observers ob- Capt. Dinsmore commanded the weather ship USCGC Cook N 30° N; 140° W U.S. tained air temperature, humidity, Inlet. During his 28-year Coast Guard career, he served P 50° N; 145° W Canada on four North Atlantic weather ships and was weather V 34 N; 164 E U.S. pressure, and wind direction and ° ° ship program manager before joining the WHOI Staff in speed to elevations of 50,000 feet. 1971. This article is exerpted from a text about twice this Map shows the 13 Oceanographic observations length. Interested readers may request the longer account permanent weather were recommended for weather ships almost from from the Oceanus office by calling 508-289-3516 (email: stations established [email protected]). in 1946 by the the start. Beginning in 1945 and continuing to United Nations Civil the end, US ships made bathythermograph (B/T) Aviation Organiza- observations that today constitute the largest B/T tion. Program costs archive in existence. Many specific, short-term were shared by nations operating programs were carried out with oceanographers transoceanic aircraft. Letters missing from the alphabetical se- quence were those used for stations occupied during World War II but not included in the post- war weather station program.

Weather balloons were released from weather ships every six hours to gather data from elevations as high

as 50,000 feet. US Coast Guard

10 ◆ FALL/WINTER 1996