Old Weather Forum

• Case does not matter. Type what you see, or use whichever case you prefer.
• When entering barometer height, you may want to turn on Pressure Data Auto-Fill (on the Setup sheet).
  With that, once you have entered a valid pressure, all you need to do is enter the last two digits.

• It does not matter exactly where you click provided that it is in the blue box.
• Pier 91 Seattle, Wash. can be shortened to Pier 91 Seattle since the state is obvious.
• Occasionally the only location information will be at the top of the page.
  In that case it can be entered in the blue box without a time.
  
  Michael has pointed out that he knows the location at the top of the page from the previous page, so it is optional.
  However, if no location is entered you will get a warning when you write the data.
  On this page there is a noon location, so there is no need to enter the location at the top of the page.

0000 - 0900
Moored, port side to, berth 'A', pier 91, U.S. Naval Station, Seattle
Washington. Receiving water and telephone services from shore facility.
0645 Restricted men present. 0715 Ski party of six (6) men departed ship
0830 Inspected small arms magazine, condition dry and normal. Checked
arms magazine, all accounted for.
S.B. Russell, Lt(jg)

0900 - 1600
Moored as before # 1150 FLEMEING, Vergil M. (266-362) RdM1c
reported aboard from Ten (10) days annual leave on time.
# 0920 Received from ARDEN FARMS CO as per Inv #69665
1100 Liberty party returned on time
1130 MUSIELAK, Bernard (266-513) SK2/c reported aboard
[RCJ] from inpatient at USMH Seattle, Washington
1300 Liberty granted to port watch to expire at 1100AM
29 Feb. 1948
Roy C Johnson CBM

1600 - 2400
Moored as before 1805 Ski party returned
1945 Evening reports all departments secured
Restricted men mustered
Roy C Johnson CBM

• In the 0900 - 1600 watch, you can see that the log keeper crossed something out and initialed the change.
• Sometimes there is a List of Officers at the beginning of the log book.
• More details about some of the officers may be found in Register of the commissioned and warrant officers and cadets of the United States Coast Guard 1948-51 and 1952-55.
• Navy Rank Abbreviations (pdf) is handy if you are curious about people mentioned in the log.
• Additional information and a place to ask questions can be found in People's names, ranks & rates, uniforms & badges.

• Nautical miles and tenths are combined into a single, decimal number.
• You only need to transcribe the Patent Log nautical miles if the previous column was not filled in.
• Average revolutions and tenths are not needed.
• Calm can be abbreviated as c.
• Do not transcribe Sea Condition or Sea Swells From.
  Occasionally ice is noted in the weather grid. These columns should used to transcribe it.
• For additional information, see the notes under previous example.

• Some log books specify latitude and longitude as either Observed or DR (dead reckoning).
  These logs do not, so Not Specified should be used as the Type.
• There is no need to transcribe the Noon Position Gulf of Alaska, because we have a more accurate noon position.
• For additional information, see the notes under previous example.

• You can put everything on the same line or you can use multiple lines.
• Changed course, course change, set course, etc. can all be transcribed as 'cc'.
  That not only saves you transcribing, it also makes the change easier for Michael to spot.
• You do not need to transcribe the degree symbol.
  In the rare cases where it is needed for clarity, write it out.
• It is useful to know if a course is true (T), but other abbreviations (pgc, pstgc) can be omitted.

• When multiple Sailing Info events occur within the same hour, they can be combined into a single entry.
• Bearing can be abbreviated as brg.
  Distance and distant can be abbreviated as dist.
  Mile and miles can be abbreviated as mi.

• The log has multiple spellings for MacLeod Harbor.
  Using what is written in the log is always correct.
  However, out of curiosity I looked up the official spelling and used that.
• There is no need to transcribe the comments (various courses, alongside CGC CEDAR) that do not give concrete location information.

• List all ships met on a given day in a single entry without a time.
• Omit ships that were noted on previous days.
  However, if a ship is absent from the log and then reappears, please note it again.

• There is no need to transcribe the speed (ten knots).

0000 - 0400
Underway as before course 274 T and pgc speed 11.5 knots (84 RPM)
generators number 1 and 2 on the line, motor room control.
Watch uneventful.
O.C. Hinnen Lt(jg)

0400 to 0800
Underway as before steering course 274 T and pgc 246 pstgc at speed 11.5 knots
84 RPM. Watch uneventful. 0736 With CAPE ST. ELIAS LIGHT bearing 276 T 22 miles
distance, changed course to 270 T and pgyc.
George D. Winstein, Lt(jg)

0800 - 1200
Underway as before 0830 Made daily inspection of magazines
and smokeless powder samples, conditions dry and normal, all
small arms accounted for 0915 Changed course to 290 pgc (T) with
Cape St Elias bearing 321 T, distance 6.5 miles 0947 Changed course
to 269 pgc (T) with Cape St Elias buoy abeam to starboard distance
.8 miles
JE Murray, Ensign

1200 - 1600
Underway as before on course 269 (T + pgc), 242 (pstgc), speed 11.5 knots (84 RPM)
with generators #1 and #2 on the line, motor room control. 1200 Tested general +
chemical alarms, condition satisfactory.
SB Russell, Lt(jg)

1600 - 2000
Underway as before on course 269 T + pgc, speed 11.5 knots (84 RPM)
with generators #1 and 2 on the line on motor room control. 1821 with
Cape Cleare bearing 336 T distance 2 mile changed course to 303 T + pgc.
Standing into Montague Strait 1840 with Cape Cleare bearing 080 T
distance 1.5 mile changed course to 000 T and pgc. 1847 changed course
to 008 T and pgc. 1915 on various courses standing into McCleod Harbor.
1927 shifted to pilot house control. 1945 held evening reports mustered
lifeboat crew. 1950 various speeds maneuvering alongside CGC CEDAR.
10 minute standby.
OC Hinnen Lt(j.g.)

2000 to 2400
Moored port side to the starboard side of the CGC CEDAR which is anchored
in McLEOD HARBOR, ALASKA. 2030 Transferred cargo to CGC CEDAR as per invoice no. 18-48
memorandum Bills of Lading numbered KSM-302-48, KSM-305-48, KSM-306-48
all dated 5 May 1948. 2130 The following named men worked two (2) hours
extra duty: TEELING, JAMES P. (268-823) SN, eighteen (18) hours remaining.
McCLENDON, HENRY (270-259) SA, eight (8) hours remaining, BRACE, POBERT S.
(264-292) EN3, eight (8) hours remaining. 2329 Unmoored and underway
steering various courses standing out of McLEOD HARBOR. 2345 Set course to
269 T and pgyc speed ten (10) knots. using generators #1 and #2, motor room control.
George D. Winstein, Lt(jg)

• You can simply do your best to transcribe locations as written.
  However, if you enjoy tracking them down, here are some resources:
  Alaskan Place Names -- Reference lists the place names we have found to date and it gives links to resources for tracking down place names.
  Alaskan Place Names -- Discussion allows you to ask questions and contribute the results of your research.
  You may also find Matteo and Michael's graphical Find Place tool very useful!
• Sometimes there is a List of Officers at the beginning of the log book.
  See the previous example for more resources for people.
• If you are curious about the CGC Cedar, see Dictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships or Wikipedia.

  https://www.history.uscg.mil/research/chronology/
  1928 CGC Haida and the USLHT Cedar rescued 312 passengers and crew from the sailing vessel Star of Falkland near Unimak Pass, Alaska after Star of Falkland had run aground in the fog the previous evening. Both the cutter and the tender managed to save all but eight from the sailing vessel. This rescue was one of the most successful in Coast Guard history and was also one of the few instances where the Coast Guard and one of its future integrated agencies worked together to perform a major rescue.

• PGC is Per GyroCompass. This is a gyrocompass located at a secondary conning station.
  PSTGC, or PSTC, is Per Steering Compass. This is a magnetic compass located near the helmsman.
  For more information, see Standard and Steering Compasses

• See the notes under previous examples.

• See the notes under previous examples.

• Here the Type is Ice.
• You can either follow Type What You See and enter feild or change it to field, which is what the log keeper presumably intended.
• The text "on base 240 t" was omitted because it is the same as the previous day.
• For additional information, see the notes under the previous example.

• This has to be a separate entry because it is at 0021 rather than 0000.
  Unlike the Type Sailing Information, where events for a given hour can be combined, the Type Ice, used for 0000, can only include non-ice events at the same time as the ice observation.

• Because getting underway and the note about the ice field occur at the same time they can be entered as a single Ice/Mixed entry.
  You could also make two separate entries, one for getting underway and the other for the ice.
• It is not necessary to include "on various courses at various speeds," because that doesn't give any useful information.

• These are all Sailing Information occurring during the same hour, so they can be combined.

• Here "base course 240 t" was included because the last course specified was not 240, although the base course may still have been 240.
  The basic rule is that only course changes should be transcribed.
  However, it is better to have a redundant entry than to miss a valid entry.

• Occasionally you will see an estimated course and distance for the watch.
  This is very helpful information and should be transcribed.

• The 1400/1443 and 1453 log entries require separate entries because of the ice.
  It is also correct to make a Sailing Information entry with underway and both course changes and an Ice entry mentioning only the ice.

0000 - 0400
Underway in the Chukchi Sea enroute Nome, Alaska, standing
through feild ice on base course 240 T (pgc) and 227 (pstgc) at 96 knots
(70 rpm) with generators #1 and #2 on the line, pilot-house
control. 0021 hove to awaiting fog to lift. 0022 secured
engines on ten (10) minute standby.
BE Thompson, Ensign

0400 to 0800
Hove to as before Engines on ten (10) minute standby 0618 Generators
#1+2 on the line pilot house control. 0621 Underway on various courses at
various speeds manuevering through ice field. 0635 Set base course
325 pgc+T, 303 pstgc. speed 9.6 knots (70 RPM). 0725 Changed base course to
273 pgc+T, 258 pstgc. 0730 Changed course to 270 pgc+T, 253 pstgc. 0732 Changed
course to 260 pgc+T, 243 pstgc. 0735 Changed course to 250 pgc+T, 233 pstgc.
0743 Changed course to 265 pgc+T, 248 pstgc.
O.C. Hinnen Lt(jg)

0800 - 1200
Underway as before on base course of 240 T (pgc). Maneuvering through ice to follow
leads on various courses at speed 9.6 kts (70 RPM). Generators 1 and 2 on the line.
Pilothouse control. 0830 Inspected magazines and smokeless powder samples. Conditions
dry and normal. All small arms accounted for. 0937 All engines stopped. Hove to for
oceanographic station. 0957 Underway as before. 1030 Conducted divine services. Estimated
course and distance made good during watch 17 miles on course 240 T.
RI Price, Lt(jg)

1200 - 1600
Underway as before standing through broken field ice
with base course of 240 pgc (T) 227 pstc at 9.6 knots (70 RPM) with
generators 1 and 2 on the line on pilot house control 1231 Changed
course to 230 pgc (T) 220 pstc 1308 Changed course to 240 pgc (T)
231 pstc 1329 Hove to for oceanographic station 1400 Underway
as before; lost wire cable and water sample bottle 1443 Changed
course to 245 pgc (T) 235 pstc 1453 Changed course to 210 pgc (T) 181 pstc
standing into broken field ice 1515 Cleared ice changed
course to 230 pgc (T) 220 pstc 1538 Changed course to 185 pgc (T) 157 pstc
JE Murray, Ensign

1600 - 2000
Underway as before on course 185 (T+pgc), 159 (pstgc), speed 9.6 knots (70 RPM) with
generators #1 and #2 on the line, pilot house control. 1600 Changed course to 246 (T+pgc)
233 (pstgc). 1630 Hove to for oceanographic station. 1655 Underway as before. Shifted to
motor room house control, set speed 11.5 knots (84 RPM). Clear of ice fields. 1930
Hove to for oceanographic station.
SB Russell, Lt(jg)

2000 to 2400
Hove to as before for hydrographic station. 2003 Underway as before on
course 246 T (pgc) and 235 (pstgc) at 11.5 knots (84 rpm) with generators #1
and #2 on the line, motor room control. 2240 with Icy Cape bearing
300 T at 19 miles, chaged course to 220 T (pgc) and 208 (pstgc).
2330 hove to for hydrographic station. 2353 underway as before,
chaged course to 246 T (pgc) and 236 (pstgc).
BE Thompson, Ensign

• You can simply do your best to transcribe locations as written.
  However, you may enjoy tracking them down.
  Alaskan Place Names -- Reference lists the place names we have found to date and it gives links to resources for tracking down place names.
  Alaskan Place Names -- Discussion allows you to ask questions and contribute the results of your research.
  You may also find Matteo and Michael's graphical Find Place tool very useful!
• Sometimes there is a List of Officers at the beginning of the log book.
  See the previous example for more resources for people.