Overview accompaniment for papers on the bergy bit impact trials

This paper presents an overview of bergy bit impact trials carried out on the CCGS Terry Fox off the northern tip of the island of Newfoundland in June 18–23, 2001 and is meant to accompany the five papers that follow. The trial consisted of impacting target iceberg ice masses ranging from roughly 100 t (growlers) to 22,000 t (bergy bits) on an instrumented bow area of the ‘Terry Fox’ at various forward speeds. Parameters measured included impact forces, pressures and contact areas, ship motions with six degrees of freedom, ship forward speed, and ambient environmental factors. In addition, extensive video and photographic records were compiled, including stereo photographs of the bergy bits. Furthermore, a multi-beam sonar was used to determine underwater profiles of some of the targeted ice masses. Temperature profiles were obtained for a number of bergy bits and some ice samples were collected from undamaged and impacted ice. The details and data associated with the various components of the field study are presented in the 5 accompanying papers. Below are brief descriptions of the ‘Terry Fox’, the instrumentation/set-up used and ice characterization techniques employed. This overview is condensed from a more detailed one [Gagnon, R., Cumming, D., Ritch, R., Browne, R., Johnston, M., Frederking, R., McKenna, R. and Ralph, F., 2002. Overview of Bergy Bit Impact Trials. Proceedings of the 16th International Symposium on Ice, Ice in the Environment, IAHR 2002, Dunedin, New Zealand, Vol. 1, 458–465.] presented at IAHR 2002 in New Zealand.