In the picture seaplanes that fly over the fog banks of Terranova [on concession of the AM museum in Vigna di Valle].

Official statement of 1933: "

Shoal Harbor 4 August

The meteorological office of the Squadron had advised the departure for the dawn of today 4 August, considering absolutely favorable the information received from the terrestrial and maritime observatories. However, from Valencia (Ireland) the arrival point of the Atlantic stage, it has been reported low fog with prohibitive ditching and affirmed, for a few days, the forecast of the fog at dusk, that is the arrival of seaplanes. In these conditions, since the useful limit for the return through the northern route is matured, for which 14 hours of daylight is considered necessary, the Command of the Squad, following the pre-established program, has ordered the Meteorological Centers to move the their service for the Azores-Lisbon route. It is expected that on 9 August the organization of this route will be complete and that the crossing will take place starting from 10 August.

Shoal Harbor August 8th

The second Atlantic Air Squadron, under the command of General Balbo, began taking off from Shoal Harbor at 8.45 am Italian time: at 9 am all the equipment had left for the Azores. At 18.50 the whole formation flew over Horta. While nine apparatuses, under the command of General Pellegrini, were heaped at Horta, General Balbo with the other fifteen continued to San Miguel. S. Balbo's apparatus was in Ponta Delgada at 8 pm followed by the others. At 20.22 all the equipment had successfully completed the ditching operations.

6th Report to the Duce

This morning, at two o'clock, after consulting with the weather forecasters dell'Alice on the weather and after carefully following the bulletins arrived in the evening and early in the night, I suddenly gave the starting order for the first hours of the day. The situation was quite favorable for two important factors. First of all, the absence of the now constant morning fog on the Bay of Shoal Harbor due to a strong northwest wind, which had swept it into the sea, and secondly a high pressure in the Azores with winds of the first and quarter quadrant, which guaranteed the ditching in the pools of Horta and Ponta Delgada. Along the route the situation was discreet: the sky was overcast with fog and low clouds from Capo Split to the forty-third meridian, that is to say for about one thousand kilometers, with the certainty of finding serene at one thousand five hundred meters of altitude. From the 43rd to the 35th meridians, a small depression was reported, with thunderstorms, which was being filled by the Azores anticyclone. Considering the fall of the short summer in Terranova, which, among other things, tomorrow will be invaded by a depression manifested in Canada, and given the progressive shortening of the days, I could only accept a safe solution in the two essential points, the departure and arrival, instead of running the risk of having to stop the cruise at Shoal Harbor. And I did not regret the decision made. At 7.50 (Greenwich), that is half an hour before sunrise, taking advantage of the moonlight and the first light of dawn, I took off from Shoal Harbor, followed by the Squadra, strong of twenty-four fixtures and one hundred and eleven men because, given the danger of some accident landing in the Azores. I had boarded the eight non-commissioned assemblers of the Alice and the four pilots in the reserve. The navigation took place quietly above the compact clouds at fifteen hundred meters for about four and a half hours. but the area of the small depression had become threatening, so as to suggest to overcome the dense storm clouds that touched the water. By a strange case, the clouds reached five thousand meters and for about two hours the Team, with admirable technique, regularly followed me in flight, often blind and disturbed by strong vortexes and electric shocks. After this period, we entered the high pressure zone of the Azores and the flight did not present anything significant. I made three squadrons in Horta, with the gen. Pellegrini, and I continued with the other five for Ponta Delgada, whose bay hardly contains the fifteen fixtures, which were moored tonight. The ditchings took place regularly at 17.50, in Horta. and at 6.55 pm, in Ponta Delg. the speed of the crossing was 240 kilometers per hour on average. As I write, the population of the island, which greeted the aviators with delirious enthusiasm, has poured into the streets and praises new Italy and your Excellency, who is its great leader. Devout treats. Italo Balbo. "