USCGC Polar Star (WAGB 10) escorts motor vessel Stena Polaris through the ice-covered Ross Sea to McMurdo Station during Operation Deep Freeze 2026 [Image 10 of 18]

ANTARCTICA

01.21.2026

Photo by Petty Officer 2nd Class Christopher Bokum 

U.S. Coast Guard Pacific Area

USCGC Polar Star (WAGB 10) crew members watch as the motor vessel Stena Polaris approaches the cutter’s stern in the Ross Sea during an escort to McMurdo Station amid Operation Deep Freeze 2026, Jan. 21, 2026. The U.S. is committed to a free and open Indo-Pacific region, one in which the U.S. National Science Foundation-sponsored research and science programs can be conducted for the betterment of all humanity. (U.S. Coast Guard photo by Petty Officer 2nd Class Christopher Bokum)

• Date Taken: 01.21.2026
• Date Posted: 01.29.2026 13:50
• Photo ID: 9498564
• VIRIN: 260121-G-FN033-1026
• Resolution: 8256x5504
• Size: 6.91 MB
• Location: AQ