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 17 of 18]
Motor vessel Stena Polaris is escorted to McMurdo Station by USCGC Polar Star (WAGB 10) through the ice-covered Ross Sea during Operation Deep Freeze 2026, Jan. 21, 2026. Operation Deep Freeze is one of the more challenging U.S. military peacetime missions due to the harsh environment in which it is conducted, and this year also commemorates the Polar Star’s 50th year of service. (U.S. Coast Guard photo by Ensign Madelyn Greene)