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 16 of 18]
Motor vessel Stena Polaris traverses through a navigable channel cut through the ice-covered Ross Sea by the USCGC Polar Star (WAGB 10) as the cutter escorts Stena Polaris to McMurdo Station, Jan. 21, 2026. Pacific Air Forces operates on a 24-hour basis to provide the U.S. National Science Foundation complete joint operational and logistic support for Operation Deep Freeze. (U.S. Coast Guard photo by Ensign Madelyn Greene)