United States’ lone heavy icebreaker enters Antarctic ice

Photo By Senior Chief Petty Officer NyxoLyno Cangemi | Coast Guard Lt. Cmdr. Karen Kutkiewicz steers the Coast Guard Cutter Polar Star through pack ice Dec. 28, 2019, about 200 miles north of McMurdo Station, Antarctica. The 43-year-old Polar Star is the nation's only heavy icebreaker, and the crew is heading to McMurdo Station to escort refuel and resupply ships through the ice, which can be as thick as 10 feet. This year marks the 64th iteration of the operation known as Operation Deep Freeze. U.S. Coast Guard photograph by Senior Chief Petty Officer NyxoLyno Cangemi  

ANTARCTICA

12.28.2019

Story by Senior Chief Petty Officer NyxoLyno Cangemi    

U.S. Coast Guard Pacific Area

SOUTHERN OCEAN — The Coast Guard Cutter Polar Star (WAGB-10) entered Antarctic pack ice Saturday approximately 800 miles north of McMurdo Station, Antarctica, in support of Operation Deep Freeze 2020.

Pack ice is the first type of loose, surface ice the Polar Star crew usually encounters en route to Antarctica.

ODF is the U.S. military’s contribution to the National Science Foundation-managed, civilian U.S. Antarctic Program, and it’s one of the most difficult U.S. military peacetime missions due to the harsh environment in which it is conducted. The Polar Star crew will attempt to break through the sea ice in McMurdo Sound, sometimes as much as 10 feet thick, to resupply the NSF research facilities there.

The 43-year-old Coast Guard cutter is the United States’ only operational heavy icebreaker, and the crew is scheduled to make their seventh deployment in as many years to directly support the refueling and resupply of McMurdo Station – the United States’ main logistics hub on Antarctica.

The 399-foot icebreaker is the only ship in U.S. service capable of clearing a path through the Antarctic ice to escort three refuel and resupply ships to McMurdo Station. The ships deliver enough cargo and fuel to sustain year-round operations on the remote continent.

ODF is a joint military service mission in support of the NSF – the lead agency for the United States Antarctic Program. Since 1955, U.S. Pacific Command has assisted in providing air and maritime support throughout the Antarctic continent. This year marks the 64th iteration of the annual operation and the 60th anniversary of the Antarctic Treaty.

The Coast Guard has been the sole provider of the nation’s polar icebreaking capability since 1965, and seeks to increase its icebreaking fleet with six new Polar Security Cutters to ensure continued national presence and access to the polar regions.

For more information about Coast Guard Cutter Polar Star, visit http://www.facebook.com/uscoastguardcutterpolarstar/.

• Date Taken: 12.28.2019
• Date Posted: 01.22.2020 15:00
• Story ID: 357494
• Location: AQ