It was a big shift from the Polar Star's usual mission. The crew now has three weeks free of ship duties. The coronavirus pandemic prevented crew members from getting time away from the ship as they avoided the usual ports-of-call. Under a 2006 law, since the vessels were designated primarily as research vessels, the National Science Foundation pays for and runs the United States' ice breaking vessels, using Coast Guard crews. Naval InstituteProceedings 95 (Feb 1979), pp. The vessel is en route to the port of Seattle, sailing at a speed of 0.1 knots and expected to arrive there on Feb 20, 12:00.. On 30 June 2006, the USCG placed Polar Star in "Commission-Special" status in Seattle. “The things we learned on this trip are going to inform Coast Guard investments in the future,” Capt. Then they will bring the Polar Star down to California for maintenance work in preparation for next year's cruise, which is expected to be a return to Antarctica. 113-115. A Marine vet was issued a P320 as his service weapon to use as an officer for the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement. The 45-year-old heavy icebreaker usually goes to the Antarctic this time of year, but the pandemic got in the way of that mission, and the Coast Guard announced in October that Polar Star … Notifications can be turned off anytime in the browser settings. Black Restaurant Week comes to the Pacific Northwest, Ferndale residents fight through plant closure and COVID-19 pandemic, Mariners CEO Kevin Mather resigns after fallout from controversial speech, Jordan Morris tears left ACL will return to U.S. for surgery, Teachers and staff in Auburn schools ready for rapid COVID testing pilot program, LIST: Mass COVID-19 vaccine sites in western Washington, Coast Guard icebreaker Polar Star departs Seattle for important Arctic mission, Seattle-based Coast Guard icebreaker preparing for unusual Arctic journey, Seattle icebreaker Polar Star assigned to Arctic instead of Antarctic this year. This video was done in 2019, when the Polar Star had arrived at the American McMurdo Research Station in Antarctica. “My kids are in 5th and 6th grade and they're doing the remote schooling, so he's been handling everything at home. In 2009, the NSF announced that they would end funding for maintaining Polar Star. Bill Woityra said. "A Brief History of U.S. Coast Guard Icebreakers." These cutters, specifically designed for icebreaking, have reinforced hulls, special icebreaking bows, and a system that allows rapid shifting of ballast to increase the effectiveness of their icebreaking. The Polar Star went further north than any other U.S. military surface vessel has in the winter. ________. No other U.S. surface ship has ever been that far north in the winter.”. You may have seen pictures of the Polar Star, but this video gives you a more intimate look at her from inside.. "There was no lost time due to malfunction," Strohmaier said. “Right around Christmas time, when we were at the furthest north extent, it had been 10 days total without a sunrise,” Woityra said. Bill Woityra, the vessel's commander, said the "crew's resilience was unyielding ... we accomplished everything we set out to do and more.". But it was wind driven, and some areas piled up in pressure ridges that the crew worked to avoid, a task complicated by the lack of light that greatly limited visibility, according to Woityra. Only U.S. When it was deemed safe, the crew turned their focus to the mission: Defending U.S. waters and helping with scientific research. The crew left the first week of December after a two-week quarantine and two rounds of double COVID tests. Coast Guard Cutter Polar Star navigates heavy seas in the Gulf of Alaska, Thursday, Dec. 10, 2020. The U.S. Air Force announced last month that the new U.S. Space Command headquarters will be in Huntsville, Alabama. Researchers deployed buoys that will transmit information about ice floes, and the crew aided research to develop a better understanding of the hydrology of the Chukchi Sea. Baker in the background, U.S. Coast Guard Cutter Polar Star (WAGB-10) transits Puget Sound north of Seattle on Dec. 4, 2020. Switching Poles, USCG's Heavy Icebreaker Heads North for the Winter Polar Star in Seattle's harbor (USCG file image) By The Maritime Executive 10-29-2020 07:42:57 It’s had some serious mechanical failures in recent years and a replacement … The Polar Star pulled into port in Seattle on March 11. The crew aboard the Coast Guard Cutter Polar Star, a 399-foot Heavy Icebreaker pull into Coast Guard Base Seattle, March 11, 2019. The Polar Star headed north with researchers from an Army Corps of Engineers cold weather laboratory, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, the University of Washington and Woods Hole Oceanographic Institute. The forty-two year old ship returned from Operation Deep Freeze 2018, a voyage to resupply the McMurdo Antarctic research center on […] The crew completed a historic mission under revised COVID-19 protocols. "Under Way With the 140-foot Icebreaker-Tugs." "Polar Star's winter Arctic deployment has served to better understand and prepare for the challenges of operating in such a harsh and unforgiving environment," Woityra said in a statement released by the Coast Guard. Information. The Polar Star is the only icebreaker classified as "heavy" — able to break through ice up to 21 feet thick. The Arctic winter ice was also was very hard. And in Seattle, the first order of business as the crew disembarked was vaccinations. So I'm grateful for his support.”. © Copyright 2021 Seattle Times. They wrote that the ice the crew experiences during the Antarctic summer is warmer and softer, and makes less noise when it is compressed and crushed by the hull. This caretaker status required a reduced crew of 44 to keep the ship ready for a possible return to the ice. In the Arctic, the winter ice was mostly flat, and several feet thick. The Polar Star is one of two U.S. icebreakers and the only one classified as "heavy" — able to break through ice up to 21 feet thick. These cutters are designed for open-water icebreaking and feature reinforced hulls and specially angled bows. Adams, Michael R. "Coast Guard Breaks Ice with New 140-Foot Tugs." Tricare Prime beneficiaries won't incur charges if they get their vaccine from a location outside their military provider. The isolation of the cruise was heightened by the COVID-19 pandemic, which prevented shore leaves at Alaska ports during 78 days of the cruise. This article is written by Hal Bernton from Seattle Times and was legally licensed via the Tribune Content Agency through the Industry Dive publisher network. These Programs Can Help Veterans Get Started, My Journey to Discover the Lost Flag-Raiser of Iwo Jima, One Shot, One Kill: Marines Begin Fielding New Precision Rifle Optic, The Coast Guard's Eye in the Sky: Civil Air Patrol Monitors Ice Along Connecticut and Thames Rivers, Military Personnel Save 1,100 Stunned Sea Turtles from Frigid Texas Waters, 5 Reasons Route Irish Was the Most Nerve-Racking Road in Iraq, 7 Products You Didn’t Know Were Invented by the Military, 'The Daughters of Kobani' Tells a Riveting Story of Women in Combat. The Coast Guard today awarded an indefinite quantity, indefinite delivery contract to Mare Island Dry Dock LLC of Vallejo, California, for the Coast Guard Cutter Polar Star service life extension project (SLEP), as part of the In-Service Vessel Sustainment program. Woityra, the Polar Star's commander, said he expects the Coast Guard will be heading to the Arctic more often in the future, and in different seasons. Jason Brennell, chief of enforcement for the Coast Guard's 17th District. However, only the Polar Star is a heavy icebreaker capable of accessing all of the Arctic year-round. The crew … Article by: Peter Ong The United States Coast Guard’s only heavy operational Polar-class icebreaker, Polar Star, completed its annual scheduled refit at Mare Island, Vallejo, California, in a maintenance period riddled with challenges. The vessel in recent years has had mishaps and maintenance problems, including a 2019 fire that damaged a shipboard incinerator and a leaking shaft repaired with the aid of a scuba diver. As late as August, the 134 full-time crew were still preparing for their traditional role. SEATTLE — The U.S. Coast Guard heavy icebreaker Polar Star arrived back in Seattle Saturday after spending nearly three months away. The Coast Guard’s other challenge will be just keeping the 44-year-old Polar Star moving. So, in September, the Coast Guard decided to send the Polar Star north. December 7, 2020 U.S. heavy icebreaker Polar Star departs for Arctic deployment With Mt. Crew members came up with a lot of descriptions for the auditory experience of this noisy passage, comparing the sounds to "screeches and bangs from a perpetual car crash, a blaring elephant, freight train or driving through concrete," according to a dispatch written by Petty Officer 1st Class Cynthia Oldham and Petty Officer 2nd Class Tedd Meinersman. All rights reserved. During this fall-winter cruise, despite the extreme weather, the vessel had no major breakdowns or accidents, according to Petty Officer Steve Strohmaier, of Coast Guard public affairs. "Because of the finite number of parts available from the Polar Sea, the Coast Guard may have to acquire new parts for the Polar Star that could increase the $75 million estimate." Jan. 13, 2021 —. “We had terrific interactions with Russian border guards. The Biden administration’s early efforts to resurrect the 2015 Iran nuclear deal are getting a chilly response from Tehran. Naval InstituteProceedings 89 (Feb 1963), pp. Mariners Weather Log25 (Nov-Dec 1981), pp. Four days later, the Coast Guard announced that a Mississippi company would build a new heavy icebreaker by 2024 for $746million. The view from aboard the Coast Guard Cutter Polar Star (WAGB 10) while the cutter is at anchor in Taylor Bay, Alaska, Thursday, February 11, 2021. On Dec. 25, the Polar Star reached a latitude of 72 degrees, which was farther north than any U.S. government vessel, other than a submarine, had reached in winter. 156-158. The vessel left Seattle in early December and traveled through the Gulf of Alaska, the Bering Sea and then through the thick ice of the Chukchi Sea. Now His Family Is Seeking Answers, Beekeeping Is All the Rage. Polar-class icebreakers USCGC Polar Star (WAGB-10), USCGC Polar Sea (WAGB-11) are heavy icebreakers operated by the United States Coast Guard (USCG). “I'm so thankful for my husband's support and the sacrifices he made,” Oldham said. USCGC Polar Sea (WAGB-11) is a United States Coast Guard heavy icebreaker.Commissioned on 23 February 1977, the ship was built by Lockheed Shipbuilding and Construction Company of Seattle along with her sister ship, Polar Star.Her home port is Seattle, Washington. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin called the video "deeply disturbing" during a press conference. Temperatures were brutal and they worked in darkness for days on end. “Seeing Northern Lights was really cool, but the stars were magnificent, indescribable, it was breathtaking to see,” Petty Officer First Class Cynthia Oldham said. 386-389. The Coast Guard Cutter Polar Star (WAGB-10) is in the fast Ice Jan. 2, 2020, approximately 20 miles north of McMurdo Station, Antarctica. The Polar Star pulled into port in Seattle on March 11. Mariners Weather Log20, No. – in 2004-2005 (ODF 2005), the Russian icebreaker Krasin was assisting USCGC Polar Star while USCGC Polar Sea had to remain at the dry dock – in 2005-2006 (ODF 2006), Krasin attempted break-in alone but threw a blade which couldn’t be replaced; USCGC Polar Star was hastily deployed from Seattle (and afterwards placed in caretaker status) "I was shocked by how hard and ridge and tough it was totally foreign to me," said Woityra, who noted that the noise of the ice-breaking was a constant cacophony that made sleep elusive despite the perpetual night. The crew will now get a few weeks off and then they will take the boat down to San Diego and begin dry dock work to get ready for the next mission. Naval InstituteProceeding… But it's not easy work. The Coast Guard commissioned a replacement for Polar Star in 2019 with delivery due in 2024, and plans for two more in the following four years. 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