Break The Ice!
Ever thought what it might be like to serve aboard a USCG ship sitting on hundreds of miles of ice shelf with only a forward gear to propel you through the waters of the North Pole?
The Coast Guard and its guardsmen have done it.
On this 20th anniversary “The Coast Guard icebreaker CGC Polar Sea and the CCCS Louis S. Ste Laurent became the first “North American surface ships” to reach the North Pole.
An HH-65A from Aviation Training Center Mobile, detached to the Polar Sea, became the first U.S. (and also Coast Guard) helicopter to reach the pole as well.” This occurred in 1994!
What Is The Polar Sea?
“Polar-class icebreakers USCGC Polar Star (WAGB-10), USCGC Polar Sea (WAGB-11) are heavy icebreakers operated by the United States Coast Guard (USCG).
These cutters, specifically designed for open-water icebreaking, have reinforced hulls, special icebreaking bows, and a system that allows rapid shifting of ballast to increase the effectiveness of their icebreaking.
The vessels conduct Arctic and Antarctic research and are the primary icebreakers that clear the channel into McMurdo Station for supply ships. All are homeported out of Seattle, Washington.” (Source: Wikipedia)
Here is the largest ice breaking party in the world!
Breaking ice 13 to 15 feet in depth.
