After a trip that spanned 144 days, stops in four continents, and more than 25,000 miles of ocean covered, all to resupply the United States Antarctic stations, the Coast Guard Cutter Polar Star completed its journey home to Seattle on April 8, 2023.
“The completion of this mission is a testament to our crew’s hard work, sacrifice, and dedication,” Capt. Keith Ropella, Polar Star’s commanding officer, said. “While this trip was incredibly rewarding and a once-in-a-lifetime experience, we are glad to be home and reunited with our friends and families again.”
It was the ship’s 26th journey to Antarctica and the 63rd successful annual iteration of the operation, known as Operation Deep Freeze. The yearly trek keeps the National Science Foundation’s (NSF) efforts on the frozen southern continent in operation, being responsible not just for resupply but also for breaking up ice and creating navigable routes around stations. This year, the Polar Star broke a 15.3-mile channel through ice and undertook more than 1,600 hours of ice-breaking operations to create navigable routes for cargo vessels bound for McMurdo Station.
Currently, Polar Star is the only U.S. vessel capable of providing access to both Polar regions. Originally commissioned in 1976, it spans 399 feet and weighs 13,500 tons, all powered by six diesel and three gas turbine engines. Later this year, it will undergo work in California to extend its service life by replacing obsolete equipment and more.
The ship originally departed Seattle on Nov. 14, 2022. It journeyed through the North Pacific, South Pacific, Indian, Southern, and South Atlantic Oceans, with several logistical stops. After 67 days of work around Antarctica, it departed on March 2, 2023, and rounded Cape Horn and the Strait of Magellan on its way home. Along the way, it also stopped for professional exchanges with the Chilean Navy and First Naval Zone and to meet with students from the Chilean-U.S. Binational Center.