After breaking a 38-mile channel through fast ice and escorting vessels to and from Antarctrica’s McMurdo Station, the U.S. Coast Guard Cutter Polar Star is headed back from the Antarctic Circle.
The crew’s mission kept them below the circle for 51 days, as part of Operation Deep Freeze 2024. As the nation’s only heavy icebreaker, Polar Star is the backbone of that annual operation, which sees the Department of Defense and National Science Foundation collaborate logistically. It is a key part of the U.S. commitment to the Antarctic Treaty and to research programs in the region, and Polar Star helps break up ice to guarantee scientists can stay supplied.
“This year, the fast ice in McMurdo Sound was exceptionally thick due to the winds and temperature at the end of last season” Lt. Cmdr. Don Rudnickas, operations officer of the Polar Star, said. “It challenged our ship and our crew in almost every way, but we met those challenges to achieve our ultimate concern – the resupply of McMurdo Station by sea.”
During its trek, Polar Star pushed through to McMurdo Station – an American run research station located on Ross Island. It’s the largest community on the continent, and one of a handful of year-round science facilities in Antarctica. The ship’s actions allowed the scientific community there to gain access to both a cargo vessel and oil tanker.
Before departing the region, the cutter also visited the Bay of Whales so its crew could undertake the southernmost scuba dive on record and head ashore at the Ross Ice Shelf to conduct their Antarctica Service Medal ceremony.
“Operation Deep Freeze demands more than just breaking ice; it requires navigating the complexities of keeping a 48-year-old cutter operational while subjecting her to the most extreme conditions possible,” said Capt. Keith Ropella, commanding officer. “We rely on the crew’s technical expertise, teamwork, and their commitment to overcoming the relentless obstacles posed by time and nature.”
Polar Star is a 75,000 horsepower, 399 ft. vessel that has been in operation since 1976. It is been the only vessel of its class since 2010, when a sister ship retired, although plans are underway for a next generation of Coast Guard icebreakers.