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Arctic Mission News

04 Oct 2022

US Coast Guard Cutter Healy Reaches the North Pole

(Photo: Deborah Heldt Cordone / U.S. Coast Guard)

The U.S. Coast Guard Cutter Healy (WAGB 20) reached the North Pole Friday after traversing the frozen Arctic Ocean, marking only the second time a U.S. ship has reached the location unaccompanied, the first being Healy in 2015.Healy, a medium icebreaker, and crew departed Dutch Harbor, Alaska, Sept. 4, beginning their journey to reach latitude 90 degrees north. The cutter and crew supported oceanographic research in collaboration with National Science Foundation-funded scientists…

25 Aug 2020

US Icebreaker Suffers Fire, Engine Failure

File photo: Polar-class icebreaker Coast Guard Cutter Healy (WAGB-20) (U.S. Coast Guard photo by Kellen Browne)

The U.S. Coast Guard Cutter Healy (WAGB-20) is making an early return to its Seattle homeport, and its future Arctic operations have been canceled after the 21-year-old medium icebreaker suffered a fire in one of its main propulsion motors last week.The electrical fire was reported at 9:30 p.m. on August 18 while the Healy was 60 nautical miles off of Seward, Alaska, where it had embarked 11 scientists for research and security mission in the Arctic.An onboard fire team disconnected the affected motor…

15 Jul 2020

China's Polar Icebreaker Embarks on First Arctic Mission

(File photo: Polar Research Institute of China)

China's first domestically built polar icebreaker Xue Long 2 has set sail on its first mission to the Arctic, China's state-run Xinhua News Agency reports.Xuez Long 2 (Snow Dragon 2) departed Shanghai Wednesday with a team of Chinese scientists on board to conduct investigations in areas including the Chukchi Rise, Canada Basin and the central Arctic Ocean, Xinhua reports. The voyage is expected to cover some 12,000 nautical miles and conclude in late September.The expedition is said to be organized by China's Ministry of Natural Resources to study biodiversity and ecosystems…

10 Aug 2014

USCG R&D Team Up Agencies for Arctic Awareness

For a second year, members of the Coast Guard Research and Development Center, based in New London, Connecticut, make their way to the large ice floes of the Arctic Ocean to conduct research and test new equipment and technologies with the aim of expanding our knowledge and enhancing our ability to respond to potential hazards and emergencies brought on by increased vessel traffic through the region. It’s a mission as big and as important as the Arctic itself and one they couldn’t do alone. When RDC members depart for the Arctic, they do so aboard the Coast Guard Cutter Healy, a 420-foot icebreaker homeported in Seattle, Wash., that serves as a perfect platform for conducting Arctic research.

24 Jul 2014

Alaska Welcomes USCG Admiral Papp Arctic Assignment

Alaska Senate Majority informs that it welcomes news that Admiral Robert J. Papp Jr., the 24th Commandant of the U.S. Coast Guard since May 25, 2010, has been appointed by the U.S. State Department as a Special Representative for the Arctic Region. The Co-chairs also were very pleased to see Fran Ulmer, President Obama's Chair of the U.S. Arctic Research Commission, named Special Advisor on Arctic Science and Policy. “As Co-Chairs of the Alaska Arctic Policy Commission, we have fought hard to make sure Alaska’s voice is heard. We would like to congratulate Admiral Papp on his appointment and look forward to working closely with him in the future, and helping him understand Alaska’s unique position and interests in the Arctic.” said Senator Lesil McGuire.

29 Jul 2013

CCGS Research Icebreaker Sails on 2013 Arctic Mission

CCGS Amundsen: Photo courtesy of Canadian Coast Guard

The Honourable Gail Shea, Minister of Fisheries and Oceans wished bon voyage to Canadian Coast Guard crew members and scientists aboard the CCGS 'Amundsen' who will participate in the 2013 research mission in  the Canadian Arctic. "This year marks the 10th anniversary of the CCGS Amundsen, a state-of-the-art multidisciplinary research icebreaker," said Minister Shea. The CCGS Amundsen is one of the few Canadian icebreakers to have a dual purpose. In winter, she is assigned to the CCG icebreaking program whereas every summer, she is chartered by ArcticNet, a scientific consortium.

14 Mar 2012

China Icebreaker to Sail for Arctic Seas

Icebreaker Xue Long: Photo credit Govt.of China

Growing interest in the Arctic and tne Northern Passage includes China. The Chinese icebreaker "Xue Long" sets sail on an Arctic mission this summer and Beijing hopes the massive icebreaker will reach the Barents Sea before returning in September. “If the expedition goes according to the plan it will also be the first time for a Chinese icebreaker to reach the Barents Sea,”  Liu Cigui, director of China’s State Oceanic Administration told the Chinese official news agency Xinhua.

16 Dec 2011

Arctic Surveys Yielding Data and Savings

U.S.-Canada Arctic Ocean survey partnership saved costs, increased data; 2011 mission concludes joint seafloor survey operations. A recent mission marked the completion of a five-year collaboration between the United States and Canada to survey the Arctic Ocean. The bilateral project collected scientific data to delineate the continental shelf beyond 200 nautical miles from the coastline, also known as the extended continental shelf (ECS). The U.S. has an inherent interest in knowing…