Fire Breaks out on USCG's Polar Star
It seems the U.S. cannot do enough to fast-track the construction of its new icebreaking fleet, as the USCG announce last night that the 150-member crew of the U.S. Coast Guard Cutter Polar Star fought a fire at approximately 9 p.m. PST Feb. 10 that broke out in the ship's incinerator room about 650 miles north of McMurdo Sound, Antarctica.After initial response efforts using four fire extinguishers failed, fire crews spent almost two hours extinguishing the fire. Fire damage was contained inside the incinerator housing…
Polar Star returns to Seattle
The Coast Guard Cutter Polar Star will be returning to Seattle Tuesday afternoon. The 399-ft., Seattle-based cutter is returning after a five-month deployment where the icebreaker participated in Operation Deep Freeze 2004. Operation Deep Freeze supports the U.S. Antarctic Program and the National Science Foundation by transporting scientists and breaking through ice in order to re-supply the world’s southern-most science stations. As a result of the Polar Star’s efforts, more than 8 million gallons of fuel and 11 million pounds of cargo were safely delivered to the McMurdo Research Station and South Pole Station, which depend on these supplies to operate.
Polar Sea Arrives in McMurdo
The Coast Guard Cutter Polar Sea arrived in McMurdo after a 10,200 nautical mile transit from its home port in Seattle, Washington. Polar Sea made stops in Honolulu, Hawaii and Sydney, Australia during its voyage south. The Polar Sea, a 399-ft. polar class icebreaker with a 150-person crew, is recently out of a two-year overhaul. The Polar Sea conducted sea trials in the Arctic this summer to test all the ship's equipment and train the crew prior to transiting to Antarctica to re-supply the McMurdo station for the National Science Foundation. For the past 50 years, Coast Guard icebreakers have deployed to Antarctica in support of the Joint Task Force-Support Forces Antarctica Operation Deep Freeze…
