The U.S. Coast Guard Cutter Polar Star (WAGB 10) and crew departed the Antarctic region Tuesday, after 65 days south of the Antarctic Circle in support of Operation Deep Freeze 2025. The crew transited nearly 16,000 miles since departing its Seattle homeport in November with stops in Honolulu, Sydney, and McMurdo Station. For 28 years, the U.S. Coast Guard has enabled America’s enduring presence in the world’s most remote and challenging environment: Antarctica. Each year, the Polar Star participates in Operation Deep Freeze, crushing a path through ice up to 21 feet thick to allow for resupply of McMurdo Station, America’s largest outpost in the Antarctic region. Polar Star celebrated its 49th year of Service to the Nation and visited Cape Polar Star in the northern part of the Ross Sea. Cape Polar Star was named after Polar Star for the scientific support provided by the cutter in the area during Operation Deep Freeze 86. The Polar Star is the United States’ only asset capable of providing access to both Polar Regions. The Seattle-based cutter is a 399-foot heavy polar icebreaker commissioned in 1976, weighing 13,500 tons and is 84-feet wide with a 34-foot draft. The cutter's six diesel and three gas turbine engines produce up to 75,000 horsepower. Sustained Coast Guard presence and vigilance in the Polar Regions is critical to advancing U.S. national, economic, and energy security. As the Arctic and Antarctic become more accessible, the demand for more icebreakers to secure global shipping routes, strategic presence, and research access in these regions has never been higher. Investing in icebreakers means investing in American presence, influence, and security in the Polar Regions. U.S. Department of Homeland Security Read more here: https://lnkd.in/eMM-Z6ck #PolarStar #IceBreaking #NationalSecurity #USCG #EconomicStability
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