UNITED States Coast Guard ice breaker Polar Star recently departed Sydney to begin itd journey across the Southern Ocean en route to Antarctica.
On December 21, 121 metre length-overall Polar Star moored at HMAS Kuttabul alongside several Royal Australian Navy ships near the center of Sydney during a logistics stop for fuel and supplies.
The cutter heads to the icy southern continent in support of Operation Deep Freeze 2025, a joint military service mission to resupply the United States Antarctic stations of the National Science Foundation, who is the lead agency for the United States Antarctic program (USAP).
The Coast Guard said Operation Deep Freeze is one of the more challenging US military peacetime missions due to the harsh environment in which it is conducted, as Antarctica is the coldest, windiest, and most inhospitable continent on the planet, with each trip requiring careful planning and coordination.
“The success of Operation Deep Freeze relies on strong collaboration with our international partners, I am deeply grateful for their continued, and relentless support of Polar Star’s role in that mission,” said Captain Jeff Rasnake, Polar Star’s commanding officer.
“The future of scientific excellence in Antarctica is safeguarded by our joint commitment to cooperative research and protecting the Antarctic environment.”
This year marks Polar Star’s 28th voyage to Antarctica. Military members from the US Air Force, Army, Coast Guard, and Navy work together through joint Task Force-Support Forces Antarctica to continue providing US military support.
Operation Deep Freeze through the US Antarctic Program works closely with other nation’s Antarctic programs to ensure the continued use of the continent for the advancement of science.
The Polar Star provides heavy icebreaking capabilities to facilitate sealift, seaport access, bulk fuel supply, and cargo handling for two of the US’s three research stations in Antarctica, with McMurdo Station being the largest.
The cutter’s icebreaking capabilities enable the safe delivery of critical supplies to sustain USAP’s year-round operations and support international partnership in the harsh Antarctic environment, the Coast Guard said.
While in Sydney, the crew reportedly hosted tours aboard Polar Star for Consul General of the US Consulate General in Sydney, Christine Elder, and guests from the US Embassy.
During the transit across the Pacific, the crew reportedly sailed through the position 0 degrees latitude and 180 degrees longitude, also known as “The X” marking the intersection of the equator and international date line. Crossing this exact position is a unique and rare opportunity among mariners.
Commissioned in 1976, Polar Star weighs 12,246 tons with a draft of 10 metres, and is capable of providing year-round access to both polar regions. The six diesel and three gas turbine engines reportedly produce up to 75,000 horsepower.
