Polar Star swaps penguins for polar bears, overcomes Arctic hurdles

摘要

Despite "absolutely treacherous" conditions, the recent Arctic mission by the U.S. Coast Guard cutter Polar Star - the nations only heavy icebreaker - has been deemed a major success by the vessel's commanding officer. "I'm incredibly proud of this crew," Capt. William Woityra told Professional Mariner in March. Polar Star left Seattle in early December after quarantining and double rounds of COVID-19 testing. The icebreaker then made its way through the Bering Strait, Chukchi Sea and Arctic Ocean to 72 degrees north, farther than any U.S. surface ship had ever gone in winter, before returning Feb. 20. Everything about this trip was a departure from normal for the 45-year-old cutter, which was on schedule last fall to head to Antarctica for an eighth straight year to clear ice for cargo ships and tankers to resupply McMurdo Station, a National Science Foundation research facility. But fearing the introduction of COVID onto a continent with no advanced medical care, the NSF canceled the resupply mission in October, saying it could get by with a skeleton crew and occasional airdrops.