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The Expedition - The Ship
Overview | Objectives | Science Crew | The Ship
Description
The Coast Guard Cutter Polar Star
is the world’s most powerful non-nuclear icebreaker and operates from
their home port at Pier 36, Seattle, Washington.
Mission
Polar Star’s primary missions are scientific support in the
Arctic and Antarctic, ice escort of shipping, and logistics support for
U.S. Government interests in both polar regions. In addition to
providing support to polar stations, Polar Star is equipped to
function as a major scientific platform for oceanographic
fieldwork. It has laboratories, offices,
and sleeping quarters to support 20 scientists and technicians. Polar Star,
like all Coast Guard cutters, is also prepared to perform search
and rescue, law enforcement, and environmental response missions.
Crew
Polar Star is commanded by Captain David W. Mackenzie. A
typical crew complement is 20 officers and 140 enlisted personnel.
The crew is assigned to different departments, such as the operations
department and the engineering department. The departments work together
as a team to make sure the ship completes its missions efficiently and safely.
Icebreaking capabilities
Although Polar Star is capable of breaking
very thick ice, rule number one in ice breaking is, “if possible,
avoid the ice.” This is simply because it takes longer, consumes more
fuel, and produces more wear and tear on the ship when battering
through the ice. However, when there is ice between the ship and its
destination, Polar Star can do the job. The most efficient way to
break through ice is to find the weakest points in the ice, such as
existing cracks or open areas called “leads.” When there are none, the
ship will look for “first year ice”, which is often flat and 2-6 feet
thick. As sea ice gets older it becomes considerably stronger, and
changes color to a distinctive deep blue. Polar Star can maintain a continuous
speed of 3-5 knots through most first year ice. When the ice stops Polar Star,
the cutter will back up approximately one to two ship lengths
(200-800 feet) then steam ahead with as much momentum as possible. The
momentum of the ship will carry the cutter up higher on the ice, and
push it ahead with more force to break through the ice.
Construction
Polar Star has sufficient hull strength to absorb
high-powered rams into the ice. The hull shape of the Polar Star is
designed to maximize icebreaking by efficiently combining the forces
of the ship’s forward motion, the downward pull of gravity on the bow,
and the upward push on the stern due to its inherent buoyancy. Polar Star
has other unique features designed for Polar Operations. Fuel
tanks can carry over 1.3 million gallons of fuel to provide Polar Star
with 60-150 days of endurance. A central hydraulic system operates
cranes, boat hoists, and the anchor system. Polar Star also carries
two H-65 helicopters to carry out scientific support, ice
reconnaissance, cargo transfer, and search and rescue.
Science
The ship has five laboratories and berthing space to
accommodate up to 20 scientists. The oceanographic winches and lab
spaces give scientists the ability to conduct at-sea studies in
geology, oceanography, sea-ice physics, and other scientific
disciplines.
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