USCGC Polar Star Completes Annual Mission to Antarctica

The U.S. Coast Guard icebreaker USCGC Polar Star has successfully completed its annual mission to Antarctica as part of a resupply mission to the “white continent.”

The vessel and its crew left McMurdo Station, Antarctica on February 12, after 51 days operating below the Antarctic Circle as part of Operation Deep Freeze 2024. The U.S. Department of Defense operation is an annual resupply mission to McMurdo in support of the National Science Foundation’s Antarctic Program (USAP). The operation involves airlift coordination, aeromedical evacuation support, search and rescue response, sealift, seaport access, bulk fuel supply, port cargo handling, and transportation.

The Polar Star’s mission this year involved breaking a 38-mile channel through fast ice to create a navigable to McMurdo Station. The cleared channel allowed two supply vessels, Ocean Gladiator and Arcadia Trade, to offload more than 1,000 cargo containers and 8 million gallons of fuel. These two ships collectively carry enough fuel, food, and supplies to support USAP operations for a whole year, until the next airlift and sealift opportunity in the austral summer of 2025.

“This year, the fast ice in McMurdo Sound was exceptionally thick due to the winds and temperature at the end of last season” said Lt. Cmdr. Don Rudnickas, operations officer. “It challenged our ship and our crew in almost every way, but we met those challenges to achieve our ultimate concern – the resupply of McMurdo Station by sea.”

In addition to its resupply mission duties, the Coast Guard’s sole heavy icebreaker made a visit to the Bay of Whales, where Coast Guard divers set a new record for the southernmost scuba dive—90 miles further south than the previous record. The crew also held an Antarctica Service Medal ceremony on the shore next to the Ross Ice Shelf in the Bay of Whales.

Polar Star’s mission this year marked it 27th journey to Antarctica in support of Operation Deep Freeze. Each year, the crew takes the 399-foot, 13,000-ton cutter south to break a navigable channel to McMurdo Station, the U.S. Antarctic Program’s logistics hub and the largest station on the continent.

“Operation Deep Freeze demands more than just breaking ice; it requires navigating the complexities of keeping a 48-year-old cutter operational while subjecting her to the most extreme conditions possible,” said Capt. Keith Ropella, Polar Star’s commanding officer. “We rely on the crew’s technical expertise, teamwork, and their commitment to overcoming the relentless obstacles posed by time and nature.” Capt. Ropella highlighted that the mission’s success was also due to the Joint Task Force, comprising members from the U.S. Air Force, Army, and Navy.

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