Armed Forces News

The Coast Guard cutter Polar Star arrived at McMurdo Station in Antarctica Jan. 17, carrying supplies to keep the National Science Foundation facilities there operating for another calendar year. The Coast Guard’s only operational heavy icebreaker, the 40-year-old Polar Star had to cut a 60-mile resupply channel. Normally, Polar Star’s annual trek only requires breaking through 12 or 13 miles of ice. “We experienced a significantly larger ice field this year,” said Capt. Michael Davanzo, Polar Star’s skipper. “In several areas, the ice was under considerable pressure and covered with several inches of snow, slowing our progress.”