U.S. Coast Guard Petty Officer 2nd Class Richard Wells pulls himself out from the Arctic Ocean during ice rescue training Wednesday, Oct. 3, 2018, about 715 miles north of Barrow, Alaska. Wells is a crew member aboard the Coast Guard Cutter Healy (WAGB-20) and participated in ice rescue training in order to qualify as a member of the ship's ice rescue team. The Healy was underway in the Arctic with about 100 crew members and 30 scientists to deploy sensors and semi-autonomous submarines to study stratified ocean dynamics and how environmental factors affect the water below the ice surface for the Office of Naval Research. (Photo: NyxoLyno Cangemi/U.S. Coast Guard)
By: FEDweek StaffThe Coast Guard could finally get the new heavy icebreaker it has been seeking for years. In its budget request for fiscal year 2021 (Oct. 1, 2020-Sept. 30, 2021), the Trump administration and Congress agreed to fund the vessel – known as the Polar Security Cutter. It would replace the 44-year-old Polar Star.
Additionally, the administration asked for $555 million to fund a second such ship, and plans are afoot to fund and build a third. Adm. Karl Schultz, the Coast Guard commandant, provided details of the plan during his 2020 State of the Coast Guard speech.
Polar Star, Ice Breaking Cutter, Arrives in Antarctica (1/30/2020)
