The USCGC Polar Star, the main heavy-duty icebreaker of the United States Coast Guard, sailed from Seattle, Washington, toward Antarctica on its yearly trip to McMurdo Sound.
The ship, which was put into service in 1976, is essential to Operation Deep Freeze since it helps replenish the American Antarctic stations run by the National Science Foundation.
Lockheed Shipbuilding constructed the 399-foot, 13,500-ton heavy polar icebreaker Polar Star in...