Antarctica

Document: Coast Guard Arctic Strategic Outlook

The following is the U.S. Coast Guard’s Arctic Strategic Outlook, released on April 22, 2019.

From the report

The United States is an Arctic Nation, and the United States Coast Guard has served as the lead federal agency for homeland security, safety, and environmental stewardship in the Arctic region for over 150 years. Since Revenue Cutters first sailed to Alaska in 1867 to establish U.S. sovereignty, the Service’s role has expanded, including representing American interests as a leader in the...

https://news.usni.org/2019/04/22/document-coast-guard-arctic-strategic-outlook

Schultz: Coast Guard Readiness at a ‘Tipping Point’

U.S. Coast Guard Commandant Adm. Karl Schultz testifies before the U.S. Senate Committee on Commerce, Science and Transportation on April 4, 2019. US Coast Guard Photo

Unlike the other military services, the Coast Guard has not received budgetary relief to eliminate its maintenance backlog and keep cutters on patrol and helicopters flying or to address aging infrastructure problems pier-side, the commandant of the Coast Guard told a House panel on Tuesday.

While there has been money earmarked for...

https://news.usni.org/2019/04/09/schultz-coast-guard-readiness-at-a-tipping-point

Schultz: Coast Guard Busy, Relevant and In Need of More Investment

Adm. Karl Schultz, Coast Guard commandant, delivers the 2019 State of the Coast Guard Address at Coast Guard Base Los Angeles-Long Beach in San Pedro, Calif., on March 21, 2019. Coast Guard Image

SAN PEDRO, Calif. — As the Coast Guard continues modernizing with new cutters, drones and other technologies, its top leader warns the service will reach a “tipping point” without sufficient resources to support and sustain the force.

“Our missions have never been more relevant or demanding than today;...

https://news.usni.org/2019/03/22/schultz-coast-guard-busy-relevant-need-investment

Schultz: Ingenuity, Grit Keep Coast Guard’s Last Heavy Icebreaker Running

Coast Guard Divers repair Heavy Icebreaker USCGC Polar Sea (WAGB-10) during the cutter’s 2019 deployment to McMurdo Station Antarctica. US Coast Guard Image

The Coast Guard plans to award a contract this spring to build a new heavy icebreaker, but Commandant Adm. Karl Schultz says today’s problems running the one decades-old icebreaker illustrate the fragility of the current polar icebreaking capability.

Each year, USCGC Polar Star (WAGB-10) runs a critical mission of breaking through miles of...

https://news.usni.org/2019/03/21/42054

Icebreaker crew faced shipboard fire, breakdowns on Antarctica mission

Smoke billows from a hatch on the icebreaker Polar Star as the crew fights a Feb. 10 fire on the ship. Coast Guard photo.

The crew of the Coast Guard icebreaker Polar Star fought fire that broke out in the ship’s incinerator compartment Feb. 10, the latest trouble to face the crew on their long deployments to Antarctica.

After expending four fire extinguishers trying to stop the fire, the crew needed two hours to put out the blaze. Damage from the fire was contained inside the incinerator, but several electrical systems and insulation nearby were damaged by firefighting water as the crew cooled down the incinerator...

https://www.workboat.com/news/government/icebreaker-crew-faced-shipboard-fire-breakdowns-on-antarctica-mission/

Chicago Colder Than Antarctica in a Day

Wednesday is looking like one of the coldest days ever on record in Chicago, with the high temperature expected to be 12 degrees below zero, which would be colder than some of the most frigid places on earth, says a report published in CBS Chicago.

What is it?

The South Pole is expected to reach a high temperature of 4 below zero on Wednesday. Barrow, Alaska, the northernmost point in the United States, located above the Arctic Circle, will be 7 below zero. Zackenberg Station, Greenland, which is...

http://mfame.guru/chicago-colder-than-antarctica-in-a-day/

Icebreaker crew overcomes shaft seal, electrical breakdowns to reach Antarctica

The Coast Guard Cutter Polar Star breaks ice in McMurdo Sound near Antarctica on Saturday, Jan. 13, 2018. Coast Guard photo/CPO Nick Ameen.

The Coast Guard icebreaker Polar Star arrived Jan. 17 on its annual deployment to Antarctica, as its crew continues to battle the 42-year-old ship’s aging equipment.

The 399’x83’x31’ Polar Star came to the U.S. science mission logistics hub at McMurdo Station, breaking through 18 miles of ice to bring in a Military Sealift Command-chartered Crowley Technical Management resupply ship, the 545’x76.3’ Ocean Giant with 400 containers of supplies. The U.S. military provides join maritime and air...

https://www.workboat.com/news/government/icebreaker-crew-overcomes-shaft-seal-electrical-breakdowns-to-reach-antarctica/

Supplying Antarctica: Trans Global Projects delivers logistics for the most remote construction site in the world

Teesside, UK/Rothera Point, Antarctica, 26 November 2018: For the Trans Global Projects Group (TGP), no location is too remote. But while the UK-based international project logistics specialist has handled numerous projects in some of the most inaccessible locations around the globe, even for industry professionals, Antarctica is a unique and challenging destination to serve.

TGP was awarded the contract for project logistics management for a shipment of equipment and construction materials to...

http://www.allaboutshipping.co.uk/2018/11/26/supplying-antarctica-trans-global-projects-delivers-logistics-for-the-most-remote-construction-site-in-the-world/

Report to Congress on Coast Guard Polar Security Cutter Program

The following is the Oct. 26, 2018 Congressional Research Service report, Coast Guard Polar Security Cutter (Polar Icebreaker) Program: Background and Issues for Congress.

From the report

The Coast Guard Polar Security Cutter (PSC) program, previously known as the polar icebreaker (PIB) program, is a program to acquire three new heavy polar icebreakers, to be followed years from now by the acquisition of up to three new medium polar icebreakers. The Coast Guard wants to begin construction of the...

https://news.usni.org/2018/10/30/report-congress-coast-guard-polar-security-cutter-program

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