Coast Guard
GalleryCoast Guard’s only heavy icebreaker heads home after Antarctic deployment
Stars and Stripes
March 12, 2026
USCGC Polar Star seen in the Ross Sea during Operation Deep Freeze 2026, Feb. 21, 2026. (Christopher Bokum/U.S. Coast Guard)
The Coast Guard’s only heavy icebreaker has completed its annual mission of opening ice-clogged supply routes to scientific stations in Antarctica.
The U.S. Coast Guard Cutter Polar Star departed McMurdo Sound, Antarctica, on March 1, where its crew supported Operation Deep Freeze 2026, according to a service news release. Polar Star’s commander, Capt. Jeff Rasnake, said the operation had a “heavy toll” on service members, but “spirits remain high” as they head back to their homeport in Seattle.
“I am so proud of how this crew, once again brought their best energy and worked together through every single challenge this year’s mission presented,” Rasnake said in the release.
USCGC Polar Star sits during Operation Deep Freeze 2026 as penguins pass by, Jan. 12, 2026. (Christopher Bokum/U.S. Coast Guard)
USCGC Polar Star escorts the motor vessel Stena Polaris, the largest fuel tanker ever to reach McMurdo Station, through the ice-covered Ross Sea during Operation Deep Freeze 2026, Jan. 21, 2026. (Madelyn Greene/U.S. Coast Guard)
Motor vessel Stena Polaris looms off the port-quarter of USCGC Polar Star for an escort through the ice-covered Ross Sea to McMurdo Station, Jan. 21, 2026. (Christopher Bokum/U.S. Coast Guard)
USCGC Polar Star approaches the ice pier from Winter Quarters Bay in the Ross Sea, Feb. 3, 2026. (Christopher Bokum/U.S. Coast Guard)
USCGC Polar Star small boat crew members conduct training in the Ross Sea, Feb. 21, 2026. (Christopher Bokum/U.S. Coast Guard)
USCGC Polar Star is moored at the McMurdo Station, Antarctica, ice pier during a stop for fueling, Feb. 2, 2026. (Christopher Bokum/U.S. Coast Guard)
USCGC Polar Star crew members watch as the motor vessel Stena Polaris approaches the cutter’s stern in the Ross Sea during an escort to McMurdo Station, Jan. 21, 2026. (Christopher Bokum/U.S. Coast Guard)
While deployed, the icebreaker marked its 50th year of service on Jan. 17 and carried out several operations:
Freed the cruise ship Scenic Eclipse II from dense ice and escorted it to open water.
Cut a seven-mile channel through fast ice and escorted the tanker Stena Polaris to deliver more than 6 million gallons of fuel.
Supported cargo operations with the Plantijngracht.
Guided the tug Rachel through late-season ice to deliver the new NSF Discovery Pier to McMurdo Station.
Each year, the ship deploys for the 16,000-mile round-trip to the tip of the frozen oceans in the Southern Hemisphere. The mission includes strategic and tactical airlift, airdrop, aeromedical evacuation, search and rescue, sealift, seaport access, bulk fuel supply, cargo handling, and other transportation requirements, the release said.