Ex - USCGC Polar Sea (WAGB-11) (Seattle, Washington)

 military, United States Coast Guard, cutter (ship)

USCGC Polar Sea is the second and final member of the US Coast Guards Polar Class Icebreakers and was in commission as a member of the USCG Pacific Area Ice Operations Section from 1977 through 2011.

Like her sistership the USCGC Polar Star, the Polar Sea is designed to primarily break sea channels through the several miles of sea ice to allow resupply ships to bring food, fuel, and other goods the US McMurdo Research Station in Antarctica. During both Antarctic and Arctic deployments, the Polar Sea also serves as a scientific research platform with five laboratories and accommodations for up to 20 scientists.

Given a comprehensive overhaul from 2006-2008 which would have allowed her to remain in service through 2014, the Polar Sea experienced a major engineering casualty during her Spring 2010 deployment which was deemed too severe to warrant full repairs on the 33 year old vessel. Withdrawn from active US Coast Guard service in October 2011, the Polar Sea is currently maintained in inactive commission as several federal agencies review the feasibility of returning the ship to active service. In the interim, the ship has been heavily stripped of reusable materials to support the reactivation of her sistership USCGC Polar Star.

uscg.mil/pacarea/cgcpolarsea/default.asp