The Polar Class are really two types of ship.

The 420’ 16,000 ton USGCG Healey is twice the size of our Arleigh Burke destroyers but its purpose, like the other Arctic is entirely peaceful and it carries none of the weapons found on the other Coast Guard Cutters. The ship can accommodate up to fifty scientists and has 4,200’ square feet of laboratory space. It can push through 4’ of ice continuously or double that by backing and ramming.





WAGB-20 Healey







The 399’ 13,000 WAGB-10 Polar Star and WAGB-11 Polar Sea were each built with a heeling system. Three pairs of water tanks on opposite sides of the ship permitted the transfer of a hundred tons of seawater from one side to the other in under a minute’s time. The rocking motion permitted side to side ice breaking as well as front to back. Documentation indicates this system was removed from the Polar Star. It’s unclear if it remains in place on the Polar Sea.

Even with the heeling system removed these are still mighty ice movers, capable of smashing their way through 21’ of ice by backing and ramming.





WAGB-10 Polar Star







Most numerous of the icebreakers are nine Katmai Bay class tugs. Five are in the Great Lakes and four in the upper northeast. These 140’ 662 ton ships are meant for harbor maintenance and can break just 3’ of ice by backing and ramming.





WTGB-104 Biscayne Bay







The Mackinaw is a unique vessel, both an ice breaker and a buoy tender. She and her crew keep the Great Lakes navigational aids in good condition now matter how nasty the weather gets. Being a tender this ship has both powerful bow thrusters and the fully steerable propulsion that permit the very accurate placement needed to service stationary buoys.





WLBB-30 Mackinaw







I really should finish this small series off with a bit about the Coast Guard's air assets, right? I'll try to get it done by this weekend.



