USCGC Polar Star is a United States Coast Guard heavy icebreaker. Commissioned in 1976, the ship was built by Lockheed Shipbuilding and Construction Company of Seattle, Washington, along with sister s
USCGC Polar Star
The upward angle of Polar Star's bow is designed so that the hull rides up onto the ice surface during icebreaking operations. Subsequently, the ship's weight and forward motion combine to fracture the ice.
Polar Star makes a channel for a cargo ship, 2019
The McMurdo Sound is a sound in Antarctica, known as the southernmost passable body of water in the world, located approximately 1,300 kilometres from the South Pole.
Weddell seal underwater in McMurdo Sound
Ship navigates sea ice in McMurdo Sound
Weather instruments such as this device installed upon Iceberg B-15A provide scientists a better understanding of Antarctica's impact upon global climate.
A research diver reaches towards a jellyfish that thrives in the −1.5 °C (29.3 °F) salt water of McMurdo Sound.