As with previous Dry Docks, the three pitch propellers were removed, overhauled, and reinstalled. Photo: Official USCG Polar Star Facebook
Naval News reports on the recent availability for USCGC Polar Star.
Much as she has for the last several years, she went into the Mare Island Dry Dock in Vallejo, CA. She spent 16 weeks and two days there completing the first of five planned phased SLEP increments that are expected to keep her in service until service until the second Polar Security Cutter is completed in 2027. Unlike 2019, at least this year she got out of the yard on schedule.
If she is going to spend a majority of her in port time in the San Francisco Bay area, that really should be her homeport.
Chuck Hill's CG Blog 
Housing and commutes in the SF Bay area are a nightmare! Homeporting there would be a horrible idea.
Pulled this off the internet.
– Overall, Vallejo, California is 23.8% cheaper than Seattle, Washington
– Median Home Cost is the biggest factor in the cost of living difference.
– Median Home Cost is 42% cheaper in Vallejo.
https://www.bestplaces.net/cost-of-living/seattle-wa/vallejo-ca/50000
That might be true for Seattle, but just outside Seattle costs fall fast. Just as they do for San Fran. It would be unlikely that a large CG cutter would be homeported at Vallejo itself. Wouldn’t it be at CG Island in Alameda? I don’t know if there is actually any pier space for a breaker there.
The US Pacific Fleet used to be based in Vallejo. I think it is doable. Having the majority of your inport time spent hundreds of miles from your homeport is just cruel and unusual.
Why not do the work in Seattle, they used to do a lot of work on the Polar class icebreakers, remember sailing past the Todd yard when they had icebreakers in the yard many times. Also seems to me that Portland has some major yards but not sure if they can do a ship this size.
What about the Navy Yard at Bremerton? They do large ships there also.
Sounds like a good idea but, the Bremerton is a nuclear ship yard. And the Navy is
very touchy who is allowed in to the inner ship yard. Also Bremerton is max out right now! Having to decommissioning Navy submarines, and soon the first of the Nimitz aircraft carrier’s.
The Vigor yard could easily do the work, and they’ve pursued contracts with the CG (specifically most recently for design of the OPC), but it seems they are out of favor for some reason. Don’t know if it’s price or some conflict over personalities or quality of work (which I doubt, but the icebreakers were serviced by Vigor until San Francisco became *the* place).
Perhaps it is scheduling? The Breakers must be serviced during their non-deployment phase… I seem to recall a few years ago there was a delay in deployment to Antarctica — I wonder if that was because of delays in yard work?
The Navy has been having a hard time getting their yard work done on time lately. Vigor is one of the few shipyards that does work on Navy ships. That may have something to do with it.
The yard in Vallego is the former US Navy shipyard.
The Harbor Island Vigor yard is full up with Navy cruiser modernization until Nov 2021 if they stay on track.
Vigor in Portland also has a very large modernization contract for Navy missile destroyers that runs through the end of 2021. This feeds into what the Navy has been complaining about for years about the shrinking industrial ship repair base of the US.