“USNI News Fleet and Marine Tracker: Oct. 2, 2023”

Posted on October 2, 2023 by Chuck Hill

Royal Navy vessel HMS Spey (P234) (foreground) conducts coordinated ship maneuvers with U.S. Coast Guard Cutter Munro (WMSL 755) Sept. 17, 2023, in the South China Sea. US Navy Photo

Not much new in the US Naval Institute Oct, 2nd Fleet and Marine Tracker. Still only two Navy ships operating under 4th Fleet. I don’t expect that to change much if at all. With Jacksonville based LCS being decommissioned, it may actually get worse. But the Naval Institute did give us a couple of great photos.

USCGC Healy (WAGB-20) and the Norwegian Coast Guard Vessel Svalbard sail in formation while en route to conduct joint exercises in northern Norway in the Barents Sea. US Coast Guard Photo

USCGC Healy has a long way to go to get back to her homeport, Seattle. Incidentally Svalbard, like Healy has made it to the North Pole. In 2020, when Healy was having difficulty, Svalbard took over a mission for Healy.

“MDSU-1 DIVES THE ARCTIC WITH U.S. COAST GUARD” –Seapower

Posted on September 24, 2023 by Chuck Hill

BEAFORT SEA (August 11, 2023) A military diver swims behind the icebreaker USCGC Healy (WAGB 20) during a scientific mission in the Beaufort Sea with USCG divers of Regional Dive Locker West and Navy divers of Mobile Dive and Salvage Unit (MDSU) 1 Aug. 11, 2023. Together, the Coast Guard and Navy conducted 42 military dives, totaling 656 minutes of bottom time to depths of 40 feet in the Arctic Ocean. As a component of Explosive Ordnance Disposal Group One, MDSU-1 provides ready, expeditionary, rapidly deployable mobile diving and salvage companies to conduct harbor and waterway clearance, salvage, underwater search and recovery, and underwater emergency repairs in any environment. (U.S. Navy Courtesy Photo)

The Navy Leagues online magazine, “Seapower,” reports Navy divers have deployed with USCGC Healy, now in the Beuford Sea. There was this interesting note,

“They [the Coast Guard] don’t have a decompression chamber, but they’re getting one,” said Hanson. “We let them use ours for this mission conducted for the Office of Naval Research (ONR), and we helped train the Coastguardsmen divers on the operation, maintenance and transport of a decompression chamber.”

and this nice quote,

“We’re trained to call the Coast Guard if a diver gets in trouble,” Hanson said. “But in this case, we were diving right off the side of a Coast Guard cutter, so we might have been in a super remote place, but the exact people we count on for help were right there.”

The description of diving under the ice is surprising.

“US Coast Guard Icebreaker Sails in Proximity to Russia’s Northern Sea Route” –High North News

Posted on September 4, 2023 by Chuck Hill

Nansen and Amundsen Basins Observational System (NABOS) moorings Healy is expected to visit. (Source: UAF)

High North News reports,

The US Coast Guard icebreaker Healy finds itself in unfamiliar waters as it becomes the first US government surface ship to venture into proximity of Russia’s Northern Sea Route (NSR) in the East Siberian Sea in several decades.

Russia claims the right to regulate traffic along the Northern Sea Route, a right the US does not recognize.

Healy is engaged in support of scientific research, but the Russians may view it as a challenge to their regulatory regime. The voyage, which originated in Seattle will end in Norway. Of course, Healy will then have to return to the US.

It is likely the US would like to do a Freedom of Navigation Operation through the Northern Sea route, but we have not had the facilities to do it with confidence.

Intentionally or not, Healy may be dipping a toe into the Northern Sea Route. So far, the Coast Guard is not saying.

Check out the article for a more complete discussion.

Thanks to Tups for bringing this to my attention.

“NPS Research on Coast Guard Icebreaker to Enhance Arctic Readiness” –Marine Link

Posted on September 1, 2023 by Chuck Hill

During a seven-week Arctic transit aboard the U.S. Coast Guard icebreaker USCGC Healy (WAGB 20), Dr. Nita Shattuck from the Naval Postgraduate School (NPS) will study the impact of the extreme environment on crew performance and potential mitigations. Additional research includes assessment of an Amos01 3D printer installed by David Dausen from NPS’ Consortium for Advanced Manufacturing Research and Education (CAMRE), and specially instrumented to measure the impact of adverse Arctic sea conditions.

Marine Link reports the Naval Post Graduate School is doing some interesting studies on the working environment experienced by USCGC Healy’s crew.

To study the effects of these conditions on a ship’s crew at sea, Shattuck and her team will collect physiological data from the Healy’s crew members. Using innovative wearable technology, they will continuously monitor physiological processes such as sleep, heart rate, heart rate variability, respiration, oxygen saturation, and skin temperature. Study participants indicate that the rings are an improvement over wrist-worn wearables. The team will also use other sensors to monitor ambient light, noise levels, motion, and vibration aboard the ship.

The report also mentions that Healy will be going to Tromsø, Norway. How they get there will be interesting. Will they go the Northwest Passage through the Canadian EEZ or the Northern Sea Route through Russia’s EEZ?

“U.S. Coast Guard Cutter Healy, National Science Foundation embark on Arctic Ocean mission”

Posted on August 27, 2023 by Chuck Hill

News Release from Coast Guard News. There is a second video on the link showing the preparation and launching of an Unmanned Underwater Vehicle (UUV).

KODIAK, Alaska – U.S. Coast Guard Cutter Healy (WAGB 20) crew and embarked researchers departed Kodiak, Saturday, for the cutter’s second mission this year in the high latitudes of the Arctic Ocean.

Healy’s next mission takes the cutter west, where the crew and a new team of researchers will support work of the National Science Foundation and International Arctic Research Center by servicing the Nansen and Amundsen Basins Observational System (NABOS). The month-long mission’s objective is to recover, service, and deploy nine long-term subsurface mooring arrays, stretching from the Eurasian Basin to the East Siberian Sea.

These moorings will give insight into the how water from the Atlantic Ocean is being introduced into the Arctic at the shelf water level, deep basin interior, and the upper ocean; as well as help develop an understanding of water circulation in the region. Another key capability Healy will provide is the ability to execute Conductivity, Temperature, and Depth (CTD) casts, sampling the water column in areas normally inaccessible due to pack ice.

“The Siberian Arctic, one of the regions of the Arctic where changes in sea ice and ocean are currently most noticeable, will be the area of this high-latitude mission onboard the Healy,” said Igor Polyakov, NABOS project lead. “However, this region is also one of the least observed, making this cruise crucial if we want to create a trustworthy observing and forecasting system.”

The NABOS project’s foundational goal since beginning in 2002 is to gain understanding of the circulation and the transformation of Atlantic waters into the Arctic Ocean. Missions from 2021 to 2025 are directed at quantifying the freshwater introductions and their impact on the transportation of heat from Atlantic waters into the region.

With these observations, NABOS looks to inform the scientific community and public on the potential impacts to Arctic sea-ice coverage and marine ecosystems, and the expanding effect on the mid-latitudes. The success of NABOS since its earliest days has always been reliant on international partnerships, researchers of diverse backgrounds, and assets like Healy achieving the results for which the project is known.

During July and August, the Healy’s mission supported and collaborated with the Office of Naval Research (ONR) experts from across a broad spectrum of disciplines, deploying and servicing instruments for ONR’s Arctic Mobile Observing System (AMOS) in the Beaufort Sea.

Under the leadership of U.S. Coast Guard Capt. Michele Schallip, Healy’s commanding officer and mission chief scientist, Dr. Craig Lee, Healy’s crew and research teams completed an array of science stations, including mooring very low frequency acoustic devices to the sea floor, deploying subsurface gliders, and conducting science equipment installations on ice floes.

The naturally hazardous environment of the Arctic required Healy to remain on-scene for lengthy periods to ensure proper function of instrumentation. In one instance, the ship was forced to send a repair part to the ice after a polar bear damaged equipment overnight. Healy’s unique capabilities are essential to the AMOS program, being the only U.S. platform able to provide researchers with access to the most remote reaches of the Arctic Ocean.

In addition to the NABOS and AMOS missions, the U.S. Coast Guard Research and Development Center is running and coordinating numerous scientific research efforts for the U.S. Coast Guard and partner research organizations. These projects will focus on several key areas pertaining to Arctic operations, including search and rescue, communications, crew performance, and atmospheric monitoring and characterization. The expanded knowledge base this research will provide will help the U.S. Coast Guard and partners improve Arctic operations and systems.

Healy is the Coast Guard’s only icebreaker specifically designed for Arctic research, as well as the nation’s sole surface presence routinely operating in the Arctic Ocean. The platform is ideally specialized for projects like NABOS; providing access to the most remote reaches of the Arctic Ocean; areas barricaded by pack ice and insurmountable by most research vessels.

The Healy deploys annually to the Arctic to support multiple science missions and Operation Arctic Shield, the service’s annual operation to execute U.S. Coast Guard missions, enhance maritime domain awareness, strengthen partnerships, and build preparedness, prevention, and response capabilities across the Arctic domain.

Commissioned in 1999, and homeported in Seattle, Healy is the largest ship in the U.S. Coast Guard at 420-feet with a displacement of over 16,000 tons. The crew compliment of 84 supports the ship’s primary mission of scientific support. It is one of two active polar icebreakers in the Coast Guard’s fleet. The Seattle-based Coast Guard Cutter Polar Star (WAGB 10) is a Polar icebreaker commissioned in 1976.

The Coast Guard is recapitalizing its Polar icebreaker fleet to ensure continued access to both Polar regions and support the country’s economic, commercial, maritime, and national security needs.

“USNI News Fleet and Marine Tracker: Aug. 21, 2023”

Posted on August 23, 2023 by Chuck Hill

USCGC Munro (WMSL-755) escorts USNS Fisher (T-AKR-301) in the East China Sea on Aug. 12, 2023. US Navy Photo

Looking at the latest US Naval Institute “Fleet and Marine Tracker,” I am a bit surprised to see there are still 3 Navy ships operating under 4th Fleet, presumably doing drug interdiction. This is an uptick.

Again, they report on atypical Coast Guard operations:

Legend-class National Security Cutter USCGC Munro (WMSL-755) departed South Korea last week and is in the Korea Strait. (As I mentioned earlier, there is a possibility, cutters may encounter the new North Korean corvettes.)
Coast Guard Cutter USCGC Healy (WAGB-20) continues its work in the Beaufort Sea. Healy is on a five-month deployment in partnership with ONR and the National Science Foundation.
Coast Guard Cutter USCGC Forward (WMEC-911) is currently supporting Operation Nanook. Operation Nanook is an annual Canadian-led exercise that fosters international cooperation and shared responsibility in the Arctic and the northern Atlantic Regions. The cutter recently made a port call in Nuuk, Greenland.

You can use Control F “USCGC” if you want to quickly find the Coast Guard cutters mentioned in the USNI posts.

PATFORSWA is mentioned again.

The link in the Healy entry, “U.S., Canadian Icebreakers Conduct Operation, Rendezvous en Route to Arctic Ocean” is interesting, plus there is more in the USNI post including an “adorable” polar bear photo.

“Japanese icebreaking research vessel project moves ahead” –Marine Log

Posted on August 19, 2023 by Chuck Hill

Icebreaking research vessel
MOL is to deploy an outfitting crew to the shipyard building Japan’s first icebreaking research vessel

Marine Log reports,

JAMSTEC (Japan Agency for Marine-Earth Science and Technology) has taken another step forward on the build of Japan’s first research vessel with icebreaking capabilities. The icebreaking research ship is on order at Japan Marine United’s Isogo shipyard in Yokohama where, as of last month, the design of the hull structure was nearing completion…The LNG dual-fueled Polar Class 4 ship will have a total length of 128 meters, a width of 23 meters, an international gross tonnage of about 13,000 tons, and a crew of 99 people. It will be to break sea ice with a thickness of 1.2 meters at a speed of 3 knots, and will be equipped with drones, unmanned probes, and Doppler radars used for weather observations.

That is 420 feet in length and 75’5” in beam. USCGC Healy is the same length, but 82′ (25 meters) in beam, and 16,000 tons, so they are pretty close. If I interpreted correctly, this would be considered at the low end of the medium icebreaker class by the USCG. Like Healy, this ship uses shaft driven propellers.

There are diagrams of the ship here.

“Prototype work begins on the Coast Guard’s newest heavy polar icebreaker” –CG-9

Posted on August 7, 2023 by Chuck Hill

A quarter and a dime are used to demonstrate the difference in the hull thickness of a PSC as compared to other Coast Guard cutters. U.S. Coast Guard Photo.

Below is a report from the Acquisitions Directorate (CG-9). Nice to see some movement now that Bollinger has taken over the project.

Bollinger Mississippi Shipbuilding began cutting steel July 24, 2023, on the first prototype module that will become the foundation of a new polar security cutter (PSC), the first heavy icebreaker to be built in the United States in 50 years. Up to eight modules will be constructed in Pascagoula, Mississippi, to prototype the shipbuilding processes and techniques that will be used when production of the first PSC begins in 2024.

“We’re relearning how to build this type of ship,” said PSC program manager Capt. Eric Drey, describing the construction approach being employed by Bollinger during the prototype phase.

The progressive crawl-walk-run approach consists of verifying the processes utilized during the build to ensure design completeness. This includes unit readiness reviews, ensuring engineering, computer aided design systems accurately transfer numerical control data to automated production machinery and slowing down early prototype module build times to maximize learning and enable improvements in the downstream production, engineering, and planning processes. Each module requires approximately four months of labor, during which time the shipyard will continue recruiting and training additional members of the workforce to manage the transition to production of the lead hull as the prototype modules are completed.

The hull of a heavy polar icebreaker is required to be much thicker than other Coast Guard cutters because of the pressure exerted on the ship by the surrounding ice. Deeper, more closely spaced structural stiffeners inside the hull ensure the ship doesn’t crumple when it encounters large ice floes, and the hull itself is constructed of 1 1/2-inch-thick steel alloy that remains flexible even in extremely low temperatures.

“It’s the first heavy icebreaker built by our nation in 50 years,” said Drey. “It’s not just a big day for the Coast Guard, but a big day for the nation.” The PSCs will be multi-mission cutters capable of supporting all Coast Guard statutory missions executed in the polar regions.

The Coast Guard’s operational polar icebreaking fleet currently consists of one heavy icebreaker, the 399-foot Coast Guard Cutter Polar Star that was commissioned in 1976, and one medium icebreaker, the 420-foot Coast Guard Cutter Healy that was commissioned in 1999.

Coast Guard mission demand in the polar regions is growing as environmental and economic activities continue to increase. The Coast Guard has identified a need for new polar icebreakers to assure year-round access to the polar regions and to provide self-rescue capabilities. PSCs enable the United States to maintain defense readiness in the Arctic and Antarctic regions; enforce treaties and other laws needed to safeguard both industry and the environment; provide ports, waterways and coastal security; and provide logistical support – including vessel escort – to facilitate the movement of goods and personnel necessary to support scientific research, commerce, national security activities, and maritime safety.

For more information: Polar Security Cutter Program page.

“Coast Guard icebreaker departs for months-long Arctic deployment” –Coast Guard News

Posted on July 12, 2023 by Chuck Hill

Passing this along from Coast Guard News.

SEATTLE — The Coast Guard Cutter Healy (WAGB 20) departed Seattle, Tuesday, for a months-long Arctic deployment.

The crew aboard Healy, a 420-foot icebreaker, will provide U.S. surface presence in the Arctic, conduct high latitude science and research missions, engage in exercises and professional exchanges with foreign partners, and conduct other operations as directed throughout the deployment.

Healy’s deployment supports the Coast Guard’s Arctic Strategy while providing critical training opportunities for Polar sailors and future operations in the Arctic.

“We’re excited to begin our Arctic deployment to the high latitudes,” said Capt. Michele Schallip, Healy’s commanding officer. “Our deployment will support scientific exploration to increase understanding of the changing Arctic environment and associated impacts. We’ll also have opportunities to deepen the Coast Guard’s cooperation with our allies, and partner nations through engagements and joint exercises to promote regional stability, security and strengthen our collaborative partnerships.”

Schallip assumed command of the Healy in June, having previously served as the cutter’s executive officer.

Commissioned in 2000, Healy is one of two active polar icebreakers in the Coast Guard’s fleet. The Seattle-based Coast Guard Cutter Polar Star (WAGB 10) is a Polar icebreaker commissioned in 1976.

The Coast Guard is recapitalizing its Polar icebreaker fleet to ensure continued access to both Polar regions and support the country’s economic, commercial, maritime, and national security needs.

“China to build icebreaker with submersible to reach Arctic seabed” –Interesting Engineering

Posted on July 1, 2023 by Chuck Hill

Chinese Icebreaker

Interesting Engineering has a story about China’s third polar icebreaker expected to be ready in 2025.

It appears to be a relatively light polar icebreaker,

“The proposed length of the vessel is 338 feet (103 meters) and is being built for a displacement of over 10,000 tons (9,200 tonnes). It can accommodate a crew of 80 people and travel at speeds of up to 16 knots…”

That is about the length of the Canadian Arctic and Offshore Patrol Ship, but about 50% heavier. I appears to be a bit smaller than M/V Aiviq that the Coast Guard apparently intends to buy.

Given the relatively small size, it is unlikely this is the nuclear icebreaker that has been talked about.

The article makes much of the ability to support a deepsea submersible, but it does not make clear what special provisions will be provided. Will it have a stern launch or moonpool or just cranes?

Why the submersible, when remotely operated vehicles are now so capable, is also not clear.

I think Russia has at least as much reason to be concerned about China’s icebreaker capabilities as the US, since Russia wants to monetize passage through the Northern Sea Route, and I doubt the Chinese will stand for that in the long run.

Thanks to Mike for bringing this to attention.

Chuck Hill's CG Blog

Category Archives: icebreaker