USCGC Polar Star, despite her age is still doing the job.

Coast Guard Cutter Polar Star reaches southernmost navigable waters on Earth

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MCMURDO STATION, Antarctica — U.S. Coast Guard Cutter Polar Star (WAGB 10) reached the southernmost navigable waters on the planet Feb. 17 while underway in the Bay of Whales, Antarctica.

Polar Star reached a position of 78 degrees, 44 minutes, 1.32 seconds south latitude at 12:55 p.m. New Zealand time, holding a distance of approximately 500 yards from the edge of the Ross Ice Shelf, further south than the current Guinness World Record holder.

While underway, Polar Star sailed in waters previously charted as part of the ice shelf that are now navigable waters. Today, portions of the Ross Ice Shelf deviate approximately 12 nautical miles from the positions depicted on official charts.

During Polar Star’s transit to and from the Bay of Whales, Polar Star surveyed 396 nautical miles of the ice shelf for potential future navigational use.

Crewmembers aboard the cutter are working with the staff at Guinness World Records to officially become the new record holders.

Feb. 7, 1997, U.S. Coast Guard Cutter Polar Sea (WAGB 11), Polar Star’s sister ship, reached 78 degrees, 29 minutes south latitude.

In 1908, Ernest Shackleton gave the Bay of Whales its name during the Nimrod Expedition on the basis of the numerous whales he and his crew sighted. Three years later, Roald Amundsen established a base camp in the bay, from which he set out on his successful endeavor to become the first person to reach the South Pole. Years later, U.S. Navy Rear Adm. Richard E. Byrd established Little America in the Bay of Whales during his first, second, and third Antarctic Expeditions, exploring more than 60% of the Antarctic continent.

“The crew of Polar Star is proud to follow in the footsteps of legendary Antarctic explorers like Shackleton, Amundsen, and Byrd,” said Capt. William Woityra, commanding officer of Polar Star. “Even today, more than a century later, we carry on that legacy of exploration, reaching new places, and expanding human understanding of our planet.”

Below is a D14 news release regarding another South Pacific patrol by a pairing of a buoy tender and a Webber class WPC, both based in Honolulu. The pairing is necessary because we don’t have bases in the vicinity that can provide support for the WPC. This pair may in some respects be better than sending a single larger cutter, but the notable missing element is air support, e.g., no embarked helicopter or Unmanned Air System.

U.S. Coast Guard Patrols EEZ in partnership with Samoa

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HONOLULU — Working with the Government of Samoa, crews from the U.S. Coast Guard Cutter Juniper (WLB 201) and USCGC Joseph Gerczak (WPC 1126) conducted security patrol operations in Samoa’s exclusive economic zone throughout February 2022, to protect fisheries and other natural resources.

The Juniper and Joseph Gerczak crews helped fill the operational presence needed to deter illegal, unreported, and unregulated fishing while Samoa’s Nafanua II patrol boat is down.

“We always look forward to assisting our partners in the region,” said Cmdr. Jeff Bryant, the 14th District’s chief of enforcement. “The United States offered to assist the government of Samoa by providing security and sovereignty operations in Samoan waters due to the absence of their patrol boat.”

The cutters have been underway in Oceania supporting Operation Aiga, designed to integrate Coast Guard capabilities and operations with the United States’ Pacific Island Country partners in order to effectively and efficiently protect shared national interests, combat IUU fishing and strengthen maritime governance on the high seas.

As a trusted partner in the Pacific, the Coast Guard employs 11 bilateral shiprider agreements with Pacific Island Forum nations, like Samoa, to support resource security and fisheries enforcement. These agreements enabled the Coast Guard to aid host-nation sovereignty while patrolling Samoa’s EEZ.

The United States Coast Guard and the Government of Samoa have a history of partnership; in 2019, the Coast Guard cutters Walnut and Joseph Gerczak visited Apia Harbor and conducted patrol operations with officials from Samoa’s Ministry of Police and Ministry of Fisheries on board. In 2021, the crew of the CGC Oliver Berry conducted similar patrols while Samoa’s patrol boat underwent repairs.

“Operation Aiga is named that for a reason. Aiga means family in Samoan and that’s how we view our Pacific neighbors,” says U.S. Ambassador to Samoa, Ambassador Udall. “This is real partnership. Together we can stop those who seek to steal valuable resources that simply don’t belong to them.”

With a population of approximately 40 million people covering an area of 3.3 million square miles, the Coast Guard and its international partners regularly patrol Oceania to protect and support those who call it home.

Maritime Executive reports attacks on at least two merchant ships. Apparently, the Ukrainian coast guard counterparts are still operating.

A Ukrainian SAR vessel reportedly responded rescuing the crew from the water and transporting them to shore.

I have to wonder what is happening to Ukraine’s coast guard counterparts? I think this may be a sample.

“The flagship of Russia’s Black Sea fleet — the missile cruiser Moskva and the patrol ship Vasily Bykov — were reported in the area, according to the Ukrainians.” August 2012 Ministry of Defense photo from Wikipedia commons.

USCGC Legare (WMEC 912) as seen underway for Eastern Pacific patrol in late 2021. The Legare crew patrolled over 12,650 nautical miles through the heart of the Eastern Pacific Ocean in support of Campaign Martillo working in conjunction with Customs and Border Protection, the Drug Enforcement Administration, and other partnering nations. (U.S. Coast Guard photo by Petty Officer 3rd Class Trevor Hammack)

An interesting little post on the Coast Guard’s use of a Navy repair team, Fleet Readiness Center Southwest’s (FRCSW) Voyage Repair Team (VRT).

FRCSW’s VRT artisans repair at least one USCG vessel monthly. The next scheduled repair is in March to the USCG Legare (WMEC-912), also homeported at USCG Base Portsmouth.