The Coast Guard's sole polar icebreaker set sail Tuesday night to rescue an Australian fishing vessel trapped in Antarctic ice, according to a Pacific Area news release.
The cutter Polar Star will travel approximately 330 miles southeast to recover the Australian fishing vessel Antarctic Chieftain, a 207-foot fishing boat with a 27-man crew, the release said.
The vessel is stuck in ice after three of its four propellers were damaged and it became unable to move about 900 miles from McMurdo Station, Antarctica, where Polar Star has been deployed since late last year.
"The seas of Antarctica are treacherous and unforgiving," PACAREA commander Vice Adm. Charles Ray said in the release." This incident is a sobering reminder of the importance of the U.S. icebreaker fleet as we see increased human activity in the polar regions."
Once Polar Star frees the vessel from the ice, the New Zealand fishing vessel Janas will escort or tow the vessel to the nearest safe harbor, the release said.
Seattle-based Polar Star is deployed to McMurdo Station as part of Operation Deep Freeze, a military logistics
support operation with the National Science Foundation's U.S. Antarctic Program.
Meghann Myers is the Pentagon bureau chief at Military Times. She covers operations, policy, personnel, leadership and other issues affecting service members.
