USCGC Polar Sea

USCGC Polar Sea (WAGB 11)
USCGC Polar Sea (WAGB 11)
History
United States
BuilderLockheed Shipbuilding and Construction Company, Seattle, WA
Commissioned23 February 1977
IdentificationIMO number7391252
MottoAlways Summer, Never Warm
Nickname(s)Building 11, Polar Roller, What a Great Boat, Wandering Arctic Garbage Barge, Red Tubs of Fun, We Always Go Bye-Bye[1]
StatusOut of service since 2010[2]
General characteristics [3]
Class and typePolar-class icebreaker - Heavy
Displacement
  • 10,863 long tons (11,037 t) (standard)
  • 13,623 long tons (13,842 t) (full)
Length399 ft (122 m)
Beam83 ft 6 in (25.45 m)
Draft31 ft (9.4 m)[4]
Installed power
Propulsion
Speed
  • 18 knots (33 km/h; 21 mph)
  • 3 knots (5.6 km/h; 3.5 mph) in 6-foot (1.8 m) ice
Range
  • 16,000 nautical miles (30,000 km; 18,000 mi) at 18 knots (33 km/h; 21 mph)
  • 28,275 nautical miles (52,365 km; 32,538 mi) at 13 knots (24 km/h; 15 mph)
Complement
  • 15 officers
  • 127 enlisted
  • 33 scientists
  • 12-person helicopter detachment
Aircraft carried2 HH-65C Dolphin helicopters

USCGC Polar Sea (WAGB-11) is a United States Coast Guard heavy icebreaker. Commissioned on 23 February 1977, the ship was built by Lockheed Shipbuilding and Construction Company of Seattle along with her sister ship, Polar Star (WAGB-10). Her home port is Seattle, Washington.

Polar Sea has been out of service as of 2010 due to failure of five of her six Alco main diesel engines.

  1. ^ U.S. Department of Homeland Security. United States Coast Guard Historian's Office. http://www.uscg.mil/history/webcutters/Cutternicknames.pdf Archived 2011-08-25 at the Wayback Machine Retrieved 2012-01-15.
  2. ^ Reprieve for Seattle-based icebreaker Polar Sea Archived 2012-07-19 at the Wayback Machine. Seattle Times, 15 June 2012. Retrieved 2012-07-04.
  3. ^ Baker 1998, p. 1119.
  4. ^ Moore 1985, p. 772.