The USCG: The Icebreakers
Cost Guard icebreakers are painted with a red hull and yellow funnels for visibility in Arctic waters.
Polar-class Icebreakers
Displacement of 13,190 tons. Speed of 18kts. Crew of 139 (and 10 scientists). Armament of 2 Mk19 40mm AGLs and 2 helos.
The largest icebreakers in service, outside of the Soviet Union. Originally planned to be a class of ten, but construction stopped after the first two commissioned due to cost overruns. Arctic and oceanographic laboratories are provided. Built with CODOG (Combination Diesel or Gas turbine) propulsion with 6 18,000 bhp diesel and 3 60,000 shp gas turbines with 3 shafts fitted with controllable-pitch propellers (CPPs). Both ships have experienced problems with the CPPs and control systems.
The Polar Sea is the first ship to circumnavigate the North American continent in 1985. The icebreaker departed Seattle WA on 6 June, sailed through the Panama Canal, up the East Coast to Greenland and then through the Northwest Passage into the Bering Sea and into the Pacific, returning to Seattle on 2 October.
WAGB-10 Polar Star; WAGB-11 Polar Sea
Glacier-class Icebreaker
Displacement of 8,775 tons. Speed of 17.5kts. Crew of 229. Armament of 2 single Mk19 40mm AGLs and 2 helos.
The largest icebreaker in US service until the Polar Star was completed. Served in the USN until her transfer to the USCG in 1966.
WAGB-4 Glacier
Wind-class Icebreakers
Displacement of 6,515 tons. Speed of 16kts. Crew of 157. Armament of 12 single Mk19 40mm AGLs and 1 helo.
The principal US icebreakers for over three decades. Originally a class of seven with two built for the Navy and five for the Coast Guard. Three of the USCG vessels served with the Soviet Navy in WWII. Only two of this class remain in service.
Westwind served as the Severni Polius from 1945-1951 and the Northwind served as the Severni Veter from 1945-1951.
WAGB-281 Westwind; WAGB-282 Northwind
Mackinaw-class Icebreaker
Displacement of 5,252 tons. Speed of 18.7kts. Crew of 127. Armament consists of small arms and a helo landing pad.
Built and in service on the Great Lakes. Home ported at Cheboygan MI. Unlike the other icebreakers, Mackinaw is painted in traditional USCG colors.
WAGB-82 Mackinaw
Source material is the “13th and 14th Editions, The Ships and Aircraft of the US Fleet” and “Combat Fleets of the World: 1993”
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