SEATTLE — The United States Coast Guard Cutter Polar Star, the country’s only heavy icebreaker, is set to return to its Seattle homeport this Saturday.
The Polar Star recently completed its 26th journey to Antarctica. According to the USCG, the vessel makes the trip annually in support of Operation Deep Freeze, a military service mission to resupply U.S. Antarctic stations of the National Science Foundation.
The crew conducts the mission to create a navigable path through ice as thick as 21 feet, allowing refuel and resupply ships to reach McMurdo Station, the largest Antarctic research station.
Families of the crew will meet the ship as it returns on Saturday afternoon.
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