On Thursday, the crew aboard the US Coast Guard Cutter Healy (WAGB 20) returned home after completing a 73-day deployment to the Arctic that began on October 1.
Healy (WAGB 20) is a 400-foot polar icebreaker that can provide more than 4,200 square feet of science laboratory space for up to 50 scientists and can break 4 feet of ice.
This is the Coast Guard’s only icebreaker specifically designed to support Arctic research.
“Healy’s deployment to the Arctic West Fall demonstrates the agility and dedication of the crew,” said Capt. Michele Schallip, Healy’s commander. “In addition to contributing to navigational safety and supporting scientific research, our deployment served the wide range of Coast Guard missions we conduct in the Arctic.”
During the first phase of the deployment, crews worked with the National Oceanographic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), the U.S. National Science Foundation and the University of New Hampshire in the Chukchi and Beaufort Seas north of Alaska.
The crew completed bomb deployment and explored uncharted waters along a portion of the Alaskan Arctic Coast Port Access Route Study (AACPARS) corridor.
During this phase of the deployment, the USCG said they discovered a “volcano-like” underwater feature about 5,000 feet below the surface at the shallowest depth.
During the second phase, the crew hosted 10 postdoctoral researchers with their junior faculty members from various institutions engaged in seafloor mapping and water and sediment collection. This phase gave polar scientists practical experience at sea at the beginning of their careers.
In the final phase, the Healy and its crew completed many missions and training exercises, including search and rescue exercises as part of the readiness improvement.
The crew also navigated through the Bering Strait and into Russian territorial seas to ensure free and open navigation in the Arctic.
During the deployment, the Healy assisted in search and rescue efforts of the fishing boat Wind Walker in Alaska.
The Healy and its crew were welcomed by families with ‘Welcome Home’ signs and big smiles everywhere, just in time for Christmas.
