This is an icebreaker... And it's actually breaking ice.
Posted on 08/11/2025 4:33:37 PM PDT by george76
The ship will be ceremonially commissioned in August in Juneau, Alaska, which is the vessel’s homeport. Until then, the icebreaker and two others will be berthed in Seattle, Washington, until infrastructure improvements are made at the ships’ homeport.
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The U.S. Coast Guard’s newest polar icebreaker is officially operational, which the agency says will bolster its Arctic operations.
The 360-foot-long icebreaker departed from its assembly port in Pascagoula, Mississippi and was headed to Seattle, where it will be based until renovations are completed at its homeport in Juneau, Alaska.
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The USCGC Storis will join the USCGC Polar Star and the USCGC Healy as part of the Polar Security Cutter Program.
Both of the other icebreakers have faced challenges due to their age, with the Healy recently experiencing a significant fire, while the 50-year-old Polar Star was taken out of service for necessary repairs.
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Russia has 55 icebreakers and is in the process of building more
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By 2025, China, which has no sovereignty over any Arctic waters, is set to surpass the United States’ icebreaker fleet.
Troubled History: The icebreaker Aiviq was built for oil work in the Arctic but has design issues. Its maiden voyage to Alaska ended in a rescue at sea and a Coast Guard investigation.
Influential Donor: The Aiviq’s Louisiana builder has made more than $7 million in political contributions since 2012. For much of that time, Edison Chouest sought to sell or lease the ship.
Wider Problem: The Coast Guard’s $125 million purchase of the Aiviq, made under congressional pressure, follows the service’s failure to get its preferred, $1 billion model built.
This Icebreaker Has Design Problems and a History of Failure. It’s America’s Latest Military Vessel.
https://www.propublica.org/article/aiviq-icebreaker-military-coast-guard
This is an icebreaker... And it's actually breaking ice.
In the nick of time / Just in time.
Yeah, but no ice to break. Right Al goron!
(By 2025, China, which has no sovereignty over any Arctic waters, is set to surpass the United States’ icebreaker fleet.)
Well, wouldn’t Juneau...
At least one of Russia’s icebreakers is nuclear, although I don’t know if that’s still true.
It would seem to me that’s the way to go.
I wouldn't call 360 ft. small........
Back before the Ukraine excursion I was interested in taking a cruise to the north pole on a Russian nuclear powered icebreaker. (Yes, such a thing is available). I thought the coolness factor was just off the charts.
I have a girlfriend who almost went on one of the Russian icebreakers as a tourist passenger, I wanted her to go but she backed off.
“And it’s actually breaking ice.”
Uh, it is not even moving!
“At least one of Russia’s icebreakers is nuclear, although I don’t know if that’s still true. It would seem to me that’s the way to go.”
OBVIOUSLY, considering that finding a gas station in the Arctic is quite difficult. Russia, of course, leads the world in Ice Breakers, no one else even close. The currently in the process of building 7 more of them (all nuclear), with 3 completed (and sorry Zeepers, they work better than anything the Neocons have ever built, or even proposed).
“Until then, the icebreaker and two others will be berthed in Seattle, Washington, until infrastructure improvements are made at the ships’ homeport.”
There weren’t any icebreakers when I was out there, but the traffic was so bad I darn near wet myself before I got to the filling station. The clerk told me: “Thanks for leaving some piss at Ciff’s”. I did buy gas and a PayDay bar though.
A polar icebreaker? As opposed to a tropical icebreaker?
Well, you want to make sure there’s no confusion.
Russia’s icebreaker fleet set to grow - World Nuclear News
Russia has eight nuclear-powered icebreakers currently in operation. This is the largest fleet of its kind in the world. These icebreakers are managed by Rosatomflot, a state-owned company, and are crucial for maintaining navigation along the Northern Sea Route.
Here’s a bit more detail:
Types of Nuclear Icebreakers:
Russia operates icebreakers of the Arktika class, like the Arktika, Sibir, and Ural, and also the newer Project 22220 icebreakers.
Recent additions:
The newest nuclear icebreaker, Yakutia, recently completed its maiden voyage.
Future plans:
Russia plans to build more icebreakers to expand its fleet and support increased traffic on the Northern Sea Route.
Dual-use:
These icebreakers serve both civilian and military purposes, playing a role in Russia’s control over the Arctic region.
I bet Musk could come up with a better breaker
That’s a pretty small
/
It does
It looks like a regular cutter painted red
Beefed up maybe
the polar pigs were 400 feet
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