Two Icebreakers Sail For First Time Ever From Alaska To N. Pole & Back

[hatrack]

EDIT

The Swedish vessel Oden and the U.S. Coast Guard's Healy completed the historic trek in September.

Although the same area had been crossed by submarines, the central Arctic Ocean is Earth's least explored ocean area by surface ships due to floating sea ice that, in some areas, is more than 10 feet thick.

Jim Swift of the Scripps Institution of Oceanography said the Canada Basin crossing was made possible because of a reduction in the Arctic Ocean's ice cover.

"Some indications have shown the ice volume in the Arctic Ocean has reduced nearly 40 percent since the time submarine transects began more than 40 years ago," said Swift. "There is some scientific debate about the actual percentage, but there is no doubt of the thinning in many areas of the region." Other expedition scientists were from Sweden, Finland, Canada, Germany, Norway and Denmark.

EDIT/END

http://www.upi.com/NewsTrack/view.php?StoryID=20051101-011616-1853r

[Coastie for Truth]

1. Historic Importance of Ice Breaker CGC Healy

It is named after, the first African American "District Commandant" (Equivalent to a Rear Admiral) in the Coast Guard.

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Revenue Captain Michael A. Healy, commanding officer of the cutters Chandler, Corwin, Bear, McCulloch and Thetis, became a legend enforcing federal law along Alaska's 20,000 mile coastline. In addition to being a friend to missionaries and scientists, he was a rescuer of whalers, natives, shipwrecked sailors, and destitute miners.

Born the son of a slave mother in 1839, near Macon, Georgia, he was sent north by his Irish immigrant father to obtain an education. Healy, however, had other ideas and ran away from whatever school his father sent him too, whether it be in Massachusetts or Belgium. He finally ran away for good, only this time to sea. He began his 49-year sea career at the ripe old age of 15 when he signed aboard a clipper ship bound for Asia as a cabin boy. During the Civil War he requested and was granted a commission in the Revenue Cutter Service from President Abraham Lincoln.

Healy took command of the famous cutter Bear in 1886 and on numerous occasions drove himself and his crew well beyond the call of duty. In 1888, the Alaska whaling fleet had anchored behind the bar at Point Barrow to ride out a southwest gale. The wind veered to the north. Huge waves were breaking over the bar. Four different ships broke apart and sank, throwing their crews into the icy waters. During an incredible mass rescue, the Bear's crew saved 160 survivors.

Note' The Bear and it's little sister, the Storis, are legends in the USCG.

[hatrack]

2. Were these the Bear and Thetis of the Greely Expedition rescue?

Interesting stuff - great post!

[Coastie for Truth]

3. I think so.

The "Bear" name was retired (Like retiring a player's number).

[dcfirefighter]

4. Seems like they should keep the name in use

like the Enterprise, Discovery, Defiance, Hood, Victory, Yorktown, etc.

[NNadir]

5. Now this is a very cool story. I never knew this. Thanx.