The heavy-duty ship the US needs to protect its thawing border with Russia

[Bob Riebe]

The heavy-duty ship the US needs to protect its thawing border with Russia 'is just falling apart,' captain says

https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/world/the-heavy-duty-ship-the-us-needs-to-protect-its-thawing-border-with-russia-is-just-falling-apart-captain-says/ar-BB1esFz8?ocid=msedgdhp



The months-long Arctic operation that Coast Guard icebreaker Polar Star finished last month was a rare mission for the US's sole heavy icebreaker.

It was the first time a US icebreaker had been in the Arctic in winter since 1982. The crew overcame "treacherous" conditions, but they also grappled with a problem aboard the ship that may hinder the US's Arctic ambitions.

Polar Star is "now 45 years old, and it's definitely showing its age," Capt. William Woityra, Polar Star's commanding officer, said in February at an event cohosted by the University of Alaska Fairbanks and the Nome office of Alaska Sea Grant.

"We were up to this mission, and we were excited to undertake it, but it took the crew working around the clock to keep the ship running," Woityra added.

Polar Star can break through 21 feet of ice and sail through 40- to 50-foot seas (though seas much lower than that can incapacitate the crew, Woityra previously told Insider).

The icebreaker's usual wintertime trip to Antarctica to help resupply the McMurdo Sound research station was canceled because of the pandemic. It was sent north after the US's only other oceangoing icebreaker, Healy, broke down as it sailed to the Arctic.

Polar Star has its own history of breakdowns, which cropped up again.

"On New Year's Eve, we actually got stopped in the ice," Woityra said. "We had a diode on our AC-to-DC rectifier that blew out, and we had to replace it. And this is a part that is no longer available. It's not made anymore."

Polar Star has a split propulsion system. In addition to gas turbines, it has what Woityra called "basically locomotive engines" powering generators that send power through that rectifier to turn a propeller shaft.

"We've got a few dozen of these in a box on a shelf," Woityra said of the diode. "When they're gone, the ship will not be able to run anymore. It's really kind of disconcerting ... that this ship, and this operation, and the US's icebreaking presence in the Arctic is reliant on a box of spare parts that ... there are no more of."

Crew from Polar Star enjoys a brief ice liberty on the frozen Bering Sea, January 30, 2021. US Coast Guard/PO1 Cynthia Oldham© US Coast Guard/PO1 Cynthia Oldham Crew from Polar Star enjoys a brief ice liberty on the frozen Bering Sea, January 30, 2021. US Coast Guard/PO1 Cynthia Oldham
Parts for Polar Star are dwindling. Crews have stripped replacement parts from its out-of-service sister ship, Polar Sea, and even turned to eBay to find a resistor unavailable elsewhere.

"The only source of supply in the world was on eBay," Woityra told Insider during the event. "We worked with the supplier to actually pull listing from eBay, and we were able to use normal government contracting mechanisms to purchase those resistors."

"With a ship that's almost 50 years old, every single part of it is just falling apart, and there's no one-for-one replacement to keep it going," Woityra added.

Polar Star is set to begin a five-year service-life extension program this summer to keep it going for another decade. The Coast Guard has awarded a contract for a new icebreaker, which it expects by 2024, with two more by 2030.

Leasing an icebreaker is also being considered as a near-term option, as other countries expand their icebreaker fleets.

'We're pushing back'
Despite mechanical challenges, the Coast Guard was enthusiastic about Polar Star's mission, which included testing communications technology for the Defense Department and scientific research in an environment and at a time of year for which data is scant.

"It had been 40 years since the Coast Guard had been operating in this region," Woityra said. "So here was a chance to gather some in-situ data that was normally not available under any circumstances."

American researchers, Merchant Marine Academy midshipmen, and Royal Navy sailors were also aboard Polar Star for the mission, as were junior Coast Guard members, there to train as the service tries to rebuild its Arctic proficiency.

"We've really got to build out a future fleet of icebreaker sailors, as the Arctic ... becomes increasingly more an area of focus and becomes increasingly more accessible," Adm. Karl Schultz, commandant of the Coast Guard, said at a separate event last month.

That increasing accessibility, driven by climate change, has made the Arctic a growing venue for geopolitical competition. The Bering Strait, which separates the US and Russia, is likely to be a focal point for that competition.

Schultz, Woityra, and other Coast Guard officials have stressed that the service has a good relationship with its Russian counterpart, but a major Russian military exercise in the area last summer, during which Russian warships harassed US fishing boats, added to tensions.

Polar Star's crew was aware of that encounter and was motivated to "defend US interests" and support Alaskans, Woityra said.

When Polar Star patrolled the US-Russian maritime boundary, the Russian fishing fleet "was well on their side," Woityra said. While in the strait, Polar Star also saw "regular overflights by Russian border-patrol aircraft."

"We knew that they were coming. They knew where we were," Woityra said. "We got word 12 to 24 hours ahead of time ... and when they came into range, they held us on VHF radio, we exchanged information, everything went exactly as according to plan."

Schultz said last month that "having a pragmatic relationship with the Russians is a good thing," as it facilitates cooperation on search-and-rescue operations, environmental management, and disaster response, but the service is "projecting our sovereign interest" in the region, Schultz added.

"Russia's pushing up against that line, and we're pushing back," Schultz said.

[Lloyd Smale]

it was commisioned the year i got out of the service. There lies a big differnce in the navy and cg. When i was in i was on a ship for a year that was actually in the battle of pearl harbor. It was 40 something then. At that time the average life of a Navy ship was about 10 years (except for carriers) We had the same problem. Nobody made anything for it anymore and every part had to be either made or something jerry rigged to work. Its sister ship the polar sea was decomissioned about 5 years ago. Even the canadian navy has more modern ice breakers then we do and the russian navy is way ahead. With this new administration i cant see alot being done about it. there more worried about food stamps and welfare.

[Argent 88]

Are those smoke stacks? Funnels. How is this ship powered? It says gas turbines and generators,but does it have to use a boiler also? I wasn't a machinist, or boilers mate so I wasn't really familiar with all that. The Saratoga used fuel oil, we didn't have any funnels sticking out. I guess that's what this ship uses also. Or something similar. Maybe the Coasties on this site can certify that.

[darkgael]

We've got a few dozen of these in a box on a shelf," Woityra said of the diode. "When they're gone, the ship will not be able to run anymore. It's really kind of disconcerting ... that this ship, and this operation, and the US's icebreaking presence in the Arctic is reliant on a box of spare parts that ... there are no more of."

A sad state of affairs for sure. I was unaware of the poor conditions that are described.
Thanks for the post and the info.

[Lloyd Smale]

diesel with gas turbines for extra power when needed all motors are actually generator motors tied into electric propulsion motors. Last coast guard ship steam powered were the class of ship i was on and they were built in the early 40s and the last one decomissioned was the one i was on that was taken out in 84. Even most navy ships today are deisel/gas turbine. About the only steam ships left are the nukes. Disadvantage with steam is the huge weight of conventional boilers and the space they take up and the time it takes to get steam pressure up slows the ability of a fast response. A diesel can pretty much be started and backed out of the pier. Use to take us about 3 hours from a cold start to getting underway. There isnt many new ships today that use steam power. Even the big lake freighters and ocean going transports use diesel 

Are those smoke stacks? Funnels. How is this ship powered? It says gas turbines and generators,but does it have to use a boiler also? I wasn't a machinist, or boilers mate so I wasn't really familiar with all that. The Saratoga used fuel oil, we didn't have any funnels sticking out. I guess that's what this ship uses also. Or something similar. Maybe the Coasties on this site can certify that.

[Argent 88]

Diesel, pretty much a fuel oil. The same BTU's. Yes the nukes do use steam.
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Diesel_fuel

[Bob Riebe]

Last coal powered laker:



https://www.professionalmariner.com/oldest-laker-the-last-of-its-kind-ends-service-heads-to-scrap-yard/

Last steam powered laker - launched 1967:



FEUX-FOLLETS (1967, Bulk Freighter)

[Argent 88]

Even the paddle wheel river boats had to go with Diesel. What few of them are left, are floating casinos.

[Ranger99]

If I had the ability to do it, I'd mandate that
we'd gather up a bunch of do nothing beaurecrats
and do a big audit to see if the maintenance
budget money for things like keeping these
ships in top shape was actually spent as
allocated for,  or if it just kind of "went away "

I've seen a bunch of that kind of stuff in
different departments of different industries
over the years. Like money allocated for
building maintenance, and rain pouring
through the roof and document storage
getting soaked, and false ceilings collapsing,
things like that

Realistically, you pretty much have to
bite your lip and keep on,  or
leave and go somewhere else

[Argent 88]

A few of the old Titan missle silos are being used for data storage.

[Lloyd Smale]

thats a real old system. the triple expansion engines were 3 pistons that received steam. the main high pressure piston first then left over pressure went to the second piston then the left over from that the third. Its where the term oiler of the watch came from. The job of the lowest ranking engine room watch man had to actually take an oil can and ever so often squirt oil on the crank shaft bearings. Many of the ww1 navy ships were like that. That was back when coal was shoveled into a boiler by hand. By ww2 most were steam turbine powered fuel oil boiler ships. Most of those coal fired boilers were 400 psi. When they switched to fuel oil most were made 600 psi super heated boilers and eventually 1200 psi. Super heat actually heated the steam so hot that there was no moisture. Something needed with a steam turbine because droplets of moisture would destroy the blades of the turbine. Ship i was on was kind of in the middle. It was a fuel oil superheated 400 psi boiler with steam turbines.  power plant I worked at had 1600 psi coal boilers

Last coal powered laker:



https://www.professionalmariner.com/oldest-laker-the-last-of-its-kind-ends-service-heads-to-scrap-yard/

Last steam powered laker - launched 1967:



FEUX-FOLLETS (1967, Bulk Freighter)

[Argent 88]

Thanks for the info Lloyd. Maybe someday I will show you how to arm a sidewinder missile.