Media Advisory: Coast Guard icebreaker returns from Arctic deployment

News Release

November 29, 2018 U.S. Coast Guard 13th District Pacific Northwest Contact: 13th District Public Affairs Office: (206) 220-7237 After Hours: (206) 251-3237 13th District online newsroom

Media Advisory: Coast Guard icebreaker returns from Arctic deployment

The U.S. Coast Guard Cutter Healy (WAGB-20) is in the ice Wednesday, Oct. 3, 2018, about 715 miles north of Barrow, Alaska, in the Arctic. The Healy is in the Arctic with a team of about 30 scientists and engineers aboard deploying sensors and autonomous submarines to study stratified ocean dynamics and how environmental factors affect the water below the ice surface for the Office of Naval Research. The Healy, which is homeported in Seattle, is one of two ice breakers in U.S. service and is the only military ship dedicated to conducting research in the Arctic. (NyxoLyno Cangemi/U.S. Coast Guard)

A boat crew aboard a small boat prepare a sea glider for transfer aboard the U.S. Coast Guard Cutter Healy (WAGB-20) Tuesday, Sept. 25, 2018, approximately 250 miles northeast of Barrow, Alaska. A sea glider is a semi-autonomous submarine used to measure water conductivity, temperature, depth, oxygen and other measurements in the Arctic Ocean and are controlled by pilots in the Applied Physics Lab at the University of Washington in Seattle. The Healy is underway in the Arctic with about 100 crew members and 30 scientists to deploy sensors and autonomous submarines to study stratified ocean dynamics and how environmental factors affect the water below the ice surface for the Office of Naval Research. The Healy, which is homeported in Seattle, is one of two ice breakers in U.S. service and is the only military ship dedicated to conducting research in the Arctic. (NyxoLyno Cangemi/U.S. Coast Guard)

Editors' Note: Click on images to download high resolution version.

WHO:  The crew of the Coast Guard Cutter Healy

WHAT: The crew of the Coast Guard Cutter Healy is scheduled to return to their homeport in Seattle following their annual Arctic deployment.  This year, the Healy crew completed three science missions, conducting physical and biological research in the Arctic Ocean in partnership with the National Science Foundation, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration and the Office of Naval Research.

WHEN:  11 a.m. Friday

WHERE: Pier 36, 1519 Alaskan Way South, Seattle, WA 98134

Editor’s Note:  Media interested in attending are encouraged to RSVP with the Coast Guard: (206) 220-7237

 

SEATTLE – The crew of the U.S. Coast Guard Cutter Healy is scheduled return at 11 a.m. on Friday to their homeport in Seattle following a four-month deployment in the Arctic.

In addition to providing presence and access in the Arctic during the 129-day summer deployment, the Healy crew completed three research missions in partnership with the National Science Foundation, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration and the Office of Naval Research, conducting physical and biological research in the Arctic Ocean.

The crew’s first mission was a NOAA-sponsored project aimed at furthering the understanding of the changing biological picture in the Arctic, along with studying the physical oceanography and offshore ocean currents in both the Chukchi and Beaufort Seas.  The findings from this mission will aid scientists in studying the biological conditions in the Polar region.

The second mission, supported by the Office of Naval Research, is part of a larger, multi-year Arctic study program.  This mission focused on studying the effects of water inflow and surface force changes on ocean stratification and sea ice in the Beaufort Sea.  In completing this mission, the Healy crew deployed specialized instruments on ice floes and placed subsurface moorings on the seafloor, which will remain in the Arctic until next year.

Healy’s final mission, sponsored by the National Science Foundation, was aimed at understanding the effects of the Pacific and Atlantic water-inflow and the associated boundary current in the Arctic ecosystem.  As part of a multi-year endeavor, this study captures measurements from subsurface moorings deployed on the Barrow Canyon Slope as well as data collected from Healy’s onboard scientific equipment.

Under the command of U.S. Coast Guard Capt. Greg Tlapa, the Healy is the nation’s premiere high-latitude research vessel and is the only U.S. military surface vessel that deploys to and is capable of operating in the ice-covered waters of the Arctic.  In addition to science operations, Healy is capable of conducting a range of Coast Guard operations such as search and rescue, ship escorts, environmental protection and the enforcement of laws and treaties in the Polar Regions.  Healy provides access and presence throughout the Arctic region to protect U.S. maritime borders and to safeguard the maritime economy. 

At 420-feet long with a displacement of over 16,000 tons and a permanent crew of 87, the Healy is the largest ship in the U.S. Coast Guard.

-USCG-