The Healy is a research vessel that is a medium icebreaker. So, will the polar security cutter be an icebreaker with some additional mission capability, or will it be a multi-mission cutter that’s ice capable?
“The Coast Guard has to carry out our 11 statutory missions in Alaska just like everywhere else around America,” said Riesterer. “Wherever there is maritime activity, there is the potential for search and rescue, and as activity in the region increases, so does the likelihood that the Coast Guard will be called up to conduct urgent SAR [search and rescue] missions.”
With the presence of vessels from many countries, including Russia and China, America’s presence has to be credible. The Coast Guard is an armed service with a defense mission, so the ship should have some teeth.
The objective is for the PSC to be independently capable of breaking 8 feet of ice at 3 knots continuous speed and breaking 21 feet of ridged ice (if that cannot be achieved, the threshold parameter is 6 feet of ice at 3 knots continuous and 21 feet of ridged ice), an endurance profile of 90 days underway (threshold endurance profile is 80 days underway), and the ability to exchange voice and data information with Coast Guard and its departments of Defense, Homeland Security, State, and NATO, NSF, and NOAA partners.
Complicating all of that is the difficulty of operating in the Arctic because of low temperatures, heavy winds, dangerous ice, and high seas, and with virtually no infrastructure, such as airfields, ports, medical facilities, or robust communications.
A group of scientists and engineers deploy an ice tethered profiler on the Arctic ice Sunday, Sept. 30, 2018, about 350 miles northeast of Barrow, Alaska. 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. U.S. Coast Guard photo by NyxoLyno Cangemi
Research vessels with science laboratories onboard are in high demand, especially those that can operate in the polar waters, like Healy. “The Coast Guard provides a multitude of support to the science community in the Arctic. The volume of science requests on Healy is growing, especially as ice recedes, to the point that we are unable to support all of the requests that come in,” Riesterer said. “The distances are vast. If we load Healy in Dutch Harbor, it’s almost a 7-day transit just to get up to where the ice starts.”
The heavy icebreaker Polar Star has a flat bottom that makes it difficult to lower or recover a boat in open water, so the new PRC will also need to have better capabilities for boat operations.
The Coast Guard and the Navy have established an integrated program office to oversee the design and procurement of the icebreakers. The objective is for the PSC to be independently capable of breaking 8 feet of ice at 3 knots continuous speed and breaking 21 feet of ridged ice (if that cannot be achieved, the threshold parameter is 6 feet of ice at 3 knots continuous and 21 feet of ridged ice), an endurance profile of 90 days underway (threshold endurance profile is 80 days underway), and the ability to exchange voice and data information with Coast Guard and its departments of Defense, Homeland Security, State, and NATO, NSF, and NOAA partners.
With so few operational ocean-going ice-capable ships, the United States has been unable to participate in some research with research institutions or international organizations, or take part in some naval operations in extreme latitudes. That’s why the Coast Guard needs six icebreakers. “There is a wealth of knowledge with some of those partners. They operate in the ice all the time, and are very capable and proficient. When we talk about partnerships in the Arctic, with our current fleet strength, we can’t even discuss getting over there to work with them in the ice,” Riesterer said.