Watch: Cruise ship trapped in packed ice rescued by US Coast Guard in Antarctica
The cruise ship was thrust into packed ice roughly eight miles from McMurdo Sound, Antarctica.
Cruise ship trapped in Antarctic ice freed by US Coast Guard
The U.S. Coast Guard rescued a luxury cruise ship that was stuck in thick sheets of ice near Antarctica. It took two passes to break the boat out of the ice.
The U.S. Coast Guard (USCG) rescued a luxury cruise ship that was trapped in a thick sheet of ice near Antarctica.
The USCG responded to a request for assistance on Jan. 17 at around 11 pm local time from Scenic Eclipse II, an Australian-owned cruise ship, after getting stuck in the Southern Ocean.
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The cruise ship was thrust into packed ice roughly eight miles from McMurdo Sound, Antarctica.
USGC Polar Star breaks up thick ice to clear a path for the trapped cruise ship. (U.S. Coast Guard Pacific Area/TMX)
Video footage obtained by TMX showed the USCG Cutter Polar Star breaking up the ice in the frozen water as the ship made its way to the Scenic Eclipse II.
It took two close passes to break the boat out of the thick ice.
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Once the vessel cleared a path for the 551 ft yacht, the boat moved backward and freed itself from the ice.
The luxury ship is then seen following the USCG vessel for four miles to open water.
A giant iceberg floats amidst a sea of pack ice in the French Passage, off the coast of Antarctica. Antarctica. (Jeff Mauritzen/Design Pics Editorial/Universal Images Group via Getty Images / Getty Images)
The Scenic Eclipse II is a state-of-the-art ship that was built for venturing into polar regions. 228 guests can fit on the vessel, per Scenic’s website.
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The day the cruise ship was rescued from the frozen ocean, marked the 50th anniversary of when USGS Cutter Polar Star was commissioned.
The Polar Star is the only active heavy icebreaker from the U.S. and has served as a cornerstone of the U.S. presence in polar regions.
The U.S. Coast Guard Cutter Polar Star (WAGB 10) passes Alcatraz as the cutter transits the San Francisco Bay, April 4, 2022. Following their 147-day Antarctic deployment, the cutter will undergo annual maintenance in a Vallejo, California, dry dock. (Sachiko Itagaki)
For decades, the cutter has executed missions for Operation Deep Freeze, ranging from Antarctic resupply, breaking up ice to allowing fuel cargo and other essentials to be delivered to the research stations and search and rescue missions to environmental protection and national defense.
"Polar Star remains the world’s most capable non-nuclear icebreaker," said Cmdr. Samuel Blase, Polar Star’s executive officer. "That’s a testament to the crews that have maintained it over the decades. With years of service left to give, Polar Star will continue to guide the way in the high latitudes well into the future."