Explore the aircraft, cutters and boats used by the Coast Guard to conduct various missions throughout the world.
The Coast Guard Cutter Polar Star, with 75,000 horsepower and its 13,500-ton weight, is guided by its crew to break through Antarctic ice en route to the National Science Foundation's McMurdo Station, Jan. 15, 2017. The ship, which was designed more than 40 years ago, remains the world's most powerful non-nuclear icebreaker. (U.S. Coast Guard photo by Chief Petty Officer David Mosley)
The 399-foot Polar class icebreakers were built in the 1970s and have reinforced hulls, special ice breaking bows and a system that allows rapid shifting of ballast to increase the effectiveness of their ice breaking. They are fully equipped for helicopter berthing and deck operations and can carry two H-60 Jayhawks or H-65 Dolphins.