USCGC Polar Star

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USCGC Polar Star (WAGB-10) is a United States Coast Guard heavy icebreaker. Commissioned in 1976, the ship was built by Lockheed Shipbuilding and Construction Company of Seattle, Washington, along with sister ship, USCGC Polar Sea. Homeported in Seattle, Polar Star operates under the control of Coast Guard Pacific Area and coordinates her operations through the Ice Operations Section of the United States Coast Guard. After Polar Sea was deactivated in 2010, Polar Star became the US's only heavy icebreaker. The Coast Guard's only other icebreaker, USCGC Healy, despite being classified as a "medium icebreaker", is larger than Polar Star (16,000 long tons versus 13,623 long tons, respectively), but needs assistance from a heavy icebreaker like Polar Star to operate in the Antarctic. Replacement ships for what is called the Polar Security Cutter program have been ordered for a new generation of USCG icebreakers.

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