Polar Star Battalion Unit 

Motto: Paving the way to a brighter future 

 The Cadets choose the name Polar Star Battalion after an actual ship 

 The Polar Star Battalion is the United States only ice breaker.  

She was commissioned January 17, 1976 and has been refitted and was recommissioned in December of 2012.  Built in Seattle Washington, some of her crew's nicknames are Polar Roller, The Star, and P. Star.  The ship is 399 feet long and when full, weighs 13,842 long tons.  She is powered by 6 ALCO 16V-251F Diesel engines and 3 Pratt & Whitney FT-4A12 gas turbines and can reach a top speed of 18 knots or 21 mps on the open sea.  In six foot of ice, Polar Star still sails at 3 knots or 3.5 mps.  This ship is capable of traveling 16.000 nautical miles at top speed.  Eighteen officers and 127 enlisted Coast Guard memeber operate the ship under the control of Coast Guard Pacific Area.  

OPERATIONS-Polar Star supports United States Antarctic Program by breaking channels through the ice to resupply bases and ships, and conduct close quarter ice escorts and rescues.  It is the only vessel in the US that can break the ice in McMurdo Sound to resupply McMurdo Antartic Station.   It also supports missions in Greenland, New Zealand and Artic rescues.  Her reach is so vast, that she has circumnavigated Earth; Becoming the first ship to do since 1843-USS Kitty Hawk