Defining Polar Icebreakers
A reader shares a useful definition and description of what makes an icebreaker a polar icebreaker.
On Monday I published an article on the differing methods used to count icebreakers and other ice capable vessels:
In a section of that article, I attempted to define what makes an icebreaker a polar icebreaker. I re-wrote this section several times, and in the end wasn’t completely satisfied with what I wrote.
Fortunately, I received a note from Captain Anthony Potts.
Captain Potts provided me a description of Polar Class Icebreakers that he had used in the past, complete with citations. He would definitely know, as he has been to the North Pole twice as the Captain of CCGS Louis S. St-Laurent. He’s also commanded the CCGS Terry Fox and has played a key role in Canada’s effort to recapitalize its icebreaking fleet.
I think it is a very useful description, so I asked and received his permission to share it with you all.
Here is that description in full:
The Polar Class Icebreaker
Icebreakers may be classed as polar or sub-polar, depending on their primary geographic area of operation. To differentiate between the two, a polar icebreaker can operate where it is needed, when it is needed, whereas a sub-polar (or heavy) icebreaker will operate where and when it can, depending on the ice conditions. Polar icebreakers can operate independently in first-year, second-year, and multiyear ice in the Arctic or the Antarctic.1
Table 1 below provides definitions of the various ice types that may be encountered:
In many circumstances Polar Class selection will depend on an analysis of ice statistics, owners experience, ice expertise and financial /economic considerations. All polar icebreakers, regardless of Polar Class, may encounter ice that will damage the ship’s structure. Class selection is a balance among ice conditions, operational requirements and cost.2
The basic design parameters for assisting polar and sub-polar icebreakers are generally stated as:
Propeller thrust and power to be able to maintain a continuous speed of advance, without the need of ramming, in most of the prevailing ice conditions;
Sufficient displacement to achieve the mass-force required to be able to penetrate rafted ice and ridges of the size usually encountered;
A beam wider than the majority of the cargo vessels to be assisted;
The ability to maintain the propeller thrust in all normal assisting conditions;
Propulsion machinery that should be able to keep the propeller rotating in all ice conditions; and
An efficient hull form having extremely good manoeuvrability in all ice conditions, both ahead and astern, in order to be able to operate close to the merchant ships.3
As stated by U.S Coast Guard Rear Admiral (Retired) Jeff Garrett4, “In an icebreaker, you are not up in the Arctic to break ice per se; you are there to permit mobility to accomplish missions of national importance. You are an enabler for transit and related operations. It’s really about mobility and being able to get to point A to point B or to wherever you want to go; whatever it is you’re out there with to do. So what you need is a ship with a lot of power, a very strong hull, and which has been designed to get through ice efficiently”.
A polar icebreaker should also meet some critical requirements to perform its mission. Barry Capelli, a retired captain with the U.S. Coast Guard, has highlighted some of these requirements in an article on polar ships:
“For search and rescue, the ship must be designed to meet or exceed the icebreaking capability of any vessel that might be in distress, such as research, cruise or oil exploration ships. It also need to meet or exceed the capabilities of foreign competitors, and generally eliminate or mitigate the risks that less ice worthy vessels face…icebreakers are the low risk alternative when the mission calls for sustained presence in regions where there is total ice coverage, or there are openings that may close in a short amount of time…. While satellites can monitor areas, they do not provide any response capability. Aircraft, particularly long range helicopters, can accomplish missions that don’t require a lot of time on station, but they require operating bases. Polar icebreakers can provide mobile bases as needed.”5
Attributes denoted by United States Coast Guard retired Rear Admiral Jeff Garrett such as endurance, mobility and multi-mission capability have as well been considered by the Polar Icebreaker Baseline Requirements document:
“In addition, people often overlook that you need significant endurance; there are no gas stations in the Polar Regions. … You see that there’s more open water, there’s more human activity, and there’s more maritime traffic. But the ice is still there, and its movements are becoming more unpredictable. You really need a ship that can operate in dynamic ice conditions to allow mobility and has the long legs to be there un-replenished for a reasonable length of time. …It’s a command and control facility with helicopters, extra berthing, configurable work spaces and heavy lift cranes; it’s got all kinds of boats; you can put containers onboard and modularize your mission suite.”6
For President George Bush, as stated in the 1990 Presidential Report to Congress, polar icebreakers were considered to be instruments of national policy and presence.7
Thanks again for sharing, Captain!
All the Best,
PGR
American Heritage Dictionary. Retrieve from http://answers.com/topic/icebreaker/ or, http//www.accessseience.com/.
Ice Class Ship Structures. Presentation by Dr. Claude Daley, Chair – Ocean and Naval Architecture Engineering, Faculty of Engineering and Applied Science, Memorial University, NL.
Arctic Marine Shipping Assessment, section 2.6 – History and Development of Arctic Marine Technology, 2009.
Operating in the Arctic. Interview with RADM Garrett by Second Line of Defense.
RADM Garrett retired on July 22, 2005 after serving as the Commander, 13th Coast Guard District since June 2003. Upon graduating from the Coast Guard Academy in 1974, RADM Garrett was assigned to the commissioning crew of USCGC POLAR STAR as Communications Officer and deck watch officer. He served in the WIND-class icebreaker BURTON ISLAND as First Lieutenant and Navigator during three deployments to the Arctic and Antarctic. RADM Garrett subsequently served as Commanding Officer in USCGC MOBILE BAY, Executive Officer in the medium endurance cutter USCGC ACTIVE, and again in both Polar Regions while in POLAR STAR as Executive Officer. As Commanding Officer of USCGC POLAR SEA he completed three polar deployments to the Western Arctic and Antarctica. RADM Garrett became the first Commanding Officer of USCGC HEALY upon delivery of the ship by Litton-Avondale Industries on November 10, 1999. He commanded HEALY through shakedown operations and ice trials in the Eastern Arctic in early 2000, followed by transit through Northwest Passage.
Since retirement in 2005, Rear Admiral Garrett has served as a member of National Research Council committees evaluating Polar Icebreakers in a Changing World (2007) and National Security Implications of Climate Change for U.S. Naval Forces (2011). Both studies validated Coast Guard and national requirements for new icebreaking capability. He has participated in a variety of other studies, including Polar Operations and Policy options for the Coast Guard (2008), an assessment of Coast Guard high-latitude requirements (2010), and analysis of U.S. polar icebreaker needs (2011). As a consultant for a variety of maritime and polar-related projects, he has evaluated vessels for operations in ice-covered waters, developed an integrated operating plan and ice advisor program for commercial Arctic activities, served on the dispute resolution board for new Washington State ferry construction, worked with the Indonesian Navy on coastal surveillance operations, chaired the Safety Committee for the University-National Oceanographic Laboratory System, and serves as ice-pilot on cruise ships in Antarctica and the Northwest Passage. He has testified before committees of the U.S. Congress and the Alaska Legislature, and served as a member of the board of Seafair, Seattle’s community summer festival.
https://www.history.uscg.mil/Browse-by-Topic/Notable-People/All/Article/1875008/radm-jeffrey-m-garrett/
Polar Ships: What Does the U.S. Need? Protecting Our Nation’s Interest in the Arctic and Antarctica, United States Coast Guard, Captain (Retired) Barry Capelli, The Columbia Group, Rosenblatt Ship Design Division, Fall – 2010.
Operating in the Arctic. Interview with RADM Garrett by Second Line of Defense.
Polar Icebreakers in a Changing World – An Assessment of U.S Needs. National Research Council of the National Academies, 2007.
Very interesting, thanks!