They Turn Ice Into Ice Cubes | Continent 7: Antarctica

[Music] The Coast Guard Cutter Polar Star is the most powerful icebreaker in the world. Our mission is to cut a channel that's 18 miles long through 8 to 12 feet of ice so that the supply ships can resupply the continent. This is where we earn our money. The ship is 40 years old, older than most of the people on board.

"What's our current speed?"

"Current speed: 10 knots. You ready for a start? I'm Lieutenant Junior Grade Morrison. I'm the fueling officer on board and the auxiliary division officer."

"But rightful on again—rightful rudder, rightful rudder."

Aye, the Polar Star is America's only heavy icebreaker, and it is the only one that can break that channel. So I've got the entire continent relying on me. I have to turn that ice into ice cubes.

"About to make our approach on the fast ice, which is McMurdo Sound. It's solid ice from shore to shore; it has no relief when we go to break them. Most boats don't like to go through even a thin layer of ice, and we’re going through 60-ton chunks of ice continuously."

"Mac Ops is B St six over. Main control is the brain or EP center for the engineering propulsion plant. It's secured."

"Roger."

When we break ice, it's like—imagine a 10 to 12 on the Richter scale earthquake. To be on board during that experience, just imagine yourself in an earthquake for a week nonstop. This goes against all sense in seamanship and navigation.

Looking behind you when you're driving a ship, we preach to our young ship handlers to always look forward. But they look behind us to make sure we're driving in a straight line, which makes it a lot easier for the supply ship to navigate in when we escort them.

It's much more practical and efficient to look behind you, try to keep it straight. We don't have to worry about other contacts and other ships out here. The ice channel is the lifeblood to Antarctica and the science missions.

"You ready, Augustine?"

The young men and women down below deck sacrifice their time and their families and holiday seasons. They work night and day to make sure the ship stays underway, that those propellers keep turning. I'm very, very proud of these young people.

"We are at 6 knots. It's pretty amazing to see what they can do." [Music]