Coast Guard icebreaker capacity is ‘all ahead full’

After decades of denial and delay by federal decision makers regarding a plan to replace the nation’s icebreakers, there is finally positive movement with the award of a contract to begin building the first new Coast Guard icebreaker. In the meantime, with two of the three current icebreakers in the fleet out of service and the third only available to cover our nations’ Arctic waters due to COVID-19 restrictions on the regular mission to Antarctica, Sen. Dan Sullivan is pushing for leasing of icebreakers to bridge the gap. The idea is sound, with both U.S. and foreign-built icebreakers available due to the foresight of other Arctic nations that have built and maintained a fleet of modern, reliable vessels.

But while leased vessels may be adequate in some ways, they will lack the full suite of necessary capabilities of purpose-built Coast Guard icebreakers that are hull down and far over the horizon from being placed in service. Leases of this nature are much more costly than the Coast Guard being able to recapitalize the nation’s icebreaking fleet, as the Polar Star, Polar Sea and Healy approached then passed the end of their service lives. Sadly, none of the administrations of the past two decades have done more than authorize studies, then slowly review, then delay due to an election, then start the process over again. Now, in extremis, the United States is embarrassingly behind Russia and China, as well as other Arctic nations, in its ability to conduct missions of national security as well as vital science regarding climate change in the part of the world seeing the fastest climate change.

Sen. Sullivan also raised the idea of homeporting a leased icebreaker in Alaska, and preferably at an Alaska port such as Dutch Harbor or Kodiak, and not in Seattle, where the current USCG icebreaker fleet is based. “It seems to me to be a strategic no-brainer,” said Sullivan. “Seattle is a couple thousand miles away from the Bering Strait and the Arctic Circle.” Geographically speaking and in terms of making Alaska voters enthused, he’s on target and tracking. However, from a cost standpoint, the idea fails on multiple fronts. Additionally, Coast Guard leadership is limited in its ability to speak truth to power regarding ideas that don’t float due to the need to maintain their service standing in the good graces of federal elected officials from coastal states — in other words, never call a senator’s baby ugly in public.

Routinely bringing technicians and their tools — including from Seattle — to do the specialized maintenance on shipboard systems to Kodiak or Dutch Harbor would increase the annual maintenance costs significantly due to travel and lodging. Think also about shipping parts, food, etc., from the Lower 48 to a fairly remote island with air service that, when it occurs on schedule, occasionally results in near-misses and fatalities. Kodiak flights, likewise, have issues due to weather resulting in delays while people and parts are stuck in Anchorage or on the island waiting days for weather to improve. Lastly, a truly tragic cost would be to the men and women of the Coast Guard who would be assigned to remote locations where they may or may not be able to bring families. If they were accompanied, they would typically see an increase in domestic violence as well as drug and alcohol abuse due to the stresses of a unique, at times harsh life on very young service people from the Lower 48. There’s also very limited medical care at both locations — really, really limited in Dutch Harbor, but with great people who always go the extra mile. The Coast Guard would likely have to offer shorter tours, bonuses, or force people contractually to take the assignments aboard an Alaska-based icebreaker. In the end, the service will lose the experienced workforce more frequently and also can expect to get people who aren’t excited about the job, just the money or just unhappy which means eventually they leave the Coast Guard sooner rather than later.

In the end, the cost of the fuel and the days needed to get an icebreaker from Seattle to the Arctic is minimal compared to the annual operations and maintenance cost to the Coast Guard. More importantly, the Coast Guard people and its families will hopefully see Sen. Sullivan’s idea left in the wake of overall progress.

Capt. C. Barkley Lloyd retired from the Coast Guard after 28 years including as the manager of the Coast Guard icebreaker program at the Coast Guard Pacific Area Headquarters and served as the captain or executive officer of four ships — three homeported in Kodiak and one based in Seattle. He now lives in Anchorage and works in private industry.

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