Office of Public Affairs
U.S. Coast Guard Thirteenth District

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Media Advisory

Date: Oct. 14, 2008
Contact: :  Ensign Tara M. Schendorf
Phone: (808) 659-5000 

Coast Guard Cutter Healy returns from Arctic after scientific mission

SEATTLE - The Coast Guard Cutter Healy, the nation's largest icebreaker, is scheduled to arrive here to Pier 36 at Integrated Support Command Wednesday at 9 a.m., after completing a four-month scientific mission to the Arctic.

With up to 50 embarked scientists, the Healy's crew studied ecosystems in the Bering Sea, Arctic Ocean and the Extended Continental Shelf (ECS). The Healy will undergo necessary maintenance in Seattle before the cutter gets underway for next year's mission.

"The cruise greatly improved our understanding of the Arctic Ocean sea floor morphology and geology north of the Chukchi Cap, and will provide valuable data and insight for the delineation of the limits of the U.S. ECS," said Chief Scientist Dr. Larry Mayer.

The Healy, which was commissioned in 2000, is the nation's newest and largest of three polar icebreakers.  The cutter is 420-feet long and has extensive scientific capabilities. The cutter has a permanent crew of 80 and is capable of other missions such as search and rescue, ship escort in polar ice, environmental protection, and the enforcement of laws and treaties in the polar regions. 

For more information about the Healy's scientific missions visit these websites:

http://www.uscg.mil/pacarea/cgchealy

http://www.icefloe.net

Or contact the public affairs officer at:

Tara.Schendorf@uscg.mil

(808) 659-5000 Ext. 0 after tone

For more information on BEST, please check:

http://www.arcus.org/bering/

http://bsierp.nprb.org/

For more information on the Extended Continental Shelf mission, please check:

www.state.continentalshelf.gov

Dr. Ray Sambrotto, the chief scientist for the third mission, can be contacted at:

sambrott@ldeo.columbia.edu

Dr. Robert Pickart, the chief scientist for the fourth mission, can be contacted at:

rpickart@whoi.edu

Dr. Larry Mayer, the chief scientist for the fifth mission, can be contacted at:

larry@ccom.unh.edu

Dr. Jon Childs, the chief scientist for the sixth mission, can be contacted at:

jchilds@usgs.gov

 

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