It’s mission aborted due to a fire in one of the ship’s main propulsion motors, the U.S. Coast Guard Cutter Healy is returning from the Arctic to its homeport in Seattle, after efforts to reclaim sensor equipment deployed to measure the state of the Arctic environment.
U.S. Coast Guard officials for the Pacific area said on Tuesday, Aug. 25, that the fire aboard the Healy occurred on Aug. 18, as the vessel was 60 nautical miles off of Seward, Alaska, heading to the Arctic. The affected motor was disconnected, and the fire was extinguished. Cause of the fire is still an unknown.
None of the 11 scientists and approximately 100 crew members on board were injured.
The propulsion motors are critical to power generated by the ship’s main diesel engines to spin the shaft and propeller. The design protects the engines from variations in shaft speeds inherent to ice operations, and with the starboard propulsion motor and shaft no longer operational, the shup began transiting back to Seattle for further inspection and repairs.
The vessel’s date of arrival at its homeport has not been determined.
Prior to the fire, the Healy had completed a 26-day patrol in support of Operation Arctic Shield, to demonstrate U.S. presence and influence in the Bering Sea, along the U.S.-Russian Maritime Boundary Line, and in the Arctic, Coast Guard officials said.
While transiting back to Seattle, those onboard were attempting to collect mooring equipment deployed last year to gather data used by scientists to measure sea ice and thermal dynamics to better understand water masses in the Arctic. The autonomous sea guiders measure a whole data set of information to aid scientists in determining the state of the Arctic environment, a scientific mission supported by the Coast Guard.
Vice Adm Linda Fagan, the Pacific Area commander, commended the crew of the Healy for quick action to safely combat the fire.
“This casualty, however, means that the United States is limited in icebreaking capability until the Healy can be repaired, and it highlights the nation’s critical need for Polar Security Cutters,” she said.
Delivery of the first Polar Security Cutter is not anticipated until 2024.
Navy and Coast Guard officials awarded a contract to VT Halter Marine, of Pascagoula, Mississippi, in April 2019 for the detail design and construction of the Polar Security Cutter.
The initial award includes non-recurring engineering, detail design and construction of the first Polar Security Cutter and has options for the construction of two additional hulls.
Construction of the first Polar Security Cutter is scheduled to begin in early 2021, with delivery in 2024. The fiscal year 2021 president’s budget requests full funding for the construction of the second Polar Security Cutter.
