Polar Star begins final phase of service life extension work

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April 15, 2025 —

Coast Guard Cutter Polar Star awaits service life extension work at Mare Island Dry Dock in Vallejo, California, on March 30, 2025. U.S. Coast Guard photo.

The Coast Guard has initiated the final of five planned phases of the service life extension program (SLEP) for Coast Guard Cutter Polar Star, the service’s sole operational heavy icebreaker. Polar Star arrived at Mare Island Dry Dock in Vallejo, California, on March 30 to begin the remaining SLEP activities; the work is part of the In-Service Vessel Sustainment (ISVS) Program.

The SLEP is recapitalizing a number of major systems in order to extend the service life of the cutter and maintain polar ice breaking capability until the polar security cutter fleet is operational. In this fifth and final phase, the work will focus on these tasks:

Heating, ventilation and air conditioning systems refurbishments in two remaining zones. These zones will be refurbished with ventilation trunks, fans and heaters to improve air circulation and maintain a comfortable living environment for the ship’s crew during extended deployments.

Gyro repeater recapitalization to ensure that these critical pieces of navigation equipment are updated to modern standards, enabling safe navigation of the cutter.

Ancillary pumps and motors recapitalization through the replacement of critical main propulsion and auxiliary systems with modern supportable units.

In addition, personnel from Coast Guard Yard in Baltimore will be onsite this summer, recapitalizing the sewage pumps and tank level indicators to ensure the crew can successfully monitor and manage sewage capacity while the cutter is executing its missions in ice.

Kenneth King, ISVS program manager, said about the milestone: “The efforts of the joint In-Service Vessel Sustainment Program and the Long Range Enforcer Product Line team align with one of the key goals of Force Design 2028, to rapidly deliver the assets the service needs to fulfill its commitment to the American people. This phase represents a significant milestone for both Polar Star and the ISVS program, as our dedicated professionals ensure Polar Star meets its multifaceted missions in the polar regions until the arrival of the polar security cutter fleet.”

SLEP work on Polar Star has been conducted in annual phases to align with the cutter’s operational commitments. Polar Star recently completed a 128-day deployment to Antarctica in support of Operation Deep Freeze 2025, the annual joint military logistics mission to support the National Science Foundation, the lead federal agency with responsibility for management of scientific research that comprises the U.S. Antarctic Program. This year’s deployment marked Polar Star’s 28th voyage to Antarctica in support of the joint military service mission to resupply and maintain the United States Antarctic Stations.

For more information: In-Service Vessel Sustainment Program page and Polar Security Cutter Program page  

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