Icebreaking Alaska
Icebreaking Alaska

Author: Capt. Jeffrey D. Hartman USCG (ret)

Publisher: Arcadia Publishing

Published: 2014

Total Pages: 128

ISBN-13: 1467131083

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The Arctic is a place of great challenges and great rewards. A century ago, it was whale oil; today, it is motor oil. The increasing open water in the warmer months is attracting cruise ships to tour the Arctic. Significant offshore oil and natural gas deposits are of great interest to an oil-dependent economy. But the history of the Arctic is full of surprises for the unwary and the unprepared, despite native peoples having managed to live there for thousands of years. Oil spills or maritime emergencies can--and do--arise a long way off from assistance. Legendary Arctic storms are, if anything, becoming more intense and dangerous. All this is in an area inaccessible by roads or by sea except for icebreakers the majority of the year. It is of extreme interest to the US Coast Guard, charged with protecting seafarers, enforcing laws, and facilitating commerce.

Breaking Ice for Arctic Oil
Breaking Ice for Arctic Oil

Author: Ross Coen

Publisher: University of Alaska Press

Published: 2012-04-15

Total Pages: 249

ISBN-13: 1602231702

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In 1969, an icebreaking tanker, the SS Manhattan, was commissioned by Humble Oil to transit the Northwest Passage in order to test the logistical and economic feasibility of an all-marine transportation system for Alaska North Slope crude oil. Proposed as an alternative to the Trans-Alaska Pipeline, the Manhattan made two voyages to the North American Arctic and collected volumes of scientific data on ice conditions and the behavior of ships in ice. Although the Manhattan successfully navigated the Northwest Passage—closing a five-hundred-year chapter of Arctic exploration by becoming the first commercial vessel to do so—the expedition ultimately demonstrated the impracticality of moving crude oil using icebreaking ships. Breaking Ice for Arctic Oil details this historic voyage, establishing its significant impact on the future of marine traffic and resource development in the Arctic and setting the stage for the current oil crisis.

Icebreakers
Icebreakers

Author: Julie Decker

Publisher: University of Washington Press

Published: 1999

Total Pages: 0

ISBN-13: 9780967070902

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This text takes a look at the last 25 years of contemporary visual art production in Alaska. Isolated geographically from the rest of the country, Alaska offers artists a challenging environment in which to make art. In this setting, a small but significant group of artists has claimed Alaska as its home and worked to push the boundaries and definition of contemporary art.

The Alaska Almanac
The Alaska Almanac

Author: Nancy Gates

Publisher: Graphic Arts Center Publishing Co.

Published: 2006-11

Total Pages: 241

ISBN-13: 0882406523

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If you want to know Alaska inside and out, there is no better reference than THE ALASKA ALMANAC.. Updated annually with facts and figures on geography, history, economics, sports, cultures, and people of the Last Frontier, this information-packed volume is a must-have for Alaskans and visitors alike. Celebrating its thirtieth birthday this year, this handy little guide is chock-full of Alaskana, from the beautiful to the bizarre. As always, the wit and wisdom of Mr. Whitekeys continues to delight readers with his wacky-but-true Alaska factoids. Did you know . . . Arctic researchers on the northern tundra have reported up to 9,000 mosquito bites per minute. There are 166,000 moose in Alaska. Each one produces approximately 400 ""moose nuggets"" per day. Alaskans are the second highest per capita consumers of SPAM. in the nation. ""Gold nuggets about Alaska."" -- The Associated Press

Polar Icebreakers in a Changing World
Polar Icebreakers in a Changing World

Author: National Research Council

Publisher: National Academies Press

Published: 2007-03-14

Total Pages: 135

ISBN-13: 0309103215

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The United States has enduring national and strategic interests in the polar regions, including citizens living above the Arctic circle and three year-round scientific stations in the Antarctic. Polar icebreaking ships are needed to access both regions. Over the past several decades, the U.S. government has supported a fleet of four icebreakersâ€"three multi-mission U.S. Coast Guard ships (the POLAR SEA, POLAR STAR, and HEALY) and the National Science Foundation's PALMER, which is dedicated solely to scientific research. Today, the POLAR STAR and the POLAR SEA are at the end of their service lives, and a lack of funds and no plans for an extension of the program has put U.S. icebreaking capability at risk. This report concludes that the United States should continue to support its interests in the Arctic and Antarctic for multiple missions, including maintaining leadership in polar science. The report recommends that the United States immediately program, budget, design, and construct two new polar icebreakers to be operated by the U.S. Coast Guard. The POLAR SEA should remain mission capable and the POLAR STAR should remain available for reactivation until the new polar icebreakers enter service. The U.S. Coast Guard should be provided sufficient operations and maintenance budget to support an increased, regular, and influential presence in the Arctic, with support from other agencies. The report also calls for a Presidential Decision Directive to clearly align agency responsibilities and budgetary authorities.

Polar Icebreaker Roles and U.S. Future Needs
Polar Icebreaker Roles and U.S. Future Needs

Author: National Research Council

Publisher: National Academies Press

Published: 2006-01-08

Total Pages: 53

ISBN-13: 0309100690

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The age and condition of the U.S. Coast Guard's polar icebreakers are jeopardizing national security and scientific research in the Arctic and Antarctic, according to an interim report from the National Academies. Because of a shortfall in funding for U.S. polar icebreaking activities, long-term maintenance on these icebreakers has been deferred over the past several years, making the ships inefficient to operate and their technological systems outdated. Congress asked the National Academies to provide a comprehensive assessment of the current and future roles of U.S. Coast Guard polar icebreakers in supporting U.S. operations in the Antarctic and the Arctic, including scenarios for continuing those operations and alternative approaches, the changes in roles and missions of polar icebreakers in the support of all national priorities in the polar regions, and potential changes in the roles of U.S Coast Guard icebreakers in the Arctic that may develop due to environmental change. This brief interim report highlights the most urgent and time-dependent issues, and a final report, expected to be released next summer, will examine the type and number of icebreaking ships that the U.S. requires in the long term and other issues.

Coast Guard Polar Icebreaker Modernization
Coast Guard Polar Icebreaker Modernization

Author: Ronald O'Rourke

Publisher: DIANE Publishing

Published: 2010-03

Total Pages: 52

ISBN-13: 143791960X

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Of the Coast Guard¿s (CG) 3 polar icebreakers, 2 ¿ Polar Star and Polar Sea ¿ have exceeded their intended 30-year service lives. Potential policy issues for Congress regarding CG polar icebreaker modernization include: the numbers and capabilities of polar icebreakers the CG will need in the future; whether to provide these icebreakers through construction of new ships or service life extensions of Polar Start and/or Polar Sea; whether new ships should be funded entirely in the Coast Guard budget, or partly or entirely in some other part of the fed. budget; and whether the Polar Star should be repaired and placed back into service. Charts and tables.