Glacier (WAGB 4) - Naval Cruise Book

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Operations Cook Inlet Mammal Survey. On March 9, while moored at Anchorage, Alaska, in Cook Inlet: I broke all six of my doubled-up mooring lines; striking and coming to rest against the port quarter of the SS PHILA- DELPHIA moored forward, with only my port anchor (which we had had the good sense to drop) holding me against the 7-8 knot currents and the 20-foot tides. WHEW! I tell you, - 1 was scared! I ' m glad thevquickb de- termined that icebreakers of m) size would be a hazard to ourselves and others if operated in the Cook Inlet area. We left there to do the Bering Sea Mammal Survey, and I haven ' t been back to Anchorage since. While doing the mammal survey, I became beset for the first time in the Arctic on March 1 5th, a nd drifted 42 miles in twenty-nine hours. My crew had to blast me free using over 250-lbs of explosives. I remember thinking, - 1 hope these guvs know what they ' re doing!! Luckily, that was the last time they took me up there in the middle of winter. We returned to Long Beach May 15, and did a quick get-ready for AWS 71, leaving August 20 headed in the direction I had just come from to do the West Beaufort Sea Ecology Cruise 7 1 , and to conduct an Emperor Seamount Survey, On mv way home, we made goodwill calls at Nakhopka, Russia; Sasebo, Kure, and Yokosuka, Japan; and stopped in Ho- nolulu, before arriving at Long Beach in November for an even quicker get-ready for DF 72. It was a little boring for me in Russia, as I was kept under guard and wasn ' t al- lowed to talk with any of the other ships there; but my crew found it interesting. Japan was nice though. Every- one was so friendly, and they talk so cute there you know : - thev kept calling me GR A IS HA . Anvwav,- during the short inport back in Long Beach, I received my second Navy Meritorious Unit Commendation award for DF 70 as a member of Task Force 43. Gosh, it looked like I was becoming a heroine. How nice for my super-great crews: it couldn ' t happen without them you know . Deep Freeze 72 saw us revisiting our familiar haunts in the southern hemisphere, and doing what had become second- nature to us in the Antarctic. A quick trip home, a short rest, and I found myself turned around departing June 28 for AWS 72; enroute to the Bering and Chukchi Seas again for West Beaufort Sea Ecology Cruise 72, and a North Slope Ice Scouring Survey. These north trips had also started to become routine for me, but to the natives of the area, I must have presented a strange appearance this trip. This was my very first venture out in my shiny new coat of fire engine red paint! Ding! Ding! Ding! Here I come - ready or not!! Any belief in the rumor that the polar bears stopped attacking me because they could finally distinguish between me and the ice bergs - is purely unfounded! No wonder my nick-nam e all of a sudden changed to — BIG RED. I have to admit, there seemed to be no end to the Coast Guard ' s surprises; it sure made life interesting for me. Completing our scientific work, we returned home in September and readied for my 17th Deep Freeze. Deep Freeze 73 started November 15, 1972, and was high- lighted by the deepest penetration of the Weddell Sea pos- sible, right up to the Ftlchner Ice Shelf in Gould Bay; also with the recovery of the two Norwegian current meters set out by my crew during DF 68. Returning April 1, 1973, I again prepared for another AWS and West Beaufort Sea Ecology Cruise 73; departing on July 9 with Dr. Rita Horner, the first woman scientist to be carried on these trips. Although thought had been given earlier in the year for a circum-navigation of the northern continent via the Northwest Passage, time commitments for up-coming cruises did not permit the carrying out of this idea (so thev said!). (Don ' t print this, but just between you and I: the ru- mor I heard was that the Guard was planning to build a new bigger ' breaker ' , a bigger red , and wanted it to be first round the top for the publicity they could get from it!) That ' s alright, I wasn ' t feeling too keen on The idea anvwav. 1 was really getting bushed from all these back-to-back trips. Let ' s see. We arrived back in Long Beach September 1, and made preparations during the next 57 days for an October 27 departure on DF 74: my eighteenth DF, in which I broke channel into Mc.Murdo along with my cousin LSCGC STAI ' EX ISLAND (WAGB-5), from December 30 through January 12, 1974. 1 then delivered a group of scientists and equipment to Casey Station, and spent the rest of the month conduc- ting seal studies along the Wilkes Land coast. This was the seventh consecutive annual study to determine this mam- mal ' s numbers, distribution, population make-up, and re- productive potential. This was the first extensive use of the new tranquilizer drug — ROMPLN — which proved highly successful. I was called away at the end of this sur- vey to escort the USNS MAUMEE, which had a damaged rudder, back to Wellington, arriving February 12. Arriving home a month later on March 13, I spent much needed time in the yards and drydock from about April 22 to August 26; with my availability continuing until my departure on Deep Freeze 75 on November 17. Now, my ninteenth Deep Freeze proved to be anything but routine. Upon arriving in Wellington, I was presented with my third Navy Meritorious Unit Commendation award for my participation in DF 74, again as a member of Task Force 43. My mid-patrol break the end of January was spent in Ushuaia, Argentina; the first time we ever stopped there. Returning to the Weddell Sea operating area March 1, I became beset for the third time in my south voyages; again while enroute to assist the Argen- tine icebreaker GENERAL SAN MARTIN which was beset near Erebus and Terror Gulf. By March 9. eighty-two of my crew had been evacuated off, with some fifty of them pro-

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THE SECOND DECADE - THE DECADE OF CHANGE Both the U.S. Navy and the U.S. Coast Guard operated icebreakers until August 1965. when it was agreed that the operation would be more efficient in the hands of one ser- ice. The U.S. Coast Guard, having been delegated the sole responsibility for government icebreaking operations as a result of this agreement, arranged to transfer the Navy ' s five hea y-duty icebreakers to the Coast Guard within a period of a little more than a vear. First of the breakers to be trans- ferred was the USS ED1ST0 (AGB-2 ) on December 20. 1965; followed bv the USS STATEN ISLAND (AGB-5) on February 1. 1966; arid then the USS GLACIER (AGB-4) — that ' s me —on June 30. 1966. Following later were the USS ATKA AGB-3) in October, and USS BURTON ISLAND (AGB-1) in November, both in 1966. I was decommisioned by the Navy and lmmediatelv commissioned into the U.S. Coast Guard as the USCGC GLACIER (WAGB-4) at the Boston Naval Ship- yard on June 30. 1966: the first Coast Guard ship to bear that name I was still the newest and largest of the nation ' s icebreakers, and carried my proud service record over to the Coast Guard. After undergoing a major overhaul; the first thing the Coast Guard did was transfer me from Boston to my new homeport of Long Beach. California (Whoopie! — Sun — Surf — Disneyland — the Beach Boys — Hollywood — Frankie Avalon and beach parties — no more pahkin cahs in the gahrahge!! I. Arming August 24. 1966. 1 was readied for departure on my twelfth .Antarctic Deep Freeze mission by October of the same year. I had already made my eleventh trip to the .Antarctic, my last as a Navy icebreaker, in Deep Freeze 66: having departed Boston October 15. 1965. and returning .April 13. 1966. Since the Coast Guard had always operated with the Navy on .Antarctic and .Arctic misions: I, having been designed and built for sustained polar opera- tions, would continue my support of Navy scientific research activities in the polar regions as required under my joint agreements. .And continue I did Operating as a Coast Guard icebreaker didn ' t appear to be much more different then being in the Navy, except for my new coat of white paint. — which 1 thought was rather pretty. .After all — how many Miss America winners have vou seen in a Navy grev bathing suit — huh° I made my annual Deep Freeze trips in much the same manner as before, doing virtually the same jobs; always returning to the ever welcome ports of Lyttelton and Wel- lington for supplies, maintenance, rest and recreation amongst my friends and admirers. .After a routine DF 67. and my annual availability during the summer at Long Beach; Deep Freeze 68 saw me making the first major penetration and plot of the Weddell Sea during the course of which I plotted over 1100 ice bergs, some as big as 13 x 10 miles. Deep Freeze 69 brought my first Navy Meritorious Unit Commendation award for DF 68: and something new into our pattern of operations, as we spent our mid-patrol break in Valparaiso. Chile: for refueling, maintenance, and R R after having completed our arduous work in the Ross Sea .Alright! Leave it to the Coast Guard to come up with some- thing different! I missed my Wellington belly-rub. but the crew enjoyed the heck out of Yalpo ' for mid-patrol. Leaving rejuvenated, we returned south to continue exploration work in the Weddell Sea area at the completion of which, saw us homeward bound for a summer of rest. Just a thought — but do you realize I ' ve seen very few winters? I rest the summers in the northern hemisphere, and work the summers in the southern hemisphere. Deep Freeze 70 turned out to be one of my shorter trips to date. Departing on my 15th Deep Freeze on December 3. 1969. this one proved to be a close call for me, as I became beset in the ice while penetrating the Weddell Sea enroute to break out the beset .Argentine icebreaker GENERAL SAN MARTIN near Duke Ernst Bay. I was stranded from February 23 to March 5. during which wintering-ove r preparations were begun: before I finally broke loose and assisted in free- ing the .Argentine breaker. Nosiree. — no way was this gal going to winter-over, uh — ah. not me! Why. it would have taken them years to find us with that coat of white paint on me! I probably looked just like another ice berg! Anyway. while both of us retraced our steps out to open water. I was again put on alert to possibly assist the Japanese icebreaker JDS FUJI, beset in another part of the Weddell Sea The FUJI managed to extricate herself finally on March 19. despite the fact she was missing one of her three screws. I returned home to Long Beach and made preparations for my second trip to the .Arctic: my first venture into the western part. Departing Long Beach August 10. 1970. 1 headed for the Ber- ing and Chukchi Seas to carry out scientific research and exploration: returning from my first .Arctic West Summer November 10. and taking a much needed rest with imme- diate yard availability. Nineteen seventy-one dawned with me having missed my first Deep Freeze ever! Still in the yards. I completed my availability February 25. and departed on my first Arctic West Winter (A WW 7 1 ). showing the stuff I was made of as I took scientific parties to areas never before reached during the Arctic winter, conducting a Polar Icebreaker BELOW: LSCGC GLACIER (WAGB-4) in Winter Quarters Bay. McMurdo Sta- tion, Antarctica January 1 969.

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ceeding as far north as Buenos Aires. Even with two blades missing off my starboard propeller; I finally managed to break free, turn myself around (although it took 12 hours to do so), and slowly break out toward open water. A close call — but — I told you I ' d never spend the winter in Antarctica! We arrived back in Ushuaia by March 15 and retrieved my scattered crew. The GENERAL SAN MARTIN freed herself when winds and ice shifted. Stops at Valpa- raiso, Callao, and Mazatlan rounded out an exciting DF 75 with our arrival home April 21, 1975. THE THIRD DECADE - THE DECADE OF TROUBLES A quick yard availability with unscheduled drydocking from May 1 to June 23 for the propeller damages suffered during DF 75 (I had resigned myself that I wouldn ' t be get- ting anymore belly-rubs or new blades in Wellington), and I was ready to depart July 15 for AWS 75 for continued Con- ductivity, Temperature, Depth, and Current Meter Stations in the Bering and Chukchi Seas; and do a MIZPAC Operation (Marginally Ice Zone Pacific). AWS 75 was unique primarily due to ice conditions reported to be the worst in 80 years. In the past, resupply ships and barges arrived at Ft. Barrow, Alaska, no later than August 22. During summer 75, 10 tugs and barges slipped past Pt. Barrow enroute to Prudhoe Bay on September 3, leaving the barges in the bay to winter- over. Vessels resupplying Pt. Barrow did not get through. Offloading would have been impossible due to shore-fast ice in the area. We arrived home September 30, and left for San Diego and an interim training period on October 6, upon the completion of which, we returned for a short 30-day home stay before being under way again November 20 for DF 76, my twentieth, which again proved to be a little out of the norm. A case of viral hepatitis was recorded onboard while at McMurdo Station; resulting in a 3-day quarantine of both me and the station, while all personnel were innoculated from January 5 - 8. The accidental electrocution of one of my fine young petty officers during rough weather January 21, 1976 recorded the first fatality in my life; a very sad experience for me and my crew. Services were held at the channel at Base McMurdo, and the remains flown home.