Coast Guard completes fourth phase of service life extension work on Polar Star

Coast Guard Cutter Polar Star departs Mare Island Dry Dock in Vallejo, California, on Aug. 22, 2024, having completed the fourth phase of its service life extension program. U.S. Coast Guard photo by Lt. Megan Rice.  

Coast Guard Cutter Polar Star completed the fourth phase of its five-year Service Life Extension Project (SLEP) at the Mare Island Dry Dock LLC in Vallejo, California. The cutter departed the San Francisco Bay Area on August 22, for its homeport in Seattle. 

The SLEP, a key initiative within the Coast Guard’s In-Service Vessel Sustainment (ISVS) Program, aims to extend the service life of the Polar Star by modernizing targeted systems, including propulsion, communication, and machinery control systems. Concurrent with the SLEP work, crews conducted significant maintenance efforts to ensure the cutter remains capable of operating within some of the most extreme environmental conditions on earth.  

SLEP work on the Polar Star is conducted in phases to align with the cutter’s operational commitments, such as the cutter’s annual Antarctic deployment. Phase four began on April 1, 2024, focusing on the following systems: 

• Heating, ventilation and air conditioning systems were refurbished with ventilation trunks, fans and heaters to improve air circulation and maintain comfortable living environment for the ship’s crew during extended deployments.  

• Boiler support systems were recapitalized, including the electrical control station that operates them to generate reliable heating and steam supply to the water maker. 

• The flooding alarm system was redesigned to enable the crew’s ability to monitor the ship’s machinery spaces for flooding from bow to stern. 

Polar Star at Mare Island Dry Dock LLC undergoing the fourth phase of its five-year Service Life Extension Project. U.S. Coast Guard photo by Cmdr. Jeremy Courtade. 

Additional work completed during this phase, beyond routine dry dock maintenance, was critical to ensuring the Polar Star’s operational readiness. This included significant overhauls and inspections of key propulsion and anchoring systems that are essential for the cutter’s operational performance.  

Kenneth King, Program Manager for the ISVS Program, commented on the milestone, saying, “I am tremendously proud of the joint In-Service Vessel Sustainment Program, the Long Range Enforcer Product Line team and their significant efforts in completing Phase 4. Our dedicated professionals continue to exemplify our service’s core values to ensure Polar Star meets its multifaced missions in the polar regions until the arrival of the Polar Security Cutter Fleet.”  

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