USCGC Northwind (WAG-282)
Encyclopedia
USCGC Northwind (WAG/WAGB-282), Grand Old Lady of the North, was a Wind-class
icebreaker
, the second United States Coast Guard Cutter
of her class to bear the name. She was built by Western Pipe & Steel in San Pedro, California and launched on 25 February 1945, sponsored by Mrs. Mabelle Dempwolf.
During her career, Northwind conducted extensive oceanography
, hydrography
and cartography
studies, as well as icebreaking, during Operation Nanook and Operation Highjump
. Northwind was the last Wind-class icebreaker when she was decommissioned in Wilmington, North Carolina
on 20 January 1989 after 44 years of service.
Edward Thiele and Gibbs & Cox of New York, who modeled them after plans for European icebreakers he obtained before the start of World War II
. She was the fifth of seven completed ships of the Wind-class
of icebreaker
s operated by the United States Coast Guard
. She was launched on 25 February 1945 and commissioned on 28 July 1945. Rear Admiral
Ralph W. Dempwolf presided over the ceremony with his wife, Mrs. Mabelle C. Dempwolf, serving as the sponsor.
Northwind, along with the other Wind-class icebreakers, was heavily armed for an icebreaker due to her design being crafted during World War II
. Her main battery consisted of two twin-mount 5 in (127 mm) deck gun
s. Her anti-aircraft weaponry consisted of three quad-mounted Bofors 40 mm anti-aircraft autocannons and six Oerlikon 20 mm autocannons. She also carried six K-gun depth charge
projectors and a Hedgehog
as anti-submarine weapon
s.
-American project to establish a radio and weather station in Thule, Greenland. This area later became Thule Air Force Base.
From July through September 1946 the first helicopter deployment from a Coast Guard icebreaker occurred when Aviation Pilot
First Class John A Olson and AMN1 Richard H. Dowst, observer, flew an HNS-1 Sikorsky R-4
from Northwind off the Greenland
coast. This deployment; in support of the International Ice Patrol
, included the first helicopter landings at Thule, Greenland; Crozier Island
and Winter Harbor, Melville Island. On 27 July 1946, Northwind was grounded on an uncharted pinnacle while entering Dundas Harbour
, Devon Island
, Nunavut
but was refloated ten hours later without serious damage.
From December 1946 through January 1947 Northwind participated in Operation Highjump
as part of Central Group (Task Group 68), under the command of Captain Charles W. Thomas
, with one of the operation's primary missions being to establish the research base Little America IV. She was the only United States Coast Guard
vessel to participate in the naval exercise and became the first U.S. Coast Guard cutter to cross the Antarctic Circle
. She also completed the first major rescue mission involving a submarine when she helped rescue , and which were stuck in ice flow at the Antarctic Circle. The first helicopter flight to base Little America IV was accomplished by Lieutenant
James Cornish, as pilot, and Photographers Mate Chief Everett Mashburn, as observer, from Northwind. Her crew played the first baseball
game, the first double header (all without lights), and the first golf tournament in Antarctica.
During May to August 1948 Northwind conducted her first Bering Sea Patrol, the first in eight years, as the patrol had been suspended during World War II
. She functioned as a "floating court" for a United States federal judge
and staff, while U.S. Coast Guard medical personnel and United States Public Health Service
officers on board provided medical and dental aid to hundreds of isolated Aleutian villagers. She also delivered and dispatched the U.S. Mail
for remote Arctic outposts, lightships and lighthouses. She performed law enforcement, search and rescue, ice-escort for other ships and weather observation and reporting. Other duties of the Bering Sea Patrol were fishery monitoring, wildlife study, oceanographic and hydrographic research, re-supplying remote units, ethnological studies of the Aleuts, laying cables, and environmentally related missions. Northwind was a research platform for geophysical studies performed by scientists and students from universities in Alaska, Washington, and California.
In 1952 Northwind broke the polar
icebreaking record for miles sailed north of the Arctic Circle
in one season: 10029 miles (16,140.1 km). She was the first ship to break through into Thule, Greenland as early as 28 May 1952 although Thule is normally ice-locked until summer. During 1953 Northwind conducted a Bering Sea Patrol.
From 12 July to 29 September 1954 Northwind participated in the Canadian-U.S. Beaufort Sea
Expedition. The mission was to perform an oceanographic and hydrographic surveys of the waters surrounding Banks Island
. She was accompanied by and . When the three ships rendezvoused 25 August 1954 off the coast of Melville Island, it was the first time ships sailing from east and west met in the Northwest Passage
. This cruise was also the first where vessels transited McClure Strait
and circumnavigated Banks Island
.
From February through April 1955 Northwind sailed on a Bering Sea
scientific expedition. During July through September 1955 Northwind supported Distant Early Warning Line
operations. From November 1956 through April 1957 Northwind participated in Operation Deep Freeze
II, as part of Task Force 43, in the Antarctic
. Northwind sailed again on Operation Deep Freeze IV from December 1958 through February 1959.
in cooperation with universities of the Pacific Northwest
. From 2 through 26 October 1962, she conducted more oceanographic experiments in East Siberian Sea
and Arctic Ocean
. From 7 August to 18 September 1963, she conducted oceanographic experiments in the Chukchi Sea, East Siberian Sea, and Laptev Sea
seas in cooperation with the University of Southern California
, and was awarded the Coast Guard Unit Commendation
with Operational Distinguishing Device
. From July to October 1964, she conducted Bering Sea Patrol and carried out oceanographic experiments in the Bering Strait
and Chukchi Sea. The cutter's crew installed an unmanned oceanographic station in Fairway Rock
, Alaska
to measure currents in the Bering Strait. She also escorted ships re-supplying the Distant Early Warning Line
and laid cables.
In July 1965, Northwind, under the command of Captain Kingdrel N. Ayers, conducted an oceanographic survey between Greenland
, Iceland
, and Scotland
and was the first western vessel to operate in the Kara Sea
of the Soviet Union
, for which she received the Coast Guard Unit Commendation
with Operational Distinguishing Device
. In mid-October 1965 Northwind escorted the disabled Swedish MV Orion in the North Atlantic, while in 40 feet (12.2 m) seas, to the Gulf of Saint Lawrence, Canada
.
During July and August 1967, Northwind conducted a current and hydrographic survey in the Bering Strait. During this Bering Sea Patrol, on 23 July 1967, Northwind diverted to respond to the distress call of Canadian Survey Ship Richardson and was assisted by CCGS Camsell. Richardson was beset in ice 5 miles (8 km) northwest of Point Barrow, Alaska; heavily damaged and in imminent danger of loss. As Northwind broke out Richardson, Camsell took the tow and she was taken to Tuktoyaktuk, Northwest Territories
for repair.
From September to November 1967, Northwind was beset by ice 450 miles (724.2 km) north-northwest of Point Barrow, Alaska. She was freed by , , and . During this cruise Northwind made the northern-most penetration into Arctic
pack ice by any surface vessel in history at the time.
Between March and September 1968, she provided ice escort for the National Science Foundation
research vessel RV Alpha Helix, then operated by the Scripps Institute of Oceanography at La Jolla, California. This operation was conducted in the Bering Sea
. From 9 June to 15 July 1969 Northwind conducted an oceanographic survey in the Chukchi Sea and Bering Sea, with , and scientists from the University of Alaska Fairbanks
and the University of Washington
.
From 8 through 22 September 1969, Northwind, Captain Donald J. McCann, USCG, Commanding, and the Canadian icebreaker escorted the supertanker, of the Humble Oil
and Refining Company, from Resolute Bay, Canada
to Prudhoe Bay, Alaska
where she was relieved by on transit of the Northwest Passage
. provided support during the eastward leg of the expedition. During the expedition Northwind lost a main engine bearing and the Engineer Division attempted repairs while underway, and went on to complete the Northwest Passage transit. Then, Northwind tested ice and returned to Seattle, Washington having transited 14000 miles (22,530.8 km) and became the first surface vessel to conduct both a West to East and East to West transit of the Northwest Passage in a single season.
West Summer patrol and oceanographic cruise. The cutter's northern-most penetration into the Arctic pack ice was at 66.35°N 167.29°W on 13 March 1970. This broke her 1967 surface vessel record by 9 miles (14.5 km), and set a new record. From 23 June through 28 September 1970 Northwind served on Arctic
Operations. Her duties included laying cables, oceanographic studies, and re-supplying the Distant Early Warning Line
. On 13 July 1970 Northwind rescued two crewmen from a ditched helicopter near the Yukon-Kuskokwim Delta
in Norton Sound
.
Due to the discovery of oil on the North Slope of Alaska in 1971, Northwind surveyed the area that year. She also broke out an icebound convoy of twenty tugboats and forty barges enroute to Prudhoe Bay, Alaska in 1971.
From 1971 to 1972 Northwind sailed on Operation Deep Freeze
to the Antarctic. She was once again in the Antarctic for Operation Deep Freeze from 1972 to 1973. During June and July 1973 Northwind conducted oceanographic research in Alaskan waters. From 1973 to 1975 Northwind underwent extensive machinery modernization and electronic modification at the U.S. Coast Guard Yard
at Curtis Bay
, Maryland and was stationed in Baltimore
, Maryland
. During the summer of 1975, Northwind conducted an Arctic West Summer cruise. From 6 October 1976 to 13 April 1977 Northwind broke ice during Operation Deep Freeze
with Task Force 99 in Antarctica.
On 28 April 1978 Northwind assisted a U.S. Navy Landing Craft Mechanized
extinguish a fire in the Caribbean
. From 10 July to 10 December 1978 Northwind undertook an Arctic
cruise. From 3 November 1979 until 24 March 1980 Northwind joined in Operation Deep Freeze
to the Antarctic
. From 1978 to 1989 Northwind was stationed at Wilmington, North Carolina
and did icebreaking in the Great Lakes
.
. On 16 February 1984 Northwind accomplished the MEDEVAC
of a woman from a 33 feet (10.1 m) sailing vessel 200 miles (321.9 km) west of Bermuda
. On 5 August 1984 Northwind assisted a personal craft off Kulusuk
, Greenland
. On 4 November 1984 Northwind seized P/C Alexi I, 240 miles (386.2 km) southwest of Jamaica
carrying 20 short ton of marijuana. Northwind was participating in Operation Wagonwheel Forces an inter-agency narcotics interdiction effort in the Caribbean from 31 October to 31 November 1984. She became the first icebreaker
to make a narcotics seizure and broke the previous tonnage record set by . This was a marijuana seizure record that stands as of 2011. From 2 July to 21 July 1986 Northwind assisted the Danish
and Greenland
governments in reestablishing a musk-ox herd in northwest Greenland
.
The last mission of Northwind was an Arctic
East Summer (AES) 1988 cruise, the Coordinated Eastern Arctic Experiment (CEAREX). Her role was to serve as ice-escort for the Norwegian
research vessel, R/V Polarbjorn. Northwind broke ice in the Norwegian and Greenland Seas, northward to the Svalbard
archipelago of Norway from September 1988 through October 1988. Northwind then returned to homeport in Wilmington, North Carolina
. Prior to decommissioning Northwind went on a goodwill cruise
to Canadian and U.S. ports.
on 20 January 1989. She was the last remaining of the original seven U.S. built Wind-class icebreakers. An effort to preserve Northwind in her homeport alongside the failed, and the ship was scrapped at International Shipbreakers, Port of Brownsville, Texas. The scrapping operation took nearly 6 months to complete.
s, both with Operational Distinguishing Device
s, during oceanographic experiments in 1963 and 1965. She was awarded three Meritorious Unit Commendation
with Operational Distinguishing Device
for the periods of 14 December 1977 to 10 April 1978, 1 May 1983 to 6 May 1984 and 16 October 1984 to 26 October 1984. During deployments to Guantanamo Bay, Cuba for the periods of 15 October 1976 to 5 November 1976 and 1 March 1982 to 31 March 1982, she also received two Coast Guard E Ribbons.
Wind class icebreaker
The Wind-class icebreakers were a line of diesel electric-powered icebreakers in service with the United States Navy, United States Coast Guard, Royal Canadian Navy, Canadian Coast Guard and Soviet Navy from 1944 through the late 1970s...
icebreaker
Icebreaker
An icebreaker is a special-purpose ship or boat designed to move and navigate through ice-covered waters. Although the term usually refers to ice-breaking ships, it may also refer to smaller vessels .For a ship to be considered an icebreaker, it requires three traits most...
, the second United States Coast Guard Cutter
United States Coast Guard Cutter
Cutter is the term used by the United States Coast Guard for its commissioned vessels. A Cutter is or greater in length, has a permanently assigned crew, and has accommodations for the crew to live aboard...
of her class to bear the name. She was built by Western Pipe & Steel in San Pedro, California and launched on 25 February 1945, sponsored by Mrs. Mabelle Dempwolf.
During her career, Northwind conducted extensive oceanography
Oceanography
Oceanography , also called oceanology or marine science, is the branch of Earth science that studies the ocean...
, hydrography
Hydrography
Hydrography is the measurement of the depths, the tides and currents of a body of water and establishment of the sea, river or lake bed topography and morphology. Normally and historically for the purpose of charting a body of water for the safe navigation of shipping...
and cartography
Cartography
Cartography is the study and practice of making maps. Combining science, aesthetics, and technique, cartography builds on the premise that reality can be modeled in ways that communicate spatial information effectively.The fundamental problems of traditional cartography are to:*Set the map's...
studies, as well as icebreaking, during Operation Nanook and Operation Highjump
Operation Highjump
Operation Highjump , officially titled The United States Navy Antarctic Developments Program, 1946-1947, was a United States Navy operation organized by RADM Richard E. Byrd Jr. USN, , Officer in Charge, Task Force 68, and led by RADM Richard H. Cruzen, USN, Commanding Officer, Task Force 68....
. Northwind was the last Wind-class icebreaker when she was decommissioned in Wilmington, North Carolina
Wilmington, North Carolina
Wilmington is a port city in and is the county seat of New Hanover County, North Carolina, United States. The population is 106,476 according to the 2010 Census, making it the eighth most populous city in the state of North Carolina...
on 20 January 1989 after 44 years of service.
Construction
Northwind was one of the icebreakers designed by Lieutenant commanderLieutenant Commander
Lieutenant Commander is a commissioned officer rank in many navies. The rank is superior to a lieutenant and subordinate to a commander...
Edward Thiele and Gibbs & Cox of New York, who modeled them after plans for European icebreakers he obtained before the start of World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
. She was the fifth of seven completed ships of the Wind-class
Wind class icebreaker
The Wind-class icebreakers were a line of diesel electric-powered icebreakers in service with the United States Navy, United States Coast Guard, Royal Canadian Navy, Canadian Coast Guard and Soviet Navy from 1944 through the late 1970s...
of icebreaker
Icebreaker
An icebreaker is a special-purpose ship or boat designed to move and navigate through ice-covered waters. Although the term usually refers to ice-breaking ships, it may also refer to smaller vessels .For a ship to be considered an icebreaker, it requires three traits most...
s operated by the United States Coast Guard
United States Coast Guard
The United States Coast Guard is a branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the seven U.S. uniformed services. The Coast Guard is a maritime, military, multi-mission service unique among the military branches for having a maritime law enforcement mission and a federal regulatory agency...
. She was launched on 25 February 1945 and commissioned on 28 July 1945. Rear Admiral
Rear Admiral
Rear admiral is a naval commissioned officer rank above that of a commodore and captain, and below that of a vice admiral. It is generally regarded as the lowest of the "admiral" ranks, which are also sometimes referred to as "flag officers" or "flag ranks"...
Ralph W. Dempwolf presided over the ceremony with his wife, Mrs. Mabelle C. Dempwolf, serving as the sponsor.
Northwind, along with the other Wind-class icebreakers, was heavily armed for an icebreaker due to her design being crafted during World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
. Her main battery consisted of two twin-mount 5 in (127 mm) deck gun
Deck gun
A deck gun is a type of artillery cannon mounted on the deck of a ship or submarine.The deck gun was used as a defensive weapon against smaller boats or ships and in certain cases where torpedo use was limited. Typically a crew of three; gunner, loader, and layer, operated the gun, while others...
s. Her anti-aircraft weaponry consisted of three quad-mounted Bofors 40 mm anti-aircraft autocannons and six Oerlikon 20 mm autocannons. She also carried six K-gun depth charge
Depth charge
A depth charge is an anti-submarine warfare weapon intended to destroy or cripple a target submarine by the shock of exploding near it. Most use explosives and a fuze set to go off at a preselected depth in the ocean. Depth charges can be dropped by either surface ships, patrol aircraft, or from...
projectors and a Hedgehog
Hedgehog (weapon)
The Hedgehog was an anti-submarine weapon developed by the Royal Navy during World War II, that was deployed on convoy escort warships such as destroyers to supplement the depth charge. The weapon worked by firing a number of small spigot mortar bombs from spiked fittings...
as anti-submarine weapon
Anti-submarine weapon
An anti-submarine weapon is any one of a range of devices that are intended to act against a submarine, and its crew, to destroy the vessel or to destroy or reduce its capability as a weapon of war...
s.
Operation Nanook
Northwinds first major mission was Operation Nanook from 22 July–05 August 1946. The objective of Operation Nanook was to assist in a DanishDenmark
Denmark is a Scandinavian country in Northern Europe. The countries of Denmark and Greenland, as well as the Faroe Islands, constitute the Kingdom of Denmark . It is the southernmost of the Nordic countries, southwest of Sweden and south of Norway, and bordered to the south by Germany. Denmark...
-American project to establish a radio and weather station in Thule, Greenland. This area later became Thule Air Force Base.
From July through September 1946 the first helicopter deployment from a Coast Guard icebreaker occurred when Aviation Pilot
Aviator
An aviator is a person who flies an aircraft. The first recorded use of the term was in 1887, as a variation of 'aviation', from the Latin avis , coined in 1863 by G. de la Landelle in Aviation Ou Navigation Aérienne...
First Class John A Olson and AMN1 Richard H. Dowst, observer, flew an HNS-1 Sikorsky R-4
Sikorsky R-4
The Sikorsky R-4 was a two-place helicopter designed by Igor Sikorsky with a single, three-bladed main rotor and powered by a radial engine. The R-4 was the world's first large-scale mass-produced helicopter and the first helicopter to enter service with the United States Army Air Forces, Navy, and...
from Northwind off the Greenland
Greenland
Greenland is an autonomous country within the Kingdom of Denmark, located between the Arctic and Atlantic Oceans, east of the Canadian Arctic Archipelago. Though physiographically a part of the continent of North America, Greenland has been politically and culturally associated with Europe for...
coast. This deployment; in support of the International Ice Patrol
International Ice Patrol
The International Ice Patrol is an organization with the purpose of monitoring the presence of icebergs in the Atlantic and Arctic Oceans and reporting their movements for safety purposes. It is operated by United States Coast Guard but is funded by the 13 nations interested in trans-Atlantic...
, included the first helicopter landings at Thule, Greenland; Crozier Island
Crozier Island
Crozier Island is one of three islands located in Kennedy Channel of Nares Strait in the high Arctic, and is part of Greenland. Its two sister islands are Franklin Island and Hans Island. The former is also part of Greenland, whilst the latter's ownership is disputed between Greenland and...
and Winter Harbor, Melville Island. On 27 July 1946, Northwind was grounded on an uncharted pinnacle while entering Dundas Harbour
Dundas Harbour, Nunavut
Dundas Harbour is an abandoned settlement in Qikiqtaaluk, Nunavut, Canada. It is located on Devon Island at the eastern shore of the waterway also named Dundas Harbour...
, Devon Island
Devon Island
Devon Island , claimed to be the largest uninhabited island on Earth, is located in Baffin Bay, Qikiqtaaluk Region, Nunavut, Canada. It is one of the larger members of the Canadian Arctic Archipelago, the second-largest of the Queen Elizabeth Islands, Canada's sixth largest island, and the 27th...
, Nunavut
Nunavut
Nunavut is the largest and newest federal territory of Canada; it was separated officially from the Northwest Territories on April 1, 1999, via the Nunavut Act and the Nunavut Land Claims Agreement Act, though the actual boundaries had been established in 1993...
but was refloated ten hours later without serious damage.
Operation Highjump
From December 1946 through January 1947 Northwind participated in Operation Highjump
Operation Highjump
Operation Highjump , officially titled The United States Navy Antarctic Developments Program, 1946-1947, was a United States Navy operation organized by RADM Richard E. Byrd Jr. USN, , Officer in Charge, Task Force 68, and led by RADM Richard H. Cruzen, USN, Commanding Officer, Task Force 68....
as part of Central Group (Task Group 68), under the command of Captain Charles W. Thomas
Charles W. Thomas (Captain)
Charles Ward "Tommy" Thomas was a flag officer in the United States Coast Guard and commanding officer of the icebreakers USCGC Northland and USCGC Eastwind that served in the Greenland Patrol during World War II. In August 1945 he was appointed Commander, Greenland Patrol...
, with one of the operation's primary missions being to establish the research base Little America IV. She was the only United States Coast Guard
United States Coast Guard
The United States Coast Guard is a branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the seven U.S. uniformed services. The Coast Guard is a maritime, military, multi-mission service unique among the military branches for having a maritime law enforcement mission and a federal regulatory agency...
vessel to participate in the naval exercise and became the first U.S. Coast Guard cutter to cross the Antarctic Circle
Antarctic Circle
The Antarctic Circle is one of the five major circles of latitude that mark maps of the Earth. For 2011, it is the parallel of latitude that runs south of the Equator.-Description:...
. She also completed the first major rescue mission involving a submarine when she helped rescue , and which were stuck in ice flow at the Antarctic Circle. The first helicopter flight to base Little America IV was accomplished by Lieutenant
Lieutenant (naval)
LieutenantThe pronunciation of lieutenant is generally split between or , generally in the United Kingdom, Ireland, and Commonwealth countries, and or , generally associated with the United States. See lieutenant. is a commissioned officer rank in many nations' navies...
James Cornish, as pilot, and Photographers Mate Chief Everett Mashburn, as observer, from Northwind. Her crew played the first baseball
Baseball
Baseball is a bat-and-ball sport played between two teams of nine players each. The aim is to score runs by hitting a thrown ball with a bat and touching a series of four bases arranged at the corners of a ninety-foot diamond...
game, the first double header (all without lights), and the first golf tournament in Antarctica.
First Bering Sea patrol
During May to August 1948 Northwind conducted her first Bering Sea Patrol, the first in eight years, as the patrol had been suspended during World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
. She functioned as a "floating court" for a United States federal judge
United States federal judge
In the United States, the title of federal judge usually means a judge appointed by the President of the United States and confirmed by the United States Senate in accordance with Article II of the United States Constitution....
and staff, while U.S. Coast Guard medical personnel and United States Public Health Service
United States Public Health Service
The Public Health Service Act of 1944 structured the United States Public Health Service as the primary division of the Department of Health, Education and Welfare , which later became the United States Department of Health and Human Services. The PHS comprises all Agency Divisions of Health and...
officers on board provided medical and dental aid to hundreds of isolated Aleutian villagers. She also delivered and dispatched the U.S. Mail
United States Postal Service
The United States Postal Service is an independent agency of the United States government responsible for providing postal service in the United States...
for remote Arctic outposts, lightships and lighthouses. She performed law enforcement, search and rescue, ice-escort for other ships and weather observation and reporting. Other duties of the Bering Sea Patrol were fishery monitoring, wildlife study, oceanographic and hydrographic research, re-supplying remote units, ethnological studies of the Aleuts, laying cables, and environmentally related missions. Northwind was a research platform for geophysical studies performed by scientists and students from universities in Alaska, Washington, and California.
1950s
In 1952 Northwind broke the polar
Polar region
Earth's polar regions are the areas of the globe surrounding the poles also known as frigid zones. The North Pole and South Pole being the centers, these regions are dominated by the polar ice caps, resting respectively on the Arctic Ocean and the continent of Antarctica...
icebreaking record for miles sailed north of the Arctic Circle
Arctic Circle
The Arctic Circle is one of the five major circles of latitude that mark maps of the Earth. For Epoch 2011, it is the parallel of latitude that runs north of the Equator....
in one season: 10029 miles (16,140.1 km). She was the first ship to break through into Thule, Greenland as early as 28 May 1952 although Thule is normally ice-locked until summer. During 1953 Northwind conducted a Bering Sea Patrol.
From 12 July to 29 September 1954 Northwind participated in the Canadian-U.S. Beaufort Sea
Beaufort Sea
The Beaufort Sea is a marginal sea of the Arctic Ocean, located north of the Northwest Territories, the Yukon, and Alaska, west of Canada's Arctic islands. The sea is named after hydrographer Sir Francis Beaufort...
Expedition. The mission was to perform an oceanographic and hydrographic surveys of the waters surrounding Banks Island
Banks Island
One of the larger members of the Canadian Arctic Archipelago, Banks Island is situated in the Inuvik Region of the Northwest Territories, Canada. It is separated from Victoria Island to its east by the Prince of Wales Strait and from the mainland by Amundsen Gulf to its south. The Beaufort Sea lies...
. She was accompanied by and . When the three ships rendezvoused 25 August 1954 off the coast of Melville Island, it was the first time ships sailing from east and west met in the Northwest Passage
Northwest Passage
The Northwest Passage is a sea route through the Arctic Ocean, along the northern coast of North America via waterways amidst the Canadian Arctic Archipelago, connecting the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans...
. This cruise was also the first where vessels transited McClure Strait
McClure Strait
The M'Clure Strait is a strait on the edge of the Canadian Northwest Territories. It forms the northwestern end of one of the routes through the Northwest Passage. The strait was named for Robert McClure, an Irish Arctic explorer serving in the Royal Navy...
and circumnavigated Banks Island
Banks Island
One of the larger members of the Canadian Arctic Archipelago, Banks Island is situated in the Inuvik Region of the Northwest Territories, Canada. It is separated from Victoria Island to its east by the Prince of Wales Strait and from the mainland by Amundsen Gulf to its south. The Beaufort Sea lies...
.
From February through April 1955 Northwind sailed on a Bering Sea
Bering Sea
The Bering Sea is a marginal sea of the Pacific Ocean. It comprises a deep water basin, which then rises through a narrow slope into the shallower water above the continental shelves....
scientific expedition. During July through September 1955 Northwind supported Distant Early Warning Line
Distant Early Warning Line
The Distant Early Warning Line, also known as the DEW Line or Early Warning Line, was a system of radar stations in the far northern Arctic region of Canada, with additional stations along the North Coast and Aleutian Islands of Alaska, in addition to the Faroe Islands, Greenland, and Iceland...
operations. From November 1956 through April 1957 Northwind participated in Operation Deep Freeze
Operation Deep Freeze
Operation Deep Freeze is the codename for a series of United States missions to Antarctica, beginning with "Operation Deep Freeze I" in 1955–56, followed by "Operation Deep Freeze II", "Operation Deep Freeze III", and so on...
II, as part of Task Force 43, in the Antarctic
Antarctic
The Antarctic is the region around the Earth's South Pole, opposite the Arctic region around the North Pole. The Antarctic comprises the continent of Antarctica and the ice shelves, waters and island territories in the Southern Ocean situated south of the Antarctic Convergence...
. Northwind sailed again on Operation Deep Freeze IV from December 1958 through February 1959.
1960s
From 5 through 25 July 1962 and 6 through 19 September 1962, Northwind conducted oceanographic experiments in the Chukchi SeaChukchi Sea
Chukchi Sea is a marginal sea of the Arctic Ocean. It is bounded on the west by the De Long Strait, off Wrangel Island, and in the east by Point Barrow, Alaska, beyond which lies the Beaufort Sea. The Bering Strait forms its southernmost limit and connects it to the Bering Sea and the Pacific...
in cooperation with universities of the Pacific Northwest
Pacific Northwest
The Pacific Northwest is a region in northwestern North America, bounded by the Pacific Ocean to the west and, loosely, by the Rocky Mountains on the east. Definitions of the region vary and there is no commonly agreed upon boundary, even among Pacific Northwesterners. A common concept of the...
. From 2 through 26 October 1962, she conducted more oceanographic experiments in East Siberian Sea
East Siberian Sea
The East Siberian Sea is a marginal sea in the Arctic Ocean. It is located between the Arctic Cape to the north, the coast of Siberia to the south, the New Siberian Islands to the west and Cape Billings, close to Chukotka, and Wrangel Island to the east...
and Arctic Ocean
Arctic Ocean
The Arctic Ocean, located in the Northern Hemisphere and mostly in the Arctic north polar region, is the smallest and shallowest of the world's five major oceanic divisions...
. From 7 August to 18 September 1963, she conducted oceanographic experiments in the Chukchi Sea, East Siberian Sea, and Laptev Sea
Laptev Sea
The Laptev Sea is a marginal sea of the Arctic Ocean. It is located between the northern coast of Siberia, the Taimyr Peninsula, Severnaya Zemlya and the New Siberian Islands. Its northern boundary passes from the Arctic Cape to a point with co-ordinates of 79°N and 139°E, and ends at the Anisiy...
seas in cooperation with the University of Southern California
University of Southern California
The University of Southern California is a private, not-for-profit, nonsectarian, research university located in Los Angeles, California, United States. USC was founded in 1880, making it California's oldest private research university...
, and was awarded the Coast Guard Unit Commendation
Coast Guard Unit Commendation
The Coast Guard Unit Commendation is the highest peacetime unit award that may be awarded to military commands of the United States Coast Guard. The decoration was first created in 1963 and is presented to members of any Coast Guard unit that distinguishes itself by valorous or extremely...
with Operational Distinguishing Device
Operational Distinguishing Device
The Operational Distinguishing Device is a decoration of the United States Coast Guard which may be awarded as an attachment to certain personal and unit awards. The device is awarded as a silver "O" device, either centered on the award ribbon or to the middle-right if there are an even number of...
. From July to October 1964, she conducted Bering Sea Patrol and carried out oceanographic experiments in the Bering Strait
Bering Strait
The Bering Strait , known to natives as Imakpik, is a sea strait between Cape Dezhnev, Chukotka Autonomous Okrug, Russia, the easternmost point of the Asian continent and Cape Prince of Wales, Alaska, USA, the westernmost point of the North American continent, with latitude of about 65°40'N,...
and Chukchi Sea. The cutter's crew installed an unmanned oceanographic station in Fairway Rock
Fairway Rock
Fairway Rock is a small islet in the Bering Strait, located southeast of the Diomede Islands and west of Alaska's Cape Prince of Wales. It has an area of 0.3 km² . Known to Eskimo natives of the Bering Strait region in prehistory, Fairway was documented by James Cook in 1778 and named by...
, Alaska
Alaska
Alaska is the largest state in the United States by area. It is situated in the northwest extremity of the North American continent, with Canada to the east, the Arctic Ocean to the north, and the Pacific Ocean to the west and south, with Russia further west across the Bering Strait...
to measure currents in the Bering Strait. She also escorted ships re-supplying the Distant Early Warning Line
Distant Early Warning Line
The Distant Early Warning Line, also known as the DEW Line or Early Warning Line, was a system of radar stations in the far northern Arctic region of Canada, with additional stations along the North Coast and Aleutian Islands of Alaska, in addition to the Faroe Islands, Greenland, and Iceland...
and laid cables.
In July 1965, Northwind, under the command of Captain Kingdrel N. Ayers, conducted an oceanographic survey between Greenland
Greenland
Greenland is an autonomous country within the Kingdom of Denmark, located between the Arctic and Atlantic Oceans, east of the Canadian Arctic Archipelago. Though physiographically a part of the continent of North America, Greenland has been politically and culturally associated with Europe for...
, Iceland
Iceland
Iceland , described as the Republic of Iceland, is a Nordic and European island country in the North Atlantic Ocean, on the Mid-Atlantic Ridge. Iceland also refers to the main island of the country, which contains almost all the population and almost all the land area. The country has a population...
, and Scotland
Scotland
Scotland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Occupying the northern third of the island of Great Britain, it shares a border with England to the south and is bounded by the North Sea to the east, the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, and the North Channel and Irish Sea to the...
and was the first western vessel to operate in the Kara Sea
Kara Sea
The Kara Sea is part of the Arctic Ocean north of Siberia. It is separated from the Barents Sea to the west by the Kara Strait and Novaya Zemlya, and the Laptev Sea to the east by the Severnaya Zemlya....
of the Soviet Union
Soviet Union
The Soviet Union , officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics , was a constitutionally socialist state that existed in Eurasia between 1922 and 1991....
, for which she received the Coast Guard Unit Commendation
Coast Guard Unit Commendation
The Coast Guard Unit Commendation is the highest peacetime unit award that may be awarded to military commands of the United States Coast Guard. The decoration was first created in 1963 and is presented to members of any Coast Guard unit that distinguishes itself by valorous or extremely...
with Operational Distinguishing Device
Operational Distinguishing Device
The Operational Distinguishing Device is a decoration of the United States Coast Guard which may be awarded as an attachment to certain personal and unit awards. The device is awarded as a silver "O" device, either centered on the award ribbon or to the middle-right if there are an even number of...
. In mid-October 1965 Northwind escorted the disabled Swedish MV Orion in the North Atlantic, while in 40 feet (12.2 m) seas, to the Gulf of Saint Lawrence, Canada
Gulf of Saint Lawrence
The Gulf of Saint Lawrence , the world's largest estuary, is the outlet of North America's Great Lakes via the Saint Lawrence River into the Atlantic Ocean...
.
During July and August 1967, Northwind conducted a current and hydrographic survey in the Bering Strait. During this Bering Sea Patrol, on 23 July 1967, Northwind diverted to respond to the distress call of Canadian Survey Ship Richardson and was assisted by CCGS Camsell. Richardson was beset in ice 5 miles (8 km) northwest of Point Barrow, Alaska; heavily damaged and in imminent danger of loss. As Northwind broke out Richardson, Camsell took the tow and she was taken to Tuktoyaktuk, Northwest Territories
Tuktoyaktuk, Northwest Territories
Tuktoyaktuk, or Tuktuyaaqtuuq , is an Inuvialuit hamlet located in the Inuvik Region of the Northwest Territories, Canada. Commonly referred to simply by its first syllable, Tuk, the settlement lies north of the Arctic Circle on the shore of the Arctic Ocean...
for repair.
From September to November 1967, Northwind was beset by ice 450 miles (724.2 km) north-northwest of Point Barrow, Alaska. She was freed by , , and . During this cruise Northwind made the northern-most penetration into Arctic
Arctic
The Arctic is a region located at the northern-most part of the Earth. The Arctic consists of the Arctic Ocean and parts of Canada, Russia, Greenland, the United States, Norway, Sweden, Finland, and Iceland. The Arctic region consists of a vast, ice-covered ocean, surrounded by treeless permafrost...
pack ice by any surface vessel in history at the time.
Between March and September 1968, she provided ice escort for the National Science Foundation
National Science Foundation
The National Science Foundation is a United States government agency that supports fundamental research and education in all the non-medical fields of science and engineering. Its medical counterpart is the National Institutes of Health...
research vessel RV Alpha Helix, then operated by the Scripps Institute of Oceanography at La Jolla, California. This operation was conducted in the Bering Sea
Bering Sea
The Bering Sea is a marginal sea of the Pacific Ocean. It comprises a deep water basin, which then rises through a narrow slope into the shallower water above the continental shelves....
. From 9 June to 15 July 1969 Northwind conducted an oceanographic survey in the Chukchi Sea and Bering Sea, with , and scientists from the University of Alaska Fairbanks
University of Alaska Fairbanks
The University of Alaska Fairbanks, located in Fairbanks, Alaska, USA, is the flagship campus of the University of Alaska System, and is abbreviated as Alaska or UAF....
and the University of Washington
University of Washington
University of Washington is a public research university, founded in 1861 in Seattle, Washington, United States. The UW is the largest university in the Northwest and the oldest public university on the West Coast. The university has three campuses, with its largest campus in the University...
.
From 8 through 22 September 1969, Northwind, Captain Donald J. McCann, USCG, Commanding, and the Canadian icebreaker escorted the supertanker, of the Humble Oil
Humble Oil
Humble Oil and Refining Co. was founded in 1911. The company would later consolidate with Standard Oil of New Jersey to become Exxon.-Early history:...
and Refining Company, from Resolute Bay, Canada
Resolute Bay
Resolute Bay is an Arctic waterway in Qikiqtaaluk Region, Nunavut, Canada. It is located in Parry Channel on the southern side of Cornwallis Island. The hamlet of Resolute is located on the northern shore of the bay and Resolute Bay Airport to the northwest...
to Prudhoe Bay, Alaska
Prudhoe Bay, Alaska
Prudhoe Bay or Sagavanirktok is a census-designated place located in North Slope Borough in the U.S. state of Alaska. As of the 2010 census, the population of the CDP was 2,174 people; however, at any given time several thousand transient workers support the Prudhoe Bay oil field...
where she was relieved by on transit of the Northwest Passage
Northwest Passage
The Northwest Passage is a sea route through the Arctic Ocean, along the northern coast of North America via waterways amidst the Canadian Arctic Archipelago, connecting the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans...
. provided support during the eastward leg of the expedition. During the expedition Northwind lost a main engine bearing and the Engineer Division attempted repairs while underway, and went on to complete the Northwest Passage transit. Then, Northwind tested ice and returned to Seattle, Washington having transited 14000 miles (22,530.8 km) and became the first surface vessel to conduct both a West to East and East to West transit of the Northwest Passage in a single season.
1970s
From 20 January through 9 April 1970 Northwind conducted an ArcticArctic
The Arctic is a region located at the northern-most part of the Earth. The Arctic consists of the Arctic Ocean and parts of Canada, Russia, Greenland, the United States, Norway, Sweden, Finland, and Iceland. The Arctic region consists of a vast, ice-covered ocean, surrounded by treeless permafrost...
West Summer patrol and oceanographic cruise. The cutter's northern-most penetration into the Arctic pack ice was at 66.35°N 167.29°W on 13 March 1970. This broke her 1967 surface vessel record by 9 miles (14.5 km), and set a new record. From 23 June through 28 September 1970 Northwind served on Arctic
Arctic
The Arctic is a region located at the northern-most part of the Earth. The Arctic consists of the Arctic Ocean and parts of Canada, Russia, Greenland, the United States, Norway, Sweden, Finland, and Iceland. The Arctic region consists of a vast, ice-covered ocean, surrounded by treeless permafrost...
Operations. Her duties included laying cables, oceanographic studies, and re-supplying the Distant Early Warning Line
Distant Early Warning Line
The Distant Early Warning Line, also known as the DEW Line or Early Warning Line, was a system of radar stations in the far northern Arctic region of Canada, with additional stations along the North Coast and Aleutian Islands of Alaska, in addition to the Faroe Islands, Greenland, and Iceland...
. On 13 July 1970 Northwind rescued two crewmen from a ditched helicopter near the Yukon-Kuskokwim Delta
Yukon-Kuskokwim Delta
The Yukon–Kuskokwim Delta is one of the largest river deltas in the world, roughly the size of Oregon. It is located where the Yukon and Kuskokwim rivers empty into the Bering Sea on the west coast of the U.S. state of Alaska. The delta, which mostly consists of tundra, is protected as part of the...
in Norton Sound
Norton Sound
Norton Sound is an inlet of the Bering Sea on the western coast of the U.S. state of Alaska, south of the Seward Peninsula. It is about 240 km long and 200 km wide. The Yukon River delta forms a portion of the south shore and water from the Yukon influences this body of water...
.
Due to the discovery of oil on the North Slope of Alaska in 1971, Northwind surveyed the area that year. She also broke out an icebound convoy of twenty tugboats and forty barges enroute to Prudhoe Bay, Alaska in 1971.
From 1971 to 1972 Northwind sailed on Operation Deep Freeze
Operation Deep Freeze
Operation Deep Freeze is the codename for a series of United States missions to Antarctica, beginning with "Operation Deep Freeze I" in 1955–56, followed by "Operation Deep Freeze II", "Operation Deep Freeze III", and so on...
to the Antarctic. She was once again in the Antarctic for Operation Deep Freeze from 1972 to 1973. During June and July 1973 Northwind conducted oceanographic research in Alaskan waters. From 1973 to 1975 Northwind underwent extensive machinery modernization and electronic modification at the U.S. Coast Guard Yard
United States Coast Guard Yard
The United States Coast Guard Yard or just Coast Guard Yard is a United States Coast Guard operated shipyard located on Curtis Bay in northern Anne Arundel County, Maryland, just south of the Baltimore city limits. It is the coast guard's sole shipbuilding and major repair facility, and part of the...
at Curtis Bay
Curtis Bay, Baltimore
Curtis Bay is a neighborhood in Baltimore, Maryland, United States. The neighborhood is located in a highly industrialized waterfornt area in the southern part of the city, and receives its name from the body of water in which it sits...
, Maryland and was stationed in Baltimore
Baltimore
Baltimore is the largest independent city in the United States and the largest city and cultural center of the US state of Maryland. The city is located in central Maryland along the tidal portion of the Patapsco River, an arm of the Chesapeake Bay. Baltimore is sometimes referred to as Baltimore...
, Maryland
Maryland
Maryland is a U.S. state located in the Mid Atlantic region of the United States, bordering Virginia, West Virginia, and the District of Columbia to its south and west; Pennsylvania to its north; and Delaware to its east...
. During the summer of 1975, Northwind conducted an Arctic West Summer cruise. From 6 October 1976 to 13 April 1977 Northwind broke ice during Operation Deep Freeze
Operation Deep Freeze
Operation Deep Freeze is the codename for a series of United States missions to Antarctica, beginning with "Operation Deep Freeze I" in 1955–56, followed by "Operation Deep Freeze II", "Operation Deep Freeze III", and so on...
with Task Force 99 in Antarctica.
On 28 April 1978 Northwind assisted a U.S. Navy Landing Craft Mechanized
Landing Craft Mechanized
The Landing Craft Mechanized or Landing Craft Mechanical was a landing craft designed for carrying vehicles. They came to prominence during the Second World War when they were used to land troops or tanks during Allied amphibious assaults....
extinguish a fire in the Caribbean
Caribbean
The Caribbean is a crescent-shaped group of islands more than 2,000 miles long separating the Gulf of Mexico and the Caribbean Sea, to the west and south, from the Atlantic Ocean, to the east and north...
. From 10 July to 10 December 1978 Northwind undertook an Arctic
Arctic
The Arctic is a region located at the northern-most part of the Earth. The Arctic consists of the Arctic Ocean and parts of Canada, Russia, Greenland, the United States, Norway, Sweden, Finland, and Iceland. The Arctic region consists of a vast, ice-covered ocean, surrounded by treeless permafrost...
cruise. From 3 November 1979 until 24 March 1980 Northwind joined in Operation Deep Freeze
Operation Deep Freeze
Operation Deep Freeze is the codename for a series of United States missions to Antarctica, beginning with "Operation Deep Freeze I" in 1955–56, followed by "Operation Deep Freeze II", "Operation Deep Freeze III", and so on...
to the Antarctic
Antarctic
The Antarctic is the region around the Earth's South Pole, opposite the Arctic region around the North Pole. The Antarctic comprises the continent of Antarctica and the ice shelves, waters and island territories in the Southern Ocean situated south of the Antarctic Convergence...
. From 1978 to 1989 Northwind was stationed at Wilmington, North Carolina
Wilmington, North Carolina
Wilmington is a port city in and is the county seat of New Hanover County, North Carolina, United States. The population is 106,476 according to the 2010 Census, making it the eighth most populous city in the state of North Carolina...
and did icebreaking in the Great Lakes
Great Lakes
The Great Lakes are a collection of freshwater lakes located in northeastern North America, on the Canada – United States border. Consisting of Lakes Superior, Michigan, Huron, Erie, and Ontario, they form the largest group of freshwater lakes on Earth by total surface, coming in second by volume...
.
1980s
From 26 September 1981 to 13 December 1981 Northwind made a cruise to the ArcticArctic
The Arctic is a region located at the northern-most part of the Earth. The Arctic consists of the Arctic Ocean and parts of Canada, Russia, Greenland, the United States, Norway, Sweden, Finland, and Iceland. The Arctic region consists of a vast, ice-covered ocean, surrounded by treeless permafrost...
. On 16 February 1984 Northwind accomplished the MEDEVAC
MEDEVAC
Medical evacuation, often termed Medevac or Medivac, is the timely and efficient movement and en route care provided by medical personnel to the wounded being evacuated from the battlefield or to injured patients being evacuated from the scene of an accident to receiving medical facilities using...
of a woman from a 33 feet (10.1 m) sailing vessel 200 miles (321.9 km) west of Bermuda
Bermuda
Bermuda is a British overseas territory in the North Atlantic Ocean. Located off the east coast of the United States, its nearest landmass is Cape Hatteras, North Carolina, about to the west-northwest. It is about south of Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada, and northeast of Miami, Florida...
. On 5 August 1984 Northwind assisted a personal craft off Kulusuk
Kulusuk
Kulusuk is a settlement in the Sermersooq municipality in southeastern Greenland, located on an island of the same name. The settlement population of 286 is quite uncommon for an Inuit settlement in Greenland with many Danes choosing to live there, due to the airport...
, Greenland
Greenland
Greenland is an autonomous country within the Kingdom of Denmark, located between the Arctic and Atlantic Oceans, east of the Canadian Arctic Archipelago. Though physiographically a part of the continent of North America, Greenland has been politically and culturally associated with Europe for...
. On 4 November 1984 Northwind seized P/C Alexi I, 240 miles (386.2 km) southwest of Jamaica
Jamaica
Jamaica is an island nation of the Greater Antilles, in length, up to in width and 10,990 square kilometres in area. It is situated in the Caribbean Sea, about south of Cuba, and west of Hispaniola, the island harbouring the nation-states Haiti and the Dominican Republic...
carrying 20 short ton of marijuana. Northwind was participating in Operation Wagonwheel Forces an inter-agency narcotics interdiction effort in the Caribbean from 31 October to 31 November 1984. She became the first icebreaker
Icebreaker
An icebreaker is a special-purpose ship or boat designed to move and navigate through ice-covered waters. Although the term usually refers to ice-breaking ships, it may also refer to smaller vessels .For a ship to be considered an icebreaker, it requires three traits most...
to make a narcotics seizure and broke the previous tonnage record set by . This was a marijuana seizure record that stands as of 2011. From 2 July to 21 July 1986 Northwind assisted the Danish
Denmark
Denmark is a Scandinavian country in Northern Europe. The countries of Denmark and Greenland, as well as the Faroe Islands, constitute the Kingdom of Denmark . It is the southernmost of the Nordic countries, southwest of Sweden and south of Norway, and bordered to the south by Germany. Denmark...
and Greenland
Greenland
Greenland is an autonomous country within the Kingdom of Denmark, located between the Arctic and Atlantic Oceans, east of the Canadian Arctic Archipelago. Though physiographically a part of the continent of North America, Greenland has been politically and culturally associated with Europe for...
governments in reestablishing a musk-ox herd in northwest Greenland
Greenland
Greenland is an autonomous country within the Kingdom of Denmark, located between the Arctic and Atlantic Oceans, east of the Canadian Arctic Archipelago. Though physiographically a part of the continent of North America, Greenland has been politically and culturally associated with Europe for...
.
The last mission of Northwind was an Arctic
Arctic
The Arctic is a region located at the northern-most part of the Earth. The Arctic consists of the Arctic Ocean and parts of Canada, Russia, Greenland, the United States, Norway, Sweden, Finland, and Iceland. The Arctic region consists of a vast, ice-covered ocean, surrounded by treeless permafrost...
East Summer (AES) 1988 cruise, the Coordinated Eastern Arctic Experiment (CEAREX). Her role was to serve as ice-escort for the Norwegian
Norway
Norway , officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Nordic unitary constitutional monarchy whose territory comprises the western portion of the Scandinavian Peninsula, Jan Mayen, and the Arctic archipelago of Svalbard and Bouvet Island. Norway has a total area of and a population of about 4.9 million...
research vessel, R/V Polarbjorn. Northwind broke ice in the Norwegian and Greenland Seas, northward to the Svalbard
Svalbard
Svalbard is an archipelago in the Arctic, constituting the northernmost part of Norway. It is located north of mainland Europe, midway between mainland Norway and the North Pole. The group of islands range from 74° to 81° north latitude , and from 10° to 35° east longitude. Spitsbergen is the...
archipelago of Norway from September 1988 through October 1988. Northwind then returned to homeport in Wilmington, North Carolina
Wilmington, North Carolina
Wilmington is a port city in and is the county seat of New Hanover County, North Carolina, United States. The population is 106,476 according to the 2010 Census, making it the eighth most populous city in the state of North Carolina...
. Prior to decommissioning Northwind went on a goodwill cruise
Goodwill tour
A goodwill tour is a term used to indicate a tour by someone or something famous to a series of places, with the purpose of expressing benevolent interest or concern for a group of people or a region, improving or maintaining a relationship between parties, and exhibiting the item or person to...
to Canadian and U.S. ports.
Decommissioning
Northwind was decommissioned in Wilmington, North CarolinaWilmington, North Carolina
Wilmington is a port city in and is the county seat of New Hanover County, North Carolina, United States. The population is 106,476 according to the 2010 Census, making it the eighth most populous city in the state of North Carolina...
on 20 January 1989. She was the last remaining of the original seven U.S. built Wind-class icebreakers. An effort to preserve Northwind in her homeport alongside the failed, and the ship was scrapped at International Shipbreakers, Port of Brownsville, Texas. The scrapping operation took nearly 6 months to complete.
Awards
Northwind earned two Coast Guard Unit CommendationCoast Guard Unit Commendation
The Coast Guard Unit Commendation is the highest peacetime unit award that may be awarded to military commands of the United States Coast Guard. The decoration was first created in 1963 and is presented to members of any Coast Guard unit that distinguishes itself by valorous or extremely...
s, both with Operational Distinguishing Device
Operational Distinguishing Device
The Operational Distinguishing Device is a decoration of the United States Coast Guard which may be awarded as an attachment to certain personal and unit awards. The device is awarded as a silver "O" device, either centered on the award ribbon or to the middle-right if there are an even number of...
s, during oceanographic experiments in 1963 and 1965. She was awarded three Meritorious Unit Commendation
Meritorious Unit Commendation
The Meritorious Unit Commendation is a mid-level unit award of the United States military which is awarded to any military command which displays exceptionally meritorious conduct in the performance of outstanding service, heroic deeds, or valorous actions....
with Operational Distinguishing Device
Operational Distinguishing Device
The Operational Distinguishing Device is a decoration of the United States Coast Guard which may be awarded as an attachment to certain personal and unit awards. The device is awarded as a silver "O" device, either centered on the award ribbon or to the middle-right if there are an even number of...
for the periods of 14 December 1977 to 10 April 1978, 1 May 1983 to 6 May 1984 and 16 October 1984 to 26 October 1984. During deployments to Guantanamo Bay, Cuba for the periods of 15 October 1976 to 5 November 1976 and 1 March 1982 to 31 March 1982, she also received two Coast Guard E Ribbons.
| Coast Guard Unit Commendation Coast Guard Unit Commendation The Coast Guard Unit Commendation is the highest peacetime unit award that may be awarded to military commands of the United States Coast Guard. The decoration was first created in 1963 and is presented to members of any Coast Guard unit that distinguishes itself by valorous or extremely... with Operational Distinguishing Device Operational Distinguishing Device The Operational Distinguishing Device is a decoration of the United States Coast Guard which may be awarded as an attachment to certain personal and unit awards. The device is awarded as a silver "O" device, either centered on the award ribbon or to the middle-right if there are an even number of... and 1 award star Award star An award star is a decoration issued to personnel of the United States Navy, Marine Corps, and Coast Guard in lieu of multiple awards of the same award. An award star is very similar to an oak leaf cluster, which serves the same purpose in the United States Army and United States Air Force... |
Coast Guard Meritorious Unit Commendation with Operational Distinguishing Device Operational Distinguishing Device The Operational Distinguishing Device is a decoration of the United States Coast Guard which may be awarded as an attachment to certain personal and unit awards. The device is awarded as a silver "O" device, either centered on the award ribbon or to the middle-right if there are an even number of... and 1 award star |
Coast Guard E Ribbon with 1 award star |
External links
- The Secret Land, 1948 U.S. Navy documentary film of Operation HighjumpOperation HighjumpOperation Highjump , officially titled The United States Navy Antarctic Developments Program, 1946-1947, was a United States Navy operation organized by RADM Richard E. Byrd Jr. USN, , Officer in Charge, Task Force 68, and led by RADM Richard H. Cruzen, USN, Commanding Officer, Task Force 68....
, with extensive Northwind footage.