USCG Heavy Icebreaker Suffers Shaft Seal Leak

The U.S. Coast Guard’s only heavy icebreaker develops shaft seal leak while en route to Antarctica. One of the main shaft seals onboard the Coast Guard Cutter Polar Star (WAGB-10) began leaking on January 10, about 18 miles north of McMurdo Station, Antarctica. Crew members used a hand pump air ram to free a clog in the shaft seal drain pipe and tightened the bolts surround the seal in order to stop the leak. The shaft was a source of a leak during Operation Deep Freeze 2018-2019, which required the