Reserve Status and Reactivation
On June 30, 2006, Polar Star was placed in a "Commission-Special" status in Seattle, WA. This caretaker status requires the reduced crew of 34 to keep the ship ready for a possible return to the ice, but with the mounting maintenance issues onboard, a decision to finance a major renovation or decommission the ship needs to be made. The previous commandant of the U.S. Coast Guard, Admiral Thad Allen, had made it one of his top three priorities to find a resolution to the current state of the Polar Icebreaking program.
The Navy Times reports that a refit reactivating the Polar Star for a further 25 years of duty would cost $400 million USD. A refit sufficient to reactivate the Polar Star for eight to ten years necessary to build a replacement would cost $56 million USD. A refit sufficient to reactivate the Polar Star for a single season would cost $8.2 million USD.
The Navy Times explained that the National Science Foundation had been contributing much of the cost of maintaining the vessels, because their primary responsibility was scientific. But that, starting in 2009, the National Science Foundation would no longer be contributing to the Polar Star's upkeep, putting the vessel's future in question.
The United States Coast Guard plans to reactivate the Polar Star by 2013, after being refitted by Todd Pacific Shipyards.
Read more about this topic: USCGC Polar Star (WAGB-10)
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