As the Arctic heats up, the U.S. Coast Guard’s icebreaker fleet is preparing for boom times

The U.S. Coast Guard icebreakers Polar Star (at background), Healy (at left) and Storis (at foreground) are seen together at Coast Guard Base Seattle on Oct. 26, 2025, marking the first time since 2006 that the Coast Guard had three active polar icebreakers in the same place at the same time. (Lt. Christopher Butters/U.S. Coast Guard)
On a dreary November day in Seattle, the U.S. Coast Guard put its past and future on display.
Within sight of the Space Needle, three eye-catching red icebreakers