U.S. Coast Guard Cutter Healy 129-Day Arctic Deployment
by U.S. Coast Guard Pacific Area
November 5, 2025 The U.S. Coast Guard Cutter Healy (WAGB 20) returned to its Seattle home port on following a 129-day patrol that concluded its annual Arctic deployment.
Healy, one of three Coast Guard polar icebreakers, steamed over 20,000 miles this deployment supporting Operation Arctic West Summer and Operation Frontier Sentinel; protecting U.S. sovereign rights and territory; and, promoting national security in the Arctic. 
October 1, 2025 - U.S. Coast Guard Cutter Healy (WAGB 20) conducts on-ice research in the Arctic Ocean. Coast Guard operations in the Arctic are critical to expanding our understanding of the Arctic operating environment for advancing national security objectives. (Image created by USA Patriotism! from U.S. Coast Guard photo by PO3 Chris Sappey.)
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“Healy’s unique and specialized capabilities allow us to operate in the most remote regions conducting the highest priority missions of the Coast Guard,” said Capt. Kristen Serumgard, commanding officer of Healy. “Healy’s dynamic crew of active duty and civilian personnel showcased tremendous adaptability, dedication and resilience, steaming over 20,000 miles through ice-covered waters to complete the mission.”
As a part of Operation Frontier Sentinel, Healy queried and monitored three foreign research vessels operating in ice-covered waters over the U.S. Extended Continental Shelf and U.S. Exclusive Economic Zone, protecting the territorial integrity of the United States’ northernmost border.
Five China-affiliated research vessels operated in the Arctic region over the summer, and Healy was one of several Coast Guard assets deployed to control, secure, and defend U.S. sovereign interests. The Coast Guard works in conjunction with U.S. Northern Command and Alaskan Command to constantly monitor foreign vessels operating in and near U.S. waters.
Healy’s crew also supported two missions involving the deployment and recovery of subsurface oceanographic equipment throughout the U.S. Arctic, East Siberian Sea, and Laptev Sea. This work was performed in conjunction with the Office of Naval Research, the National Science Foundation, and other partner agencies. The data collected will help build a more cohesive picture of the physical, biological, and chemical properties of the Arctic Ocean, improving maritime domain awareness north of the Arctic Circle. 
Top Scene - U.S. Coast Guard Petty Officer 2nd Class Jared Vannoy (right) and Justin Burnett, an Arctic Mobile Observing System research engineer, pull a Seaglider Undersea Vehicle aboard a Coast Guard Cutter Healy (WAGB 20) small boat while operating in the Arctic Ocean, on August 5, 2025. The dense batteries in the seaglider are mounted on a rail to allow adjustments to its center of gravity, creating the ability to steer. Bottom Scene - U.S. Coast Guard Cutter Healy (WAGB 20) crewmembers offload instrumentation onto the ice in the Arctic Ocean on October 1, 2025. (Image created by USA Patriotism! from U.S. Coast Guard photos by PO2 Zack Ledoux and PO3 Chris Sappey.)
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As part of the Arctic District’s multi-faceted response to a series of devastating storms that struck Western Alaska communities, Healy diverted to the affected region to respond to Search and Rescue and disaster relief needs.
Homeported in Seattle, Healy is the largest cutter in the U.S. Coast Guard at 420-foot long and 16,000 tons. Healy is designed to break 4.5 feet of ice continuously at three knots and can operate in temperatures as low as -50 degrees Fahrenheit, enabling year-round access to the Arctic Ocean. Associated Image U.S. Coast Guard | U.S. Coast Guard Academy | Coast Guard Gifts | U.S. Department of Homeland Security |
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