Photo: United States Coast Guard

USCGC Polar Star (WAGB 10) escorts an Australian -owned cruise ship out of pack ice in the Ross Sea after the vessel requested assistance amid Operation Deep Freeze 2026, Jan. 17, 2026. Pacific Air Forces operates on a 24-hour basis to provide the U.S. National Science Foundation complete joint operational and logistic support for Operation Deep Freeze. (U.S. Coast Guard photo by Petty Officer 2nd Class Christopher Bokum)