Luxury cruise ship trapped in Antarctic ice rescued by US Coast Guard

The luxury cruise, Scenic Eclipse II, was freed from the Ross Sea by the U.S. Coast Guard

Published on: Jan 24, 2026, 07:21:31 IST

By Shirin Gupta

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Scenic Eclipse II, a luxury cruise ship, was stuck in thick ice in the Antarctic Ross Sea by the U.S. Coast Guard's only heavy icebreaking vessel, the USCGC Polar Star, on January 23.

The luxury cruise, Scenic Eclipse II, was freed from the Ross Sea by the U.S. Coast Guard (US Coast Guard Press Release )

How did the rescue unfold?

The Australian-owned cruise ship got stuck in ice on January 17 and sent a distress call to the USCGC at 11 p.m., local time, Friday. According to the press release from USCGC, the ship was stuck “eight nautical miles from McMurdo Sound.”

The USCGC Polar Star responded to the call, navigated through the ice fields to reach Scenic Eclipse II stuck in ice. Footage acquired by PEOPLE shows Polar Star cutting through thick ice, forming cracks and creating a navigable path to the cruise ship.

Once they reached the cruise ship, Polar Star made two close passes to break the surrounding ice. This made enough space for the ship to sail through. After freeing the vessel, the icebreaker escorted it approximately four nautical miles to open water, ensuring a safe retreat from the ice-filled sea.

Polar Star's 50th anniversary

The rescue took place on the 50th anniversary of Polar Star's commissioning, according to USCGC's Instagram post.

According to the press release by the Coast Guard, the Polar Star was commissioned on January 17, 1976. “Polar Star is the nation’s only active heavy icebreaker and has served as a cornerstone of U.S. presence in the polar regions.”

Every year, the USCGC Polar Star travels to Antarctica via the Ross Sea as part of Operation Deep Freeze, which aims to "resupply the United States Antarctic stations in support of the National Science Foundation (NSF), the lead agency for the United States Antarctic Program."

Polar Star left its homeport in Seattle on Thursday, November 20 to Antarctica in support of Operation Deep Freeze.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Shirin Gupta
Shirin Gupta is a content producer with the Hindustan Times. She covers everything between politics, entertainment and sports at the US desk. Shirin got interested in political journalism during her time as a web editor at her college newspaper NCC News in Syracuse when she first started seeing the effects of national politics in life of her fellow colleagues. Shirin has worked on a wide range of fast-moving and developing stories locally when she was at NCC editing accessible reports for the audience. Her current role requires her to track real-time updates, verify information and present balanced coverage across diverse beats. Covering US politics from an international newsroom perspective has further deepened her understanding of how domestic decisions can have far-reaching global consequences. With a keen interest in international affairs, Shirin continues to build her expertise in geopolitics, policy shifts, and cross-border developments. She aims to learn and evolve her reporting in matters of geopolitics and international issues. Outside the newsroom Shirin writes about books and music for her personal blog. She is an avid consumer of pop culture and reveres literature.Read More

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