The Associated Press
SEATTLE — The crew of a Coast Guard icebreaker returned to their homeport in Seattle following the ship’s annual arctic deployment.
The Healy returned Friday.
Family members holding signs and waving welcomed it back.
The ship’s crew completed three science missions, conducting physical and biological research in the Arctic Ocean in partnership with the National Science Foundation, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration and the Office of Naval Research.
Under the command of U.S. Coast Guard Capt. Greg Tlapa, the Healy is the nation’s premiere high-latitude research vessel and is the only U.S. military surface vessel that deploys to and is capable of operating in the ice-covered waters of the Arctic.
At 420-feet long with a displacement of more than 16,000 tons and a permanent crew of 87, the Healy is the largest ship in the U.S. Coast Guard.
U.S. Coast Guard Chief Petty Officer Andy Borroni, left, is hugged by his son Alex, 11, as his stepdaughter, Julia Janglee, 16, looks on at right after Borroni returned on the U.S. Coast Guard Cutter Healy icebreaker at the ship’s homeport of Seattle on Friday following a four-month deployment to the Arctic Ocean. (Ted S. Warren/The Associated Press)
