NORSEMANII

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Research vessel on its way home after mechanical failure and 14 days ice drift

After having been caught in dense sea ice for 14 days, the 'Norseman II' was on its way back to Nome on June 18, 2024, after making it out of the ice on the morning, and was navigating through open waters, in order to undergo repairs. The ship had been drifting with the ice off the northern coast of the Seward Peninsula since June 4 with its crew and 14 scientists on board. The research vessel had set sail from Nome on May 31 for a study to determine Pacific walrus abundance in the Bering and Chukchi seas, but got caught in sea ice. 17 days into the trip, on June 16, and 12 days after being surrounded by the ice, the NOAA and the National Weather Service released a statement titled “Weather and Ice Outlook USGC (US Coast Guard) Norseman II Response” stating the “Norseman II continues to drift northeast with the pack ice and remains approximately 5 nm (nautical miles) from the nearest ice edge.” The ship only traveled a little more than 200 nautical miles from Nome. The researchers had planned on a 29-day cruise. Persistent winds out of the north were in play with currents to create a particularly large sea ice buildup for this time of year. The 'Norseman II' suffered a mechanical malfunction relating to the rudder system. Thanks to redundancies built into the vessel, it was still navigable under its own power and steering by utilizing a bow thruster in addition to a tiller arm that was manipulated via chain fells. The U.S. Coast Guard District 17 has been in “close, continuous contact with the Master of the 'Norseman II' since they reported a mechanical casualty. The master had requested no assistance from the Coast Guard which maintains a large cutter in the Bering Sea 365 days a year to conduct fisheries patrol and maintain availability to respond to search and rescue.