U.S. Coast Guard Called to Help Luxury Cruise Stuck in Antarctica

On the 12^th day of their Antarctica cruise, a group of passengers aboard the Scenic Eclipse II helicoptered into the McMurdo Dry Valleys, the largest ice-free area on the frozen continent. Hours later, they found themselves in the polar opposite situation.

Sea ice had surrounded the luxury cruise ship, hindering its passage to open water. According to the U.S. Coast Guard, the Australian-owned ship rang for help around 11 p.m. local time.

Polar Star, the U.S. military's only active heavy icebreaker, took two "passes," or laps, around the 551-foot cruise ship, slicing through the ice slabs as easily as a knife in soft butter.

Please select this link to read the complete article from The Washington Post.