Breaking Ice

"Breaking Ice" takes viewers aboard two ice-breaking ships -- one in the Arctic, the other in the Antarctic -- which make it easier to bring food and supplies to scientific teams there. The U. S. Coast Guard cutter Healey is stationed in Seattle and designed to break up to four-and-a-half feet of ice in the Arctic. It can operate in temperatures as low as -50 F. Cameras capture the ship's five-week expedition with a crew that is a mix of veteran sailors and rookies. Germany's RV Polarstern journeys to the Antarctic, tasked with battling waves as high as 45 feet in order to deliver food, fuel and equipment to isolated scientists on that continent. … MORE