JANUARY 26, 2026 — Coast Guard Cutters Mackinaw (WLBB 30) and Neah Bay (WTGB 105) conducted ice-breaking operations to free, assist, and escort vessels transiting the Great Lakes on Jan. 21, 2026.
The Mackinaw freed and escorted the Wilfred Sykes, a 678-foot motor vessel beset by ice on Lake Huron, and the Neah Bay directly assisted the American Spirit, a 1,004-foot motor vessel icebound on Lake Erie.
Both of these missions are direct results of Great Lakes District ice-breaking operations Operation Taconite and Operation Coal Shovel. These are domestic ice-breaking operations established to provide ice-breaking services to assist vessels in emergency or urgent situations, assist communities in exigent need, and facilitate navigation on ice-covered waterways.
“Coast Guardsmen have worked from sunup to sundown, to ensure the safe navigation of the ice-stricken maritime transportation system,” said Lt. Cmdr. Jeremy Tyrrell, Neah Bay’s Commanding Officer. “To include critical waterways like the St. Marys River, Straits of Mackinac, Green Bay and Duluth Harbors, Lake Erie’s western basin, and Detroit and St. Clair river systems. Our crews and skilled mariners will continue to put in long hours throughout the Great Lakes to support the economy of the region through the winter season.”
“Our ice-breaking cutters have been working hard since December, providing excellent service to the commercial vessel fleet and maintaining a navigable Marine Transportation System; the dedication and professionalism of our crew members is on full display with these operations,” said Lt. Cmdr. Jason Radcliffe, Great Lakes District Deputy Chief of Waterways Management.
For further information please contact the Great Lakes District Public Affairs Office at 216-902-6020 or via email at D9publicaffairs@uscg.mil.
Story by Petty Officer 3rd Class Michael Lauofo
U.S. Coast Guard Great Lakes