APRIL 1, 2026 — Coast Guard crews continue ice-breaking operations for Sector Northern Great Lakes’ Operation Taconite on the upper Great Lakes and St. Marys River between March 29-31 in support of the Great Lakes commercial shipping season.
Since the opening of the Soo Locks, the U.S. and Canadian Coast Guards have assisted 13 upbound and 10 downbound commercial vessels to transit the St. Marys River.
U.S. Coast Guard Cutters Mackinaw (WLBB 30), SPAR (WLB 206), Neah Bay (WTGB 105), Katmai Bay (WTGB 101), Biscayne Bay (WTGB 104), Mobile Bay (WTGB 103) and Bristol Bay (WTGB 102) are assigned to the ice-breaking operations for Operation Taconite.
These U.S. Coast Guard cutters are working in conjunction with the Canadian Coast Guard Ships Vincent Massey and Judy LaMarsh to keep waterways open and navigable.
All available U.S. Coast Guard cutters within the Great Lakes District are supporting ice-breaking operations for Operation Taconite.
Approximately 500 underway hours have been worked collectively since the opening of the Soo Locks.
This portion of Operation Taconite, known as Spring Breakout, within the U.S. Coast Guard has been affected by colder-than-average water temperatures and higher-than-average snowfall in specific regions.
Operation Taconite is the largest of its kind and represents the most extensive domestic ice-breaking effort in the United States. Shipping by water remains the only practical way to move large quantities of iron ore from the mines at the Head of the Lakes to meet the needs of steel mills along Lakes Erie and Michigan.
This operation plays a critical role in ensuring that these shipments continue safely and efficiently despite the severe winter conditions of the upper Great Lakes.
For more information, please contact Brian Smicklas, Great Lakes District Ice Officer, via email at Brian.A.Smicklas@uscg.mil.
Story by Petty Officer 2nd Class Omar Faba
U.S. Coast Guard Great Lakes
-USCG-