Severe ice conditions on Northern Lake Michigan. Footage of two USCG ice breaking Cutters, the Neah Bay and Bristol Bay, working Ice Breaking Operations to keep iron ore freighters moving.
What is making the ice breaking extremely difficult is the fact that their are areas of the ice that are fifteen feet or three meters thick in places.
This is due to the sheets of ice that are a about a half a meter or or just under two feet thick and over the winter they were blown around and started stacking on top of each other at the pressure ridges. Over time some of the pressure ridges stacked up to 5 meters or 15 feet thick.
Shot Description
1) USCG Cutter Neah Bay approaching through heavy ice.
2) USCG Neah Bay passing by
3) Good view of Bay Class Icebreaker bubblier system at work. The bubblier system helps the ships back up if they get stuck on top of the ice and also helps with breaking up the ice.
4) View looking aft of iron ore carrier and Cutter Neah Bay.
5) Neah Bay in distance leading iron ore carrier through ice field.
6+7) View of iron ore freighter bow pushing its way through ice.
8) Close up of Neah Bay bow riding over ice field.
9) USCG Cutter Bristol Bay cutting circles around bow of iron ore freighter.
10) Bristol Bay fighting in ice to relieve ice pressure on freighter haul.
SID: Eric Treece