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Coast Guard Master Chief Dalmida Heads Back to Antarctica

Dec.2, 2006 – Coast Guard Master Chief Petty Officer Myron Dalmida embarks on his second voyage to Antarctica. He is the ship's Command Enlisted Advisor (the senior enlisted onboard) and is the Master Chief Electrician/Engineer.
Dalmida, a 1978 graduate of Charlotte Amalie High School, is assigned to the Coast Guard icebreaker Polar Sea, which is returning to the bottom of the world after a two-year hiatus. The icebreaker departed Nov. 18 to support Operation Deep Freeze, the mission to re-supply the U.S.-managed research facility in the region.
The roughly 20,000-mile round trip marks the first to the region for the icebreaking ship since the 2003-2004 ice season when it broke two of three diesel-electric engine sets.
His 28 years with the Coast Guard have based him variously in Seattle, Wash; Hawaii; Guam; Miami, Fla.; Boston, Mass.; St. Louis, Mo.; Governors Island, N.Y.; Kodiak, Alaska; and Mobile, Ala.
Dalmida wrote, "We're in Hawaii for a few days before heading to Australia and Antarctica. I'm not scheduled to be in Seattle until sometime in March 2007. Wishing everyone a happy holiday season. Stay safe and God bless."
The ship was in Alaska this past summer, stopping in Kodiak for several days during an arctic shakedown tour before its five-month mission. In Antarctica the current primary mission is to create a channel through the fast ice to the large scientific station at McMurdo, so that two large supply ships–one container ship and one oil tanker–can do the once-a-year re-supply of that station.
The Polar Sea keeps its Web page current while underway. Follow the trip south yourself by going to www.uscg.mil/pacarea/polarsea/home.htm and clicking on "Current News." The ship's tracking map is located at: http://www.sailwx.info/shiptrack/shipposition.phtml?call=NRUO
The 399 foot, 13,000 ton Polar Sea carries two helicopters and a crew of 15 officers and 126 enlisted personnel, who are trained in navigation, engineering, welding, machinery repair, electronics, boat handling, firefighting, damage control, diving, medicine and other skills. All of those special skills may be put to good use if the vessel is diverted for search and rescue missions.

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