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Enhancing Coast Guard Warning Ships Of Icebergs
by DHS Science and Technology Directorate
Public Affairs
April 14,
2022
One hundred and ten years after the RMS
Titanic’s tragic collision with an iceberg, the Department of
Homeland Security (DHS) Science and Technology Directorate (S&T) is
developing new technology to help the Coast Guard improve maritime
safety and navigation in the North Atlantic Ocean. When complete,
Project Titanic will fuse satellite-based Synthetic Aperture Radar
imagery with ship reporting systems to detect, identify, and report
iceberg locations to the maritime community.
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August 19, 2021 - The USCGC Escanaba (WMEC 907) transit past an iceberg in the Labrador Sea. The Escanaba is a 270-foot Famous-class medium endurance cutter with a crew of around 100 and conducts missions emphasizing maritime security and law enforcement. (Image created by USA Patriotism! from U.S. Coast Guard photo by Petty Officer 3rd Class Dyxan Williams.)
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“Floating icebergs like the one the
Titanic struck on April 15, 1912, pose the same navigational hazards
today as they did 110 years ago,” said Kathryn Coulter Mitchell, DHS
Senior Official Performing the Duties of the Under Secretary for
Science and Technology. “That disaster prompted seafaring nations on
both sides of the Atlantic to form the International Ice Patrol
(IIP). To this day, the Coast Guard conducts this vital mission to
protect ships, oil rigs, and other maritime assets from succumbing
to a similar fate. When complete, the Project Titanic technology
will help the IIP provide even more comprehensive and timely
maritime safety information on iceberg locations.”
The IIP
initially relied on Coast Guard Cutters to survey icebergs but
transitioned to aircraft after World War II. Currently, the IIP
conducts bi-weekly aircraft missions for nine days at a time during
the ice season from February through July of each year. Aerial ice
reconnaissance typically costs the Coast Guard more than $10 million
annually, and missions are frequently hampered by bad weather and
low visibility.
“With S&T developing technology that
leverages space-based imagery, the need for costly aerial ice
surveillance will be greatly reduced and our capabilities enhanced,”
said Coast Guard Cmdr. Marcus Hirschberg, International Ice Patrol.
“This technology is immune to dark, overcast conditions and other
difficult weather that would normally prevent aircraft operations,
and the technology can also monitor difficult-to-reach locations to
help us predict how heavy an iceberg season to expect. The
increasing availability, timeliness, and improved resolution of
commercial Synthetic Aperture Radar systems will revolutionize
iceberg surveillance.”
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August 19, 2021 - The USCGC Richard Snyder (WPC 1127) transits past an iceberg in the Labrador Sea. The Richard Snyder is a 154-foot Sentinel-class fast response cutter with a crew of 24. (Image
created by USA Patriotism! from U.S. Coast Guard photo by Petty Officer 3rd Class Dyxan Williams.)
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S&T has also developed Synthetic
Aperture Radar-based technologies for flood response and other
applications.
“Project Titanic is different from other S&T
efforts because it uses global satellite access, faster data
collection, and enhanced sensor technology,” said Matthew Barger,
S&T Maritime Safety and Security Program Manager. “It also harnesses
the versatility of commercial Synthetic Aperture Radar imagery and
the efficiency of computers. Because of how far the technology can
go with surveying a much wider distance and collecting broader data,
we can detect icebergs on a larger scale than ever before.”
The Titanic Project is currently in the developmental phase and the
Coast Guard IIP is set to test the technology through 2023 with the
goal of operational integration.
Science and Technology Directorate |
U.S. Coast Guard
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U.S.
Department of Homeland Security
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