Rescue in Alaska is measured in hours, not minutes In Alaskan waters, the question is not whether help will come, but how long the crew must survive until it arrives. The U.S. Coast Guard's Arctic District is responsible for more than 3.8 million square miles of ocean and over 47,300 miles of shoreline across Alaska and the Arctic. Air Station Kodiak, the largest Coast Guard command in the Pacific, covers an area of more than 4 million square miles, including the Gulf of Alas

U.S. Navy and Marine Corps vessels sit outside the Polar Code entirely. As Arctic operations grow, does current cold-water immersion equipment meet the standard the services have already set for themselves?

When a vessel receives its Polar Ship Certificate, a Recognized Organization certifies that it is fit for polar operations. In most cases, that certification is silent on whether the immersion suits aboard provide thermal protection adequate for the Maximum Expected Time of Rescue. That silence is the question this post is about.