If you had a sharp eye on Saturday you might have see the Coast Guard cutter Polar Star leaving Seattle on its way to the Arctic. This is unusual since  it normally heads south as part of its regular annual service in Antarctica.

This year due to the coronavirus the ocean resupply at McMurdo Station in Antarctica canceled, according to the Coast Guard.

The Coast Guard's press release said the mission this year is to "protect the nation's maritime sovereignty and security in the region." 

"The Arctic is no longer an emerging frontier, but is instead a region of growing national importance," said Vice Adm. Linda Fagan, U.S. Coast Guard Pacific Area commander. "The Coast Guard is committed to protecting U.S. sovereignty and working with our partners to uphold a safe, secure, and rules-based Arctic."

This unusual wintertime deployment is for the purposes  of national security and projecting maritime sovereignty.

The Polar Star underwent a $57 million overhaul in 2010-2012.

It was commissioned and built in Seattle in 1976.