Book Description

The results of tests conducted on Coast Guard icebreaker WESTWIND (WAGB 281) are presented. The object of the program was to measure the stresses in the bow structure of a WIND-class icebreaker during normal icebreaking operations to determine possible causes for the damage experienced by this class of ship during ice patrols and to further the state-of-the-art in icebreaker design. The tests were conducted off the west coast of Greenland in icefields with average thicknesses of 5, 11, and 18 ft. The maximum stresses calculated from measured strains were in the order of 20,000 psi. No visible damage to the ship was observed. (Author).