You Know About Harbor Pilots But WTF Is An Ice Pilot? – gCaptain

SN Greg Wright - The CMC during Deep Freeze last year was also an ice pilot. There were something like 6 JOs and 3 Enlisted/Chiefs that were qualed ice pilots, maybe a few more (ops, xo, co) who didn’t actually do ice ops. After doing Evening Prayers one night over the 1MC, the CO sent me up to aloftcon to break the ice. Got to do it under the direction of two of the young ice pilots, definetly an awesome experience, and glad they know what they’re doing.
BM1 Hëyob came into aloftcon at the end of that watch. Good guy. Stood with him on watch a few times. Hope he makes Chief.
USCG has their junior sailors do things USN would never imagine. 2nd Classes in charge of their own boats. Much more seamanship emphasis. Who knows, as a BM2 you coulda driven the only heavy icebreaker in the US, or commanded your own go-fast!

Side note, it’s unfortunate that the article talks about the Polar Star in the Antarctic driven by BMs, and the main picture is the Healey in the Arctic with an MST (Marine Science Technician, we don’t have that rate in USN) in front of the cutter. :P

SN Greg Wright Did you know the Navy still has their own Harbor pilots? All enlisted too, PO1 - MCPO.

A huge responsibility and great privilege for the enlisted core.