BANGOR, Maine — Along the Penobscot River, Tuesday marked the return of the winter tradition of breaking the ice.
The U.S. Coast Guard cutters named Thunder Bay, Shackle, Tackle, and Bridle began their mission in Bucksport this morning on an approximate three-hour journey up to the Bangor and Brewer bridge.
The mission: Break through about 8 inches of ice. The ice quickly formed over the weekend because of the sub-freezing temperatures.
The breaking of the ice helps prevent flooding along the river and keeps the waterway open for deliveries such as heating oil.
"Eighty-five percent of heating oil in the northeast goes through the rivers [along] here," Lt. Dan Thomas, captain of cutter Thunder Bay, said.
"It's really something we try to keep ahead of during the winter. The longer we wait, the worse it gets," Thomas explained. "Even though we had some warmer weather forecasted, in the future, that just breaks the ice off the shore and then it tends to jam in the bend of the river, and that's when we get the most flooding. So [we're] getting out here before that really breaks apart and causes further problems downstream."
The U.S. Coast Guard expects this mission will most likely be the last one for the winter season.