Rising Star (1991 ship)
Rising Star is a 71-foot harbor tugboat built in 1991 for the United States Air Force. It is based at Pituffik Space Base in northern Greenland (formerly Thule Air Base) and is the USAF’s only tugboat, operated under contract by Vectrus. Built by Swiftships in Morgan City, Louisiana, the steel vessel is powered by two Detroit Diesel two-stroke engines, delivering 900 shaft horsepower each.
When ice-free in summer, Rising Star guides tankers and cargo ships into North Star Bay, pulls them into Mediterranean-style moorings because the harbor has shallow under-keel clearance, and clears icebergs from the shipping lanes for Operation Pacer Goose. For the rest of the year it is hauled ashore to protect it from Arctic ice. The crew typically begins operations in July and ends in the fall.
In 2020, Rising Star helped rescue six Greenlandic mariners whose vessel was sinking about 50 kilometers south of the base. The rescue, supported by the Royal Danish Air Force and others, lasted about seven hours in rough seas.
The ship is maintained by the 821st Support Squadron at Peterson Space Force Base. Rising Star can also offer sightseeing tours of the nearby bays and fjords when conditions permit.
This page was last edited on 3 February 2026, at 18:54 (CET).