Operations in the remote, hazardous and unforgiving polar regions make is necessary for the crew to be highly self-sufficient.  The crew consists of personnel trained in navigation, engineering, welding, machinery repair, electronics, boat handling, firefighting, damage control, diving, medicine, and other skills.  Duty on an ice breaker is long and strenuous and it involves being away from home port for up to eight months out of the year.  The Polar Sea has a crew of 24 officers, 20 chief petty officers, and 102 enlisted men and women.  The ship has four sizeable lounges, a library, a gymnasium, and a small store.  It also has its own Post Office, satellite pay telephones, amateur radio equipment, photo lab, and movie library.