Four U.S. Coast Guard cutters broke ice that was about 8-12 inches thick on the Kennebec River on Wednesday. The river ice is broken up to prevent flooding when the temperature warms up.
The Thunder Bay heads south on the Kennebec River after reaching the Maine Kennebec River Bridge in Dresden on Wednesday. One of the smaller cutters on the mission is heading north at top right.
U.S. Coast Guard Chief Warrant Officer Robert Albert, aboard the Thunder Bay on Wednesday, said, “I thought we were going to have a harder time” breaking ice on the Kennebec River.
Louise Rossignol and Dean Dumond of Bowdoinham photograph the Thunder Bay on the Kennebec River on Wednesday.
U.S. Coast Guard Chief Warrant Officer Robert Albert points out hazards of navigating the Kennebec River on Wednesday aboard the cutter Thunder Bay.
The Thunder Bay heads south on the Kennebec River after reaching the Maine Kennebec River Bridge on Wednesday.
The Thunder Bay heads north on the Kennebec River toward the Maine Kennebec River Bridge in Dresden on Wednesday. The Thunder Bay and three smaller cutters worked to break the ice south of the bridge between Richmond and Dresden.
Parked cars line the southern side of the bridge as people watch Coast Guard cutters breaking ice on Wednesday from the Maine Kennebec River Bridge between Richmond and Dresden.
The U.S. Coast Guard cutter Thunder Bay navigates up the Kennebec River on Wednesday.
The U.S. Coast Guard cutter Thunder Bay breaks ice on the Kennebec River on Wednesday morning near Richmond.
A buoy is locked in ice on the Kennebec River on Wednesday. A number navigational buoys that had been misplaced by the ice and will need to be repaired or replaced as soon as the river is clear.
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