1969: "Smooth ride" as massive ship traverses the Northwest Passage twice (Pennsylvania to Barrow and back to New York between Aug. 24 and Nov 12)

Recalling the epic Arctic journey of the icebreaker Manhattan | Alaska Dispatch

After leaving Chester, Pa., on Aug. 24, 1969 and reaching Prudhoe Bay and then Barrow by September 14, the Manhattan returned through the Northwest Passage and arrived back in New York by Nov. 12. Helfferich, who was aboard for most of the trip before flying back from arctic Canada, remembers a smooth ride for the most part. The tanker-icebreaker handled most ice easily, though it sometimes needed to be nibbled out by icebreakers from Canada and the U.S. that accompanied it.