“The Seawolf has just returned home after a six-month deployment in which the crew had no communications with their families during the two months they were submerged — several weeks of which were entirely under ice. Fresh air wasn’t the only thing the crew of 154 lacked. Though the sub went to sea with plenty of food, the commander said the fresh fruit and vegetables were eaten ‘in about a week.’
Bierly said the mission has important operational goals.
‘Our focus was demonstrating the ability to surface through the ice,’ he said in a telephone interview from his naval base in Bremerton, Washington. ‘It’s an important operational priority to demonstrate we can operate in that environment.'”
Source: U.S. submarine returns from Artic mission – CNNPolitics.com