ABOARD THE MV NUNALIK—Greenland lurked in the distance as Capt. Donald Gibson rushed to the bridge of his cargo ship amid a sudden Arctic storm. Snow lashed against the pilothouse windows while he and his crew struggled to control the vessel and steer clear of icebergs.
Down in the ship’s hold was construction material needed to upgrade the northernmost military outpost, a Canadian spy station providing crucial intelligence on Russia’s military.
After nine days traversing 2,500 nautical miles, pitching on swells from Hurricane Erin, the Canadian-flagged Nunalik had reached its destination—30 minutes late. It was Friday, and dockworkers in the port of the U.S.’s Pituffik Space Base had already gone home for the August weekend. The delivery would have to wait.
