Three of the vessels of the class, Westwind, Southwind, and the first Northwind all went on to serve temporarily for the Soviet Union under the Lend-Lease program, while two others were built for the United States Navy and another was built for the Royal Canadian Navy; all eight vessels were eventually transferred to the United States Coast Guard and the Canadian Coast Guard.

The final design was heavily influenced by studies conducted by then LCDR Edward Thiele, USCG (later RADM, and Engineer in Chief of the U.S. Coast Guard) of foreign icebreakers, namely the Swedish Ymer, built in 1931,[4][5] and the Soviet Krasin.

With a relatively short length in proportion to the great power developed, their bow had the characteristic sloping forefoot that enabled her to ride up on heavy ice and break it with the weight of the vessel.

Diesel electric machinery was chosen for its controllability and resistance to damage, and they were fitted with a removable front propeller used to create a wash to clear ice.

[1] For Canada's Wind-class icebreaker, the Royal Canadian Navy (RCN) assigned Pennant Number AW 50 to the Canadian-built HMCS Labrador.

[1][2][3][6][7] USCGC Staten Island (WAGB-278) Went to  Soviet Navy in 1944 where she was known as Severni Veter (North wind) and since 1946 as Kapitan Belousov as part of the Lend-Lease program; returned to  United States Navy in 1951 as Northwind, renamed Staten Island in 1952, then transferred to  United States Coast Guard in 1966.

[12][13][14] USCGC Westwind (WAGB-281) Sent to  Soviet Navy in 1945 where she was known as Severni Polius (North pole) as part of the Lend-Lease program.