The strain measurement system on bord of the R.V. Polarstern is an autonomous system to record the structural response caused by ice pressure on the ship's structure. For this purpose, 36 strain gauge full bridge circuits are installed on six frames and one deck 2 (F-Deck) in the void spaces 92 and 100 at starboard side between frame 78 and frame 81. The strain signals are measured time synchronously with a Gantner measuring amplifier with an internal sampling rate of 1000 Hz. To ensure a long run time with limited memory, only one data set per second and statistic variables (actual value, minimum and maximum value, mean value and standard deviation) over ten minutes measuring time each are stored on two redundant storage medias. Furthermore, the system is connected with the on-board power supply and the time synchronization server.