The United States Coast Guard has officially brought the medium icebreaker USCGC Storis (WAGB-21) into service at its Juneau, Alaska, base, marking the first acquisition of a new polar icebreaker in more than a quarter century.
The ship was commissioned on August 10 as part of the Coast Guard’s effort to expand its polar fleet, a capability critical to ensuring access to the Arctic and Antarctic regions and safeguarding U.S. sovereignty in contested waters.
According to the service, the Storis will operate in both polar and sub-Arctic environments, supporting missions that include securing maritime routes, conducting search and rescue, and enforcing U.S. laws in the nation’s exclusive economic zone.
Originally built as the icebreaking anchor-handling tug supply vessel Aiviq, the ship was designed to support oil exploration and drilling in the Chukchi Sea off Alaska. The vessel has since been acquired and converted for Coast Guard operations, giving it a new role in national security and polar access.
The Coast Guard said the Storis is classified as a medium icebreaker, capable of operating independently in ice-covered waters where other vessels might require escort. Its addition comes amid growing strategic competition in the Arctic, where Russia has expanded its fleet of nuclear-powered icebreakers and China has declared itself a “near-Arctic state” while increasing its research and shipping activity in the region.
The service emphasized that expanding the icebreaker fleet is essential to maintaining a year-round U.S. presence in polar waters.
The name Storis has historical resonance in the service. The original USCGC Storis served for more than six decades, including operations in the Arctic during the Cold War, before being decommissioned in 2007. By adopting the name for its latest icebreaker, the Coast Guard underscores the continuity of its polar mission.
For Alaska, the Storis represents an immediate enhancement to regional maritime security and emergency response. Stationed in Juneau, the vessel will be able to reach both Arctic and North Pacific operating areas without long transit times from the continental United States.