🇺🇸❄️ U.S. Coast Guard Expands Arctic Reach with New Icebreaker USCGC Storis
The U.S. Coast Guard has reached a major milestone in Arctic capability with the maiden voyage of its newest polar icebreaker, USCGC Storis (WAGB 21), which departed from Pascagoula, Mississippi.
This marks the service’s first acquisition of a polar icebreaker in more than 25 years and comes at a critical time for U.S. strategic interests in the Arctic region.
Previously known as Aiviq, the vessel was acquired from Edison Chouest Offshore in December 2024 for $125 million. The contract covered delivery, reactivation, certification, modifications, crew training, and sea trials.
Originally built in 2012 to support Shell’s offshore oil operations in Alaska, Storis is significantly newer than the Coast Guard’s existing polar icebreakers — Healy (1997) and Polar Star (1973). With an ice class rating equivalent to the medium icebreaker Healy, Storis is operated by a hybrid crew combining military personnel and civilian mariners. The ship is commanded by Captain Keith M. Ropella, former commander of the Polar Star.
This deployment is particularly timely, as Russia and China conducted their first joint Arctic patrol north of the Bering Strait last summer. Storis will play a crucial role in expanding U.S. operational presence in the Arctic as the Coast Guard awaits the arrival of its new class of Polar Security Cutters.
The broader Coast Guard strategy envisions a future fleet of 8–9 polar icebreakers, aligning with the president’s initiative to acquire at least 40 ice-capable vessels. Currently, the Coast Guard operates three polar icebreakers, 21 domestic icebreaking tugs, and 16 buoy tenders with icebreaking capability. The first new heavy icebreaker in 50 years is under construction at Bollinger Shipbuilding in Mississippi, with completion expected around 2030.
Storis is scheduled to be formally commissioned in August in Juneau, Alaska, its future homeport. In the interim, it will operate out of Seattle alongside the Coast Guard’s other polar icebreakers until shore infrastructure improvements in Juneau are completed.
This is the second Coast Guard vessel to bear the name Storis. Its predecessor — the legendary “Galloping Ghost of the Alaskan Coast” — served in Arctic icebreaking missions for 64 years before being decommissioned in 2007.
The acquisition of the new Storis was funded under the Don Young Coast Guard Authorization Act of 2022 and the FY2024 appropriations package. It is a key element of the Coast Guard’s Force Design 2028 (FD2028) initiative, announced by Secretary of Homeland Security Kristi Noem, aimed at boosting readiness through targeted improvements in personnel, organization, procurement, and technology.
