Scene on the Sound: Coast Guard adds first polar icebreaker to its fleet in 25 years

New icebreaker CGC Storis will be the second of that name
Photo by Jan Hansen

By Kathy Murray, Senior Writer, MyCG

The Coast Guard has officially welcomed its first polar icebreaker in more than 25 years – the recently acquired Aiviq, a commercial vessel that will be renamed CGC Storis.

Storis means “great ice” in Scandinavian. The name is also a nod to the original CGC Storis, a legendary light icebreaker and medium endurance cutter commissioned in 1942 that patrolled for submarines and ran convoys during World War II and led the first American transit of the Northwest Passage. 

In 1948, Storis was moved to Alaska where it conducted law enforcement, search and rescue, and humanitarian relief for 59 years until its decommissioning in 2007.

The new CGC Storis has undergone limited changes since its acquisition last month. These included painting the hull red and labeling the ship as WAGB-21. 

The vessel will be permanently homeported in Juneau, Alaska once the shoreside infrastructure is ready. The design and construction work for the homeporting project will take several years.

“The Coast Guard is thrilled to acquire this icebreaker,” said Commandant Adm. Linda Fagan. “Like its namesake, this cutter highlights the Coast Guard’s long history of operating in the Arctic and demonstrates our commitment to assert and protect U.S. sovereignty in the region.”