The U.S. Coast Guard’s newest commissioned icebreaker, Storis (WAGB 21), arrived in Seattle on Friday following the completion of its 112-day inaugural Arctic patrol.
The Storis departed Pascagoula, Miss., on June 1, transiting the Panama Canal before heading north through the Pacific to conduct its first Arctic mission. Operating under the Coast Guard’s Arctic District, the icebreaker participated in Operation Frontier Sentinel, a joint effort to counter foreign activity and protect U.S. maritime borders and interests in northern waters.
In early September, Storis entered Arctic ice for the first time, relieving the Coast Guard Cutter Healy (WAGB 20) and monitoring Chinese-flagged research vessels Jidi and Xue Long 2. The Coast Guard reported that five China-affiliated vessels operated in the region during the summer, underscoring what officials described as a “zone of strategic global competition.”
The Coast Guard remains the only U.S. surface presence in the Arctic, supporting homeland defense missions alongside U.S. Northern Command and Alaskan Command. Its responsibilities include tracking foreign vessels and ensuring protection of U.S. sovereign interests in the region.
Commissioned Aug. 10 in Juneau, Alaska, Storis is the first new U.S. polar icebreaker in more than 25 years. During its inaugural deployment, the medium polar icebreaker’s crew conducted helicopter and gunnery operations, stood up new shipboard programs, and hosted community events across six port calls. More than 1,500 visitors toured the vessel over the summer.
Now berthed in Seattle alongside the Coast Guard’s other polar icebreakers, Storis will undergo a six-week training and recapitalization period. The schedule includes system checks, crew certification, and a two-week underway phase with planned engagements in Victoria, British Columbia.
“We’re excited to return to family and friends and enjoy some of what Seattle has to offer,” Kerns said. “But we still have a lot of training to do before we take full responsibility of the ship.”
The Storis will remain in Seattle until infrastructure upgrades at its permanent homeport in Juneau are completed.
