Aug. 11, 2025 —
Coast Guard Cutter Storis, moored at Coast Guard Base Seattle in Seattle, on July 11, 2025. Storis is the first polar icebreaker acquired in more than 25 years. U.S. Coast Guard photo.
The Coast Guard commissioned Coast Guard Cutter Storis into operational service on Aug. 10 in Juneau, Alaska. Storis was acquired to expand U.S. operational presence in the Arctic and support Coast Guard missions while polar security cutters are in production.
“Storis adds vital capability to the U.S. polar icebreaker fleet at a critical time when our adversaries are expanding their activities in and near U.S. waters and the challenges and threats we face as a nation are growing more complex every day,” said Adm. Kevin Lunday, acting commandant of the Coast Guard, in remarks made at the ceremony.
Storis is the first polar icebreaker acquired by the Coast Guard in over 25 years. Formerly a commercial motor vessel named Aiviq, Storis was acquired on Dec. 20, 2024, and renamed after receiving modifications to its communication and self-defense capabilities as part of its transformation to a Coast Guard cutter. This is the second vessel in Coast Guard history to bear the name Storis. The first Storis, known as the “Galloping Ghost of the Alaskan Coast,” served 64 years conducting icebreaking operations in the Arctic.
Storis will be temporarily berthed in Seattle, Washington, alongside the Coast Guard’s two other polar icebreakers, until necessary infrastructure improvements are completed in Juneau, its future homeport.
For more information: Polar Security Cutter Program page