Coast Guard Commissions First Addition to Icebreaker Fleet in 25 Years

High-Ranking US Coast Guard officials and visiting congressmen listen in on plan to expand Nome’s Arctic Deep Draft Port

By Jenni Monet | On the eve of commissioning the repurposed Storis, moored in Juneau — what is now the United States’ first new polar icebreaker in a quarter century — senior U.S. Coast Guard officers gathered with local leaders in Nome for a Saturday morning of listening and learning about the city’s plans to build the nation’s first deep draft Arctic port.  The loosely planned meeting at Pioneer Hall was folded into a multi-day trip to Alaska…

Coast Guard commissions first addition to icebreaker fleet in 25 years

The U.S. Coast Guard commissioned its first additional polar icebreaker in 25 years in Juneau on Sunday, Aug. 10, marking what officials called a new era in Arctic activity for the United States. The newly rechristened Storis, formerly the oil field supply ship Aiviq, is the first in a series of icebreakers expected to join the Coast Guard in the coming years. The Storis and subsequent ships,...

Newest U.S. icebreaker visits its future home in Juneau

USCGC Storis (WAGB-21) at the cruise ship docks in downtown Juneau on Aug. 9, 2025. (Photo by Alix Soliman/KTOO) Listen here: https://media.ktoo.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/08/11StorisJuneau.mp3 The U.S. Coast Guard officially added the first icebreaker to its fleet in over 25 years during a ceremony on Sunday in Juneau – its future home port. The ship’s commissioning signals an expanding U.S. military presence in the Arctic Ocean. But the icebr…

U.S. Coast Guard Commissions USCGC Storis, Bolstering Arctic Presence and Advancing Force Design 2028 - Alaska Native News

WASHINGTON — The U.S. Coast Guard officially commissioned the USCGC Storis (WAGB 21) in Juneau, Alaska. The commissioning of this polar icebreaker marks a crucial step in President Trump’s directive to rebuild the Coast Guard, which will include historic investments through the One Big Beautiful Bill Act. This vessel is the Coast Guard’s first polar icebreaker acquired […] The post U.S. Coast Guard Commissions USCGC Storis, Bolstering Arctic Pre…

U.S Coast Guard Recommissions Icebreaker Aiviq As USCGC Storis

The U.S Coast Guard recommissioned the icebreaking offshore tug Aiviq as the USCGC Storis to support the USCGC Polar Star and USCGC Healy.