“(JUNEAU, Alaska – August 11, 2025) – The U.S. Coast Guard commissioned the cutter USCGC Storis (WAGB-21) in downtown Juneau on Sunday, the service’s first addition to its polar icebreaking fleet in more than 25 years. Acting Commandant Admiral Kevin Lund presided over the ceremony, which the service billed as the commissioning of its “first new icebreaker in 25 years.” The event follows months of transportation and shakedowns since the ship’s acquisition late last year.
What Storis Brings to the Fleet
Formerly a commercial ice-capable vessel Avik, Storis is a 360-foot, polar class 3-equivalent icebreaker adapted for Coast Guard operations. The ship will be homeported in Juneau after shore facilities are completed. **And will be *temporarily berthed* in Seattle along with the service’s other polar cutters. The Coast Guard says the Storis will expand its presence in the Arctic in the near future while it continues to evaluate the upgrades needed for full operational capability.
The cutter is commanded by Captain Keith M. Ropella, former commanding officer of USCGC *Polar Star, and is staffed by a hybrid mix of military cuttermen and civilian sailors—an arrangement designed to accelerate readiness.
- U.S. Coast Guard Cutter Storis (WAGB-21) will arrive at Coast Guard Base Seattle on July 11, 2025, in Puget Sound, Sound on the way. The newly acquired polar icebreaker is ready for Arctic operations, increasing U.S. presence and mission capabilities in the region. (USCG)
Bridge icebreakers for heavy
Coast Guard leaders describe STORIS as a bridging capability while the service builds new heavy icebreakers. On April 30, 2025, the Department of Homeland Security approved full production of the first Polar Security Cutter (PSC) — the first heavy polar icebreaker built in the U.S. in nearly five decades — a major step toward recapitalizing the polar fleet.
The Coast Guard emphasizes that the acquisition* of STORIS is separate from the PSC program and does not alter plans to purchase multiple heavy cutters. The service needs eight to nine polar icebreakers to do this
Why this matters now
The U.S. surface icebreaking fleet has been thinned. The service currently operates one aging heavy icebreaker—**USCGC *Polar Star—and the *medium* icebreaker **USCGC *Healy, which suffered an *electrical fire* last year that reduced Arctic operations and highlighted weaknesses in U.S. polar capabilities. The story adds depth in the near future as the Arctic increases in strategic and commercial importance.
As our analysis shows, [*America’s Icebreakers Are Indispensable: Why the United States Must Rearm for a Melting Arctic — and What Comes Next As the pace of melting ice in the Arctic not only opens up new shipping lanes, but also increases competition for fisheries, marine resources, and military access. The relative lack of United States icebreaking capabilities compared to Russia’s nuclear-powered fleet and China’s growing polar ambitions has been described as a “critical capability gap” with direct implications for national security, economic interests, and alliance credibility.
- USCG cutter during shakedown trials in Pascagoula Top view of Storrs, MS. (Edison Chouest Offshore)
Funding, Industry and Timeline
The commissioning comes amid a broader push to increase U.S. polar capacity. In early July, Washington approved a package that accelerates funding for heavy and medium icebreakers, complementing the PSC milestone and additional initiatives to expand domestic shipbuilding capacity with allied partners.
Voices from the Program
When the Coast Guard first confirmed plans to acquire a commercially available icebreaker for Alaska, Vice Commandant Adm. Kevin Lunde presented the move as a practical accelerator: “Acquiring a commercially available polar icebreaker will allow the Coast Guard to increase our national presence in the Arctic and homeport these cutters. “Demonstrates a steadfast commitment to service to this region in Alaska”
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FAQs: People Also Ask
The U.S. has not added a new polar icebreaker in more than 25 years. As melting Arctic ice opens up new trade routes and global competition increases, Storis helps the U.S. maintain a strong presence in the region.
Currently, the U.S. has very few operational icebreakers, while Russia operates a large nuclear-powered fleet and China is rapidly building its own fleet. Storis is a step ahead, but experts say the U.S. still needs many more to close the gap.
The Coast Guard plans to homeport Storis in Juneau, Alaska. This means faster response to search and rescue, better support for Arctic shipping, and stronger protection of fisheries and local resources that are now attracting global interest.
As Arctic ice melts, new shipping lanes and access to natural resources are emerging. This is a trend around the world – more countries want a piece of the Arctic. America needs icebreakers like Storis to ensure national security, trade, and environmental safety in these rapidly changing waters.
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