OCTOBER 6, 2025 — The U.S. Coast Guard Cutter Storis (WAGB 21), the service’s newest commissioned icebreaker, arrived in Seattle Friday after completing its 112-day inaugural patrol.
Storis departed Pascagoula, Mississippi, June 1, transited the Panama Canal and the Pacific Ocean enroute to conduct its first Arctic patrol operating north of the Bering Strait to control, secure, and defend the northern U.S. border and maritime approaches.
Storis operated under the Coast Guard Arctic District, supporting Operation Frontier Sentinel to counter foreign malign influences in or near Alaskan and U.S. Arctic waters.
In early September, Storis entered the ice for the first time as a Coast Guard cutter to relieve Coast Guard Cutter Healy (WAGB 20) and monitor the Chinese-flagged research vessels Jidi and Xue Long 2.
The Arctic is a zone of strategic global competition. Five China-affiliated research vessels operated in the Arctic region over the summer and Storis was one of several Coast Guard assets deployed to the U.S. Arctic to control, secure, and defend U.S. territory and sovereign interests. The Coast Guard is the only U.S. surface presence in the Arctic and works in conjunction with U.S. Northern Command and Alaskan Command to constantly monitor foreign vessels operating in and near U.S. waters in support of U.S. homeland defense and security operations.
Prior to its inaugural patrol, the Coast Guard commissioned Storis in Juneau, Alaska, Aug. 10, and the cutter is the Coast Guard’s first polar icebreaker acquired in over 25 years. Throughout the cutter’s inaugural deployment, the crew conducted helicopter operations, gunnery exercises, established numerous operational and administrative programs, and organized multiple community outreach events throughout six port calls, providing tours to over 1,500 people.
“In the span of a few months, this crew has gained proficiency in the basics of operating the ship and we were ready to challenge ourselves,” said Capt. Corey Kerns, commanding officer of the Storis. “Storis is different than most Coast Guard cutters, and this crew is proud and excited to demonstrate its value to the service and the nation.”
As a medium polar icebreaker, Storis expands the U.S. operational forces available to secure maritime dominance in the Arctic and will support Coast Guard missions while the agency pursues acquisition of additional medium and heavy polar icebreakers.
The U.S. Coast Guard is a central pillar of American national security and power projection. As a military service and law enforcement organization, the Coast Guard faces a unique set of operational challenges and opportunities, necessitating a unique posture for rapid response to a variety of evolving missions with a modernized fleet that supports these requirements. The Coast Guard operates the nation’s fleet of icebreakers to assure access to and protect U.S. sovereign interests in the polar regions. As the nation’s third polar icebreaker in active service, Storis provides near-term operational capabilities and supports national security in the Arctic.
Upon returning to Seattle, Storis will enter a six-week training period where the ship and the crew will undergo major training evolutions, system and program recapitalization, and a two-week underway phase with scheduled engagements in Victoria, Canada.
“We’re excited to return to family and friends and enjoy some of the experiences the Seattle area has to offer,” said Kerns. “It will be great to see the waterfront full of red hulls soon too. But we still have a lot of training to do for our USCG crew to be ready to take full responsibility of the ship and will continue to work closely with our civilian shipmates to get us ready.”
Storis is temporarily berthed in Seattle, alongside the service’s other polar icebreakers, until necessary infrastructure improvements are completed in Juneau where the cutter will be permanently homeported.