The Coast Guard has officially welcomed its first polar icebreaker in more than 25 years—the recently acquired Aiviq, a commercial vessel that is being renamed CGC Storis, the Guard said Dec. 23.
Storis, which means “great ice” in Scandinavia, is a nod to the original CGC Storis, a legendary light icebreaker and medium endurance cutter commissioned in 1942 that patrolled for submarines and ran convoys during World War II and led the first American transit of the Northwest Passage.
In 1948, Storis was moved to Alaska where she conducted law enforcement, search and rescue, and humanitarian relief for 59 years until being decommissioning in 2007.
The new CGC Storis has undergone some changes since its acquisition last November, including the painting the hull red.
The vessel’s expected to be permanently homeported in Juneau, Alaska once the shoreside infrastructure is ready, but the design and construction work for the homeporting project will take several years, according to the USCG.
“The Coast Guard is thrilled to acquire this icebreaker,” Commandant Adm. Linda Fagan said. “Like its namesake, this cutter highlights the Coast Guard’s long history of operating in the Arctic and demonstrates our commitment to assert and protect U.S. sovereignty in the region.”
The Coast Guard received appropriation for a commercially available polar icebreaker in 2024 to supplement mission readiness and capability in the polar regions while Polar Security Cutters (PSC) are built.
At a time of heightened activity in the area—including the first joint Russian/Chinese patrol passing near Alaska this summer—the Guard only has two operational polar icebreakers.
“Our medium polar icebreaker, CGC Healy, was temporarily sidelined after experiencing an electrical fire in July. Meanwhile, the CGC Polar Star, a heavy polar icebreaker, is nearly 50 years old,” the Guard said in a statement.
The Coast Guard said that it purchased the m/v Aiviq,—a 360-foot U.S.-built polar class 3-equivalent icebreaker—for $125 million from Offshore Surface Vessels LLC on Nov. 20.
The vessel, which was built in 2012, has supported oil exploration in the Chukchi Sea off the coast of Alaska in the Arctic Ocean, and has deployed twice to the Antarctic, the Guard said.
“As a polar class 3-equivalent icebreaker, the future CGC Storis is expected to be capable of operating in waters that are otherwise inaccessible to most Coast Guard cutters,” the USCG stated.
The initial commissioning crew of the future CGC Storis is expected to consist of about 60 officers and enlisted personnel, who are to be assigned this summer.
Buying the Storis isn’t expected to affect the acquisition of the Polar Security Cutters. The Coast Guard said it still needs a mix of eight or nine polar icebreakers to meet its operational requirements.
In a November congressional hearing, Vice Adm. Peter Gautier, the USCG’s Deputy Commandant for Operations, noted the challenges in the region were mounting.
“I acknowledge we have a national security threat now from the increased threat of competitors who are working together in ways we have not seen,” he said, adding that the U.S. would be at risk without these new icebreakers.
The Coast Guard is authorizing the shipbuilder, Bollinger Mississippi Shipbuilding, to build the first 16 modules that will be incorporated in the first PSC, CGC Polar Sentinel, with estimated delivery in 2030.
In the interim, the future Storis is expected to help bridge the gap and provide additional capability in support of national security in the region.
Ailing Man Medevac’d by Coast Guard from Fishing Vessel 8 Miles Offshore of Hawaii
The Coast Guard medevac’d an ailing man from a fishing vessel eight miles northeast of Honokaa, Hawaii on Dec. 23.
Sector Honolulu watchstanders received a notification at 3:22 p.m. from the captain of the fishing vessel HONUA-OE two days before Christmas requesting a medevac for a 51-year-old man who fell into a porthole and sustained an injury to his abdomen.
The vessel was about 20 miles north of Hawi, Hawaii at the time the call was made.
Watchstanders consulted with the duty flight surgeon, who recommended a medevac. At 8 p.m., an MH-65 Dolphin helicopter crew from Coast Guard Air Station Barbers Point rendezvoused with the crew of the HONUA-OE offshore of Honokaa, Hawaii.
The helicopter crew hoisted the ailing man and transported him to the airport in Hilo, where he was transferred to EMS to receive a higher level of care. As of a couple of days following the incident, the patient was reportedly in stable condition, according to the Guard.