By Greg Knight, News of the North and Dorene Lorenz, Seward Public Media

The U.S. Coast Guard cutter Storis, the Coast Guard’s first polar icebreaker acquired in more than 25 years, departed Auke Bay on Saturday for its scheduled transit to downtown Juneau, where it will be permanently berthed.

The vessel expands America’s operational presence in the Arctic and will support Coast Guard missions while the service awaits the delivery of the Polar Security Cutter class of ships. It’s the second vessel in Coast Guard history to bear the name Storis. The vessel is manned with a hybrid crew consisting of military and civilian mariners.

Commander Philip Baxa, aboard the Storis on Saturday, explained to News of the North and Seward Public Media that the vessel was ready from day one to be put into operation for the Coast Guard.

“When we bought her, as is, she was a Coast Guard-worthy ship,” Baxa said. “And I say that because we really did a really good job of our market research. Sailing on board today are some of the folks who actually did some of the major demonstrations of the vessel, put her through her paces as we were doing the negotiation for the purchase. And right from the get go, we were like, hey, this vessel has got some really good capabilities. Likewise, she was a tested vessel. She had gone to Antarctica twice, and broke over six feet of ice at three knots continuously.”

The acquisition of the Storis was made possible through the Don Young Coast Guard Authorization Act of 2022 and fiscal year 2024 Congressional appropriations.

The Storis is commanded by Captain Corey M. Kerns.

The vessel will be commissioned Sunday at the dock nearest Peratrovich Plaza in downtown. The ceremony is scheduled to begin at 9:30 a.m.