The U.S. Coast Guard Cutter Storis, the Coast Guard’s newest icebreaker meant for service in the Arctic, was commissioned on Sunday in Juneau.
The Storis is the first polar icebreaker acquired by the service in more than two decades. The vessel will be permanently berthed in downtown Juneau.
Taking part in the event were Sen. Dan Sullivan, Rep. Nick Begich III, Rep. Mike Ezell of Mississippi, Coast Guard Acting Commandant Admiral Kevin Lunday, Deputy Secretary of Homeland Security Troy Edgar, and Storis’ commanding officer Capt. Corey Kerns.
Opening remarks at the ceremony were offered by City and Borough of Juneau Deputy Mayor Greg Smith, who unveiled a placard denoting Juneau as an official U.S. Coast Guard city.
“Juneau has always been a Coast Guard city, and I think with the bringing of the Storis to home port in Juneau, that highlights that even more,” Smith said. “It’s a tremendous honor, a tremendous privilege, but also a tremendous responsibility for us to make sure that we are the best home port city that we can be for the Storis. Thankfully, Juneau’s priorities are the priorities of the Coast Guard; robust infrastructure, affordable housing, available child care, excellent health care and great schools, and we have made a lot of investments in those areas to make sure we provide great services to our community, as well as our Coast Guard families.”
Smith said the CBJ has identified land that could be used for housing for Coast Guard families, and that the city has hired a deputy lands manager that can help build that capacity.
“You have my commitment as we go forward to continue to continue to work on those issues, to make sure that we are the best home port city we can be, for the Storis, for her crew and for her families,” Smith added. “I look forward to working with you all to execute that.”
Acting Commandant Admiral Lunday spoke to how the crew of the Storis would “breathe life” into the vessel as it begins service in Alaska and the Arctic.
“This is an amazing moment, because it doesn’t happen that often, but it’s going to be happening a lot more,” Lunday said. “This is a remarkable ship, built by American ship builders and tradesmen, but it’s not a Coast Guard Cutter because we painted red and put a racing stripe on the side. It only becomes a Coast Guard Cutter when we breathe life into it with the finest young men and women from across our United States that join the Coast Guard with their families to serve their country.”
Representative Begich told the audience that the work of the late Rep. Don Young was integral to making the Storis a reality in Alaska.
“It wouldn’t be without the work of our late congressman, Don Young, that we would be here today,” Begich said. “He was a champion for the Coast Guard, a champion for infrastructure in our nation, and as the former chair of the Transportation and Infrastructure Committee, he always made sure that Alaska was well represented and heard in the United States House.”
After the commissioning ceremony, Begich told News of the North that a commitment to protecting the Arctic from future threats is a keystone of American defense policy.
“At the end of the day, we are an Arctic nation, and we need to make sure that we are reasserting that Arctic presence, that we are showing our adversaries in China, Russia and elsewhere that we are committed to the Arctic,” Begich said. “What we’re seeing with the Storis is the first of many investments that will be made supporting our Coast Guard infrastructure and ensuring that we have the ability to operate within a challenging Arctic environment with new icebreakers that are being rolled out over the next 10 to 15 years.”
Senator Sullivan echoed that sentiment during the ceremony, saying, “With the arrival of the Storis to its new home port in Juneau, we mark not just the commissioning of a vessel, we mark a strategic milestone in America’s Arctic Future. The Storis is more than a ship. Her arrival is a clear and deliberate message that the United States is an Arctic nation. Alaska is an Arctic state, and the United States Coast Guard is a capable, growing and lethal Arctic force.”
After accepting the commissioning of the vessel by Secretary Edgar, Captain Kerns congratulated his crew, and told the audience that the ship’s enlisted and officer ranks were learning the ship as they trained.
“They’re learning the Storis while standing the watch,” Kerns said. “I know it’s been fun, but I recognize it’s not been easy. So, thank you for your perseverance and your dedication and resilience.”
The vessel is manned with a hybrid crew consisting of military and civilian mariners.
