By Malte Humpert (gCaptain) –
A week after Aiviq arrived at Tampa Ship LLC in Florida a new set of photos shows the vessel fully repainted in U.S. Coast Guard icebreaker red. The transom at the stern of the ship reveals the vessel’s likely new name: Storis.
The name carries historical significance for the Coast Guard. The original USCGC Storis operated as a light icebreaker and medium endurance cutter. At the time of her decommissioning in 2007 Storis had been in service for more than 64 years making her the oldest vessel in the service’s fleet.
During World War 2 the cutter patrolled the Arctic waters around Greenland to interdict the establishment of German weather stations. Storis also escorted supply convoys in the waters around Newfoundland. Following the war the vessel was homeported in Kodiak, Alaska from where she conducted patrols of the Bering Strait and collected early hydrographic data of the Arctic Ocean.
The new Storis will join the USCG’s fleet as a medium icebreaker after a planned 18 months conversion to bolster the U.S.’ presence in the Arctic at a time of increased geopolitical and economic activity in the region.
A joint Russian-Chinese patrol passed in proximity to Alaska for the first time this summer. The vessel will be homeported in Juneau, Alaska and the Coast Guard expects her to be mission-ready in the spring of 2026.
Additional photos show Storis with hull number “21”, continuing the sequence set by existing medium icebreaker Healy with designation WAGB-20. The WAGB hull classification (Coast Guard Arctic Glacier Breaker) is used for the Coast Guard’s Arctic & Great Lakes Icebreakers.
In contrast the upcoming generation of Polar Security Cutters will carry hull designation WMSP, standing for Coast Guard Maritime Security-Polar, possibly to reflect their more security and defense-oriented posture.
The USCG formally acquired Aiviq last week in a $125m deal with Offshore Surface Vessels LLC, part of Edison Chouest Offshore (ECO). The idea to purchase a commercially available icebreaker to temporarily address a gap in U.S. icebreaking capabilities was first floated in 2015. Congress allocated funds for the acquisition earlier this year.
The Coast Guard media relations office did not immediately reply to confirm the new name of the vessel.
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