The U.S. Coast Guard’s new polar icebreaker Storis arrived in Auke Bay on Wednesday afternoon. It’s the ship’s first visit to its future home port of Juneau.

The 360-foot ship is designed to operate in the Arctic and expand U.S. presence in the region. It’s a stopgap while the Coast Guard builds a new fleet of icebreakers called Polar Security Cutters.

Coast Guard officials say it will likely be a few more years before the ship is officially homeported in Juneau, bringing an estimated 190 Coast Guard personnel and their families to town.

Alaska’s congressional delegation – particularly Sen. Dan Sullivan – has discussed plans to dock an icebreaker in the capital city for years. Last year, the Coast Guard made the official announcement after Congress passed a spending bi

See Full Page