USCGC Storis, Coast Guard icebreaker in Benicia, United States.
The USCGC Storis is a Coast Guard icebreaker now permanently moored in Benicia as a historic vessel and museum ship. The ship features a reinforced steel hull and was specifically designed to navigate through pack ice and harsh Arctic conditions.
The vessel started service in 1942 on Greenland patrols, helping protect that region's eastern coast from German forces during World War II. After the war, it was assigned to various Arctic missions before being converted to a medium-duty cutter in 1972 for fisheries enforcement work.
The name Storis comes from Scandinavian languages and means 'great ice,' which referenced its work breaking through frozen waters in the Arctic and northern seas.
Visitors can tour this ship by walking to the marina waterfront in Benicia where it remains docked. Wear comfortable shoes since boarding involves navigating uneven surfaces and narrow passageways typical of vessel interiors.
The vessel held the record as the Coast Guard's oldest commissioned ship until it was decommissioned in 2003. Its operational span of more than six decades makes it an outstanding achievement in naval service history.
The community of curious travelers
AroundUs brings together thousands of curated places, local tips, and hidden gems, enriched daily by 60,000 contributors worldwide.