USCGC Storis (WAGL-38/WAG-38/WAGB-38/WMEC-38) was a light icebreaker and medium endurance cutter which served in the United States Coast Guard for 64 years and 5 months, making her the oldest vessel in commission with the Coast Guard fleet at the time of her decommissioning.
The USCGC Storis (WMEC-38), after decommissioning.
The ship was laid down by the Toledo Shipbuilding Company of Toledo, Ohio, on 14 July 1941. Storis was launched on 4 April 1942 and commissioned on 30 September 1942 as an ice patrol tender. Initially assigned to the North Atlantic during World War II, Storis participated in the Greenland Patrols.[2] She was tasked with patrolling the east coast of Greenland to prevent the establishment of Germanweather stations. During her first years, Storis operated in the very waters from which her name was derived. Originally to be named Eskimo, the U.S. Department of State objected to the name of the new cutter on the basis that the natives of Greenland would be offended by the name.[4] "Storis" is a Scandinavian word meaning "great ice."[1]
On 10 June 1943, she began escorting convoy GS-24 from Narsarssuak to St. John's, Newfoundland, in company with the USCGC Mojave (flag), Tampa, Escanaba, and Algonquin, the convoy consisting of USAT Fairfax and USS Raritan. At 0510 on the 13th, dense black and yellow smoke was reported rising from the Escanaba. She sank at 0513. Storis and Raritan were ordered to investigate and rescue survivors while the rest of the convoy began zigzagging and steering evasive courses to avoid submarines. At 0715 the two cutters returned, having rescued 2 survivors and found the body of Lt. Robert H. Prause, which was on the Raritan. No explosion had been heard by the other escort vessels. The entire crew of 103 of the Escanaba was lost with the exception of these two men.
On 1 July 1957, Storis departed in company with the Coast Guard Cutters Bramble and Spar to search for a deep draft channel through the Arctic Ocean and to collect hydrographic information. Shortly after her return in late 1957, the Storis was reassigned to her new homeport of Kodiak, Alaska.
In 1972, Storis underwent a major renovation converting her from a light icebreaker to a medium endurance cutter. With the change in designation, there also came a change in primary duties. The primary functions of Storis shifted to enforcing laws and treaties of the domestic and foreign fisheries in the Bering Sea and Gulf of Alaska. Storis underwent another major maintenance overhaul in 1986 that replaced her power plant and expanded her living quarters to include a new berthing area for women and a lounge for the crew.
Mediaedit
Storis participated in the rescue of the fishing vessel Alaskan Monarch, off Saint Paul Island, in March 1990. Video of this incident often appears on TV shows such as Deadliest Catch, to illustrate the dangers of working in Bering Sea waters.[5]Storis also had a cameo in the 2006 film The Guardian.
Decommissioningedit
Storis was decommissioned in a ceremony in Kodiak on 8 February 2007. The cutter then sailed to Alameda, California, where it was made ready for its immediate destination as part of the "Mothball Fleet" at Suisun Bay.[6]
In July 2012 the nomination of the Storis for listing on the National Register of Historic Places was accepted by the State of California. It was formally listed on the Register on 31 December 2012.[3]
On 12 June 2013 the Storis was put up for public auction by the General Services Administration with a starting bid of US$60,000 after an unforeseen "procedural difficulty" ended negotiations with the Storis Museum.[7] However the auction failed to reach its reserve price when the auction closed on 27 June 2013.[8] The Storis was towed on 25 October 2013 from California to Mexico where the ship was scheduled to be scrapped.[9]
^ ab"Weekly List of Actions Taken on Properties: January 11, 2013". National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service. Retrieved 18 January 2013.
^"Bering Sea Rescue: The Alaskan Monarch". youtube.com. 26 October 2010. Archived from the original on 12 December 2021. Retrieved 29 September 2012.
^Rayburn, Kelly (19 March 2007). "Historic Coast Guard ship pays final call in Alameda". insidebayarea.com. Retrieved 29 September 2012.
^"STORIS To Be Auctioned By the GSA". TheCutterSTORIS.info. 12 June 2013. Retrieved 14 June 2013.
^"CGC STORIS (WMEC-38) MEDIUM ENDURANCE CUTTER". General Services Administration. 12 June 2013. Retrieved 14 June 2013.
^"Former Coast Guard cutter Storis headed to scrap yard", News, Navy Times website
References cited
"Storis, 1942" (PDF). Cutters, Craft & U.S. Coast Guard-Manned Army & Navy Vessels. U.S. Coast Guard Historian's Office. Retrieved 28 October 2013.
"Former Coast Guard cutter Storis headed to scrap yard". News. Navy Times website. Retrieved 28 October 2013.
Johnson, Robert Irwin (1987). Guardians of the Sea, History of the United States Coast Guard, 1915 to the Present. Naval Institute Press, Annapolis, Maryland. ISBN978-0-87021-720-3.
Scheina, Robert L. (1982). U.S. Coast Guard Cutters & Craft of World War II. Naval Institute Press, Annapolis, Maryland. ISBN978-0-87021-717-3.
External linksedit
Wikimedia Commons has media related to USCGC Storis (WMEC-38).
Coast Guard Alaska News
National Trust for Historic Preservation online article about decommissioning the ship
Storis Museum, Juneau, AK
EN3 Tom Hough website
Historic American Engineering Record (HAER) No. AK-50, "US Coast Guard Cutter STORIS, Womens Bay, Kodiak, Kodiak Island Borough, AK", 41 photos, 13 measured drawings, 41 data pages, 2 photo caption pages
uscgc, storis, wagl, wagb, wmec, light, icebreaker, medium, endurance, cutter, which, served, united, states, coast, guard, years, months, making, oldest, vessel, commission, with, coast, guard, fleet, time, decommissioning, wmec, after, decommissioning, histo. USCGC Storis WAGL 38 WAG 38 WAGB 38 WMEC 38 was a light icebreaker and medium endurance cutter which served in the United States Coast Guard for 64 years and 5 months making her the oldest vessel in commission with the Coast Guard fleet at the time of her decommissioning The USCGC Storis WMEC 38 after decommissioning HistoryUnited StatesNameUSCGC StorisOrdered26 January 1941 1 BuilderToledo Shipbuilding Company Toledo OhioCost 2 072 889 USD hull amp machinery 2 Laid down14 July 1941Launched4 April 1942Commissioned30 September 1942Decommissioned12 February 2007 1 MottoALASXAM ILAQAAN MAYAAQISNIIKACHXIIZAX Great Hunter of Alaskan Waters Nickname s The Galloping Ghost of the Alaskan Coast Queen of the Fleet before decommissioning FateScrappedGeneral characteristicsDisplacement2 030 long tons 2 060 t Length230 ft 70 m Beam43 ft 2 in 13 16 m Draft15 ft 4 6 m PropulsionDiesel electricSpeed14 kn 26 km h 16 mph Range22 000 mi 35 000 km Complement12 officers 72 enlisted 2006 Sensors and processing systemsSPS 64 I band navigation search radarArmament1 25mm Mk 38 MOD 0 gun 2 50 cal M2 Browning machine gunsUSCGC STORIS cutter U S National Register of Historic PlacesNRHP reference No 12001110 3 Added to NRHPDecember 31 2012 Contents 1 World War II 2 Post World War II career 3 Media 4 Decommissioning 5 Awards 6 See also 7 Notes 8 External linksWorld War II editThe ship was laid down by the Toledo Shipbuilding Company of Toledo Ohio on 14 July 1941 Storis was launched on 4 April 1942 and commissioned on 30 September 1942 as an ice patrol tender Initially assigned to the North Atlantic during World War II Storis participated in the Greenland Patrols 2 She was tasked with patrolling the east coast of Greenland to prevent the establishment of German weather stations During her first years Storis operated in the very waters from which her name was derived Originally to be named Eskimo the U S Department of State objected to the name of the new cutter on the basis that the natives of Greenland would be offended by the name 4 Storis is a Scandinavian word meaning great ice 1 On 10 June 1943 she began escorting convoy GS 24 from Narsarssuak to St John s Newfoundland in company with the USCGC Mojave flag Tampa Escanaba and Algonquin the convoy consisting of USAT Fairfax and USS Raritan At 0510 on the 13th dense black and yellow smoke was reported rising from the Escanaba She sank at 0513 Storis and Raritan were ordered to investigate and rescue survivors while the rest of the convoy began zigzagging and steering evasive courses to avoid submarines At 0715 the two cutters returned having rescued 2 survivors and found the body of Lt Robert H Prause which was on the Raritan No explosion had been heard by the other escort vessels The entire crew of 103 of the Escanaba was lost with the exception of these two men Post World War II career editFollowing the war the homeport of Storis was changed from Boston to Curtis Bay Maryland On 15 September 1948 Storis was reassigned to Juneau Alaska where she participated in the Bering Sea Patrol which entailed delivering medical dental and judicial services to isolated native villages in the far reaches of the territory At the same time Storis assisted in establishing Alaskan LORAN radio navigation stations provided supplies for the Distant Early Warning Line and conducted hydrographic surveys in the uncharted waters off the Arctic On 1 July 1957 Storis departed in company with the Coast Guard Cutters Bramble and Spar to search for a deep draft channel through the Arctic Ocean and to collect hydrographic information Shortly after her return in late 1957 the Storis was reassigned to her new homeport of Kodiak Alaska In 1972 Storis underwent a major renovation converting her from a light icebreaker to a medium endurance cutter With the change in designation there also came a change in primary duties The primary functions of Storis shifted to enforcing laws and treaties of the domestic and foreign fisheries in the Bering Sea and Gulf of Alaska Storis underwent another major maintenance overhaul in 1986 that replaced her power plant and expanded her living quarters to include a new berthing area for women and a lounge for the crew Media editStoris participated in the rescue of the fishing vessel Alaskan Monarch off Saint Paul Island in March 1990 Video of this incident often appears on TV shows such as Deadliest Catch to illustrate the dangers of working in Bering Sea waters 5 Storis also had a cameo in the 2006 film The Guardian Decommissioning editStoris was decommissioned in a ceremony in Kodiak on 8 February 2007 The cutter then sailed to Alameda California where it was made ready for its immediate destination as part of the Mothball Fleet at Suisun Bay 6 In July 2012 the nomination of the Storis for listing on the National Register of Historic Places was accepted by the State of California It was formally listed on the Register on 31 December 2012 3 On 12 June 2013 the Storis was put up for public auction by the General Services Administration with a starting bid of US 60 000 after an unforeseen procedural difficulty ended negotiations with the Storis Museum 7 However the auction failed to reach its reserve price when the auction closed on 27 June 2013 8 The Storis was towed on 25 October 2013 from California to Mexico where the ship was scheduled to be scrapped 9 Awards editCoast Guard Presidential Unit Citation with Hurricane Device Secretary of Transportation Outstanding Unit Award Coast Guard Unit Commendation 8 awards Coast Guard Meritorious Unit Commendation 7 awards Coast Guard E Ribbon 11 awards Coast Guard Bicentennial Unit Commendation American Campaign Medal European African Middle Eastern Campaign Medal with one battle star World War II Victory Medal National Defense Service Medal with three service stars Coast Guard Arctic Service Medal 8 awards Global War on Terrorism Service Medal Humanitarian Service Medal Special Operations Service RibbonSee also editVictor MatureNotes editCitations a b c Storis 1942 Cutters Craft amp U S Coast Guard Manned Army amp Navy Vessels U S Coast Guard Historian s Office a b Scheina p 91 a b Weekly List of Actions Taken on Properties January 11 2013 National Register of Historic Places National Park Service Retrieved 18 January 2013 Johnson p 214 Bering Sea Rescue The Alaskan Monarch youtube com 26 October 2010 Archived from the original on 12 December 2021 Retrieved 29 September 2012 Rayburn Kelly 19 March 2007 Historic Coast Guard ship pays final call in Alameda insidebayarea com Retrieved 29 September 2012 STORIS To Be Auctioned By the GSA TheCutterSTORIS info 12 June 2013 Retrieved 14 June 2013 CGC STORIS WMEC 38 MEDIUM ENDURANCE CUTTER General Services Administration 12 June 2013 Retrieved 14 June 2013 Former Coast Guard cutter Storis headed to scrap yard News Navy Times website References cited Storis 1942 PDF Cutters Craft amp U S Coast Guard Manned Army amp Navy Vessels U S Coast Guard Historian s Office Retrieved 28 October 2013 Former Coast Guard cutter Storis headed to scrap yard News Navy Times website Retrieved 28 October 2013 Johnson Robert Irwin 1987 Guardians of the Sea History of the United States Coast Guard 1915 to the Present Naval Institute Press Annapolis Maryland ISBN 978 0 87021 720 3 Scheina Robert L 1982 U S Coast Guard Cutters amp Craft of World War II Naval Institute Press Annapolis Maryland ISBN 978 0 87021 717 3 External links edit nbsp Wikimedia Commons has media related to USCGC Storis WMEC 38 Coast Guard Alaska News National Trust for Historic Preservation online article about decommissioning the ship Storis Museum Juneau AK EN3 Tom Hough website Historic American Engineering Record HAER No AK 50 US Coast Guard Cutter STORIS Womens Bay Kodiak Kodiak Island Borough AK 41 photos 13 measured drawings 41 data pages 2 photo caption pagesPreceded byUSCGC Fir WLM 212 United States Coast Guard Queen of the Fleet1991 2007 Succeeded byUSCGC Acushnet WMEC 167 Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title USCGC Storis amp oldid 1153139792, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,
