Film about WWII-era Coast Guard ship Storis screening at state library Aug. 9

The U.S. Coast Guard light icebreaker Storis visits Juneau in October of 2006. (Creative Commons photo by Gillfoto)

This release has been corrected to note the film’s screening date is Aug. 9.

In honor of the upcoming commissioning of the new U.S. Coast Guard Cutter Storis in Juneau, the Alaska State Library, Archives, and Museum will host a free screening at 1 p.m. Saturday, Aug. 9, of the documentary film "STORIS: The Galloping Ghost of the Alaskan Coast" with filmmaker (and Alaska State Library archivist) Damon Stuebner.

From the fjords of Greenland to the fabled Northwest Passage to the stormy waters of the Bering Sea, this 100-minute documentary chronicles the 64-year history of the original USCGC Storis and examines the roles the ship played during World War II, the Cold War, and in Alaskan history. 

Commissioned in 1942 for World War II, the Storis is the only ship of its design and class. It became the first U.S. ship to sail the Northwest Passage, participated in dramatic search and rescue cases, and conducted major fisheries law enforcement operations, earning it the title "the Galloping Ghost of the Alaskan Coast."

Storis also provided relief after the 1964 Earthquake, conducted icebreaking for the construction of the Trans-Alaska Pipeline, and served as a command ship for the cleanup of the Exxon Valdez Oil Spill.

In 1991, Storis became the oldest commissioned cutter in the U.S. Coast Guard, earning it another title, "Queen of the Fleet." 

Storis was decommissioned in 2007 in Kodiak.

An icebreaker purchased by the Coast Guard last year and given the Storis name is scheduled to be commissioned in Juneau in August. The vessel is set to be homeported here when modifications to make it fit for full deployment are complete.