Storis icebreaker will have 40% fewer crew/family in Juneau than previously stated

Estimate last month of 200 personnel on Coast Guard ship now 120, with about 360 people including families rather than 600; but a second ship may someday be homeported here

The crew of the U.S. Coast Guard’s Storis returns to the icebreaker following a commissioning ceremony in Juneau on Aug. 10, 2025. (Mark Sabbatini / Juneau Independent)

By Mark Sabbatini

Juneau Independent

A crew of about 120 for the U.S. Coast Guard’s Storis icebreaker, far fewer than an estimate of 200 cited as recently as last month, is expected when the ship is homeported in Juneau, according to officials.

A total of about 358 people including family members of crew, rather than previous estimates of 600, are expected to relocate to Juneau with the vessel, according to a recent Coast Guard briefing to city leaders and other officials. However, it’s possible another Arctic security cutter with a crew of 94 could someday be homeported in Alaska’s capital city.

The economic impacts of the Storis for Juneau have been heavily touted for the past couple of years by local leaders and Alaska’s congressional delegation. U.S. Sen. Dan Sullivan, R-Alaska, who’s been at the forefront of highlighting plans to increase the Coast Guard's presence in Alaska, stated during a media conference call last month that the arrival of new ships will be "a boom for our economy."

"The Storis, the average numbers that the Coast Guard thinks, that's going to probably have 200 Coast Guard members on that ship for Juneau," he said. "And, of course, the maintainers on the pier."

Amanda Coyne, a spokesperson for Sullivan, stated in an email Monday to the Juneau Independent that "we do not have exact crew numbers from the Coast Guard" when asked about the most recent estimate of 120 crew.

"They had an initial range of personnel options for staffing STORIS and we were told that they are evaluating based on their recent patrol and lessons learned," she wrote.

Crew size estimates for the Storis have varied since it was officially commissioned in Juneau last August. At that time it had an initial crew of about 60, and the official USGC website for the ship states it has accommodations for 84 permanent crew members. Additional personnel are expected for shoreside support, which is included in the most recent estimate of 120 personnel.

The Storis has spent the past several months in Seattle undergoing upgrades that Coast Guard officials have stated will take at least a few years to complete. The Storis is scheduled to spend warmer months in Alaska and winters being upgraded in the Lower 48 until the work is complete and the vessel — and supporting local infrastructure — is ready for year-round homeporting in Juneau.

A recent overview of the Coast Guard’s plans is provided by Frank Hauser, superintendent of the Juneau School District, in a memo to the Juneau Board of Education ahead of its meeting Tuesday night. The update comes after a "U.S. Coast Guard stakeholder information session" on April 30.

"Based on the information presented, the Storis is expected to bring approximately 120 active-duty personnel and an estimated total population of 358, including dependents (158 children, including non-school-aged)," Hauser wrote. "A potential, future arctic security cutter could add an additional 94 active-duty personnel and a total population of approximately 280, including dependents (124 children, including non-school-aged). The Coast Guard dependent estimate ‘assumes spouse and two children and assumes roughly 2/3rds of active duty crew have spouse and two children.’"

Hauser noted the Coast Guard’s plans are still in the early stages, with environmental review, permitting, design and other work still ahead. However, at this point it appears the homeporting of one or both ships won’t drastically affect the district’s long-term outlook.

"The new cutter(s) would not reverse the historical decline in enrollment in the district," he wrote. "Enrollment is projected to continue to decline yearly at a rate of approximately 1-2%."

The figures for the Storis cited by Hauser were confirmed in an email to the Juneau Independent on Monday from Alexander Ransom, a spokesperson for the Coast Guard’s Arctic District.

"The ‘120/358’ estimate reflects a crewing model that accounts for STORIS crew and shoreside support as well as a standardized family-multiplier (assuming 2/3 of the 120-person crew relocate with a spouse and two children)," Ransom wrote.

In terms of a second possible ship, he stated the Coast Guard "continues to evaluate opportunities for cutter homeporting across Alaska, including Juneau."

City Manager Katie Koester, in a text message to the Juneau Independent, stated the most recent numbers are not a surprise to her since her understanding has been the Storis would result in "closer to 400" total people relocating to Juneau.

"Our thinking has not changed — housing will be the biggest obstacle we need to help our private developers address," she wrote. "We are working with USCG on that and will continue to be open to creative solutions that help."

• Contact Mark Sabbatini at editor@juneauindependent.com or (907) 957-2306.