USCGC Storis - National Historic Place

[NargilFenris]

In December the National Park Service listed the retired CGC Storis in the National Register of Historic Places. Here is a brief overview of her history and why she was given this honor. The Storis was laid down on 14 July 1941 in the Toledo, OH and built as a Ice Patrol Tender. Assigned to the Atlantic Ocean she participated in Greenland patrols looking for German weather stations and providing convoy duty. During one convoy the CGC Escanaba was thought to have been attacked by an enemy submarine and the Storis and USS Raritan were sent to search for survivors. Out of a crew of 103 only 2 survivors were found and the body of LT Prause, the single greatest loss of Coast Guardsmen. After the war Storis was assigned to Alaska to serve in the Bearing Sea. During her time there she helped to break ice to aid Alaskan communities and to help deliver supplies needed to build the Alaskan pipe line. She was also present during the Exxon Valdez oil spill working as the command and control vessel. On 01 October 1991 at the age of 49 she assumed the title of "Queen of the Fleet" the oldest commissioned cutter. On 16 November 1992 she became the longest serving cutter in the Bearing Sea. On 08 February 2007 she retired after serving 58 years and 4 months in the Bearing Sea and over 66 years underway.

 

Opps I somehow left out another historic fact. In 1957 the Storis along with the cutters Bramble and Spar (both WW2 era 180' buoy tenders) departed Seattle to find a deep water path along the Northern coast of Canada. This path was a 4,500 nm and took the cutters 64 days to complete. These three cutters became the first ships to circumnavigate the North America continent.

 

For more information about this amazing ship please check out their museum page which is loaded with stories, pictures and videos. http://www.storismuseum.org/index.html

 

Her WW2 configuration:

Length: 230’

Beam: 43’ 2”

Draft: 15’ max

Displacement: 1715 fl

Propulsion: 1 electric motor driven by generators driven by 3 Cooper-Bessemer-type GN-8 8-cylinder diesels; 1,800 SHP; single screw

Top speed: 13.0 knots

Complement: 17 officers, 131 men (1945); 12 officers

Armament: 2-3"/50 (single); 4-20mm/80 (single); 2 depth charge tracks' 4 Yguns; 2 Mousetraps (1945)

 

Line drawing:

 

Storis in her WW2 configuration:

 

Riding through the Bearing Sea:

 

Storis' modern day configuration:

[Wunderwaffen1945]

Nice story bro

[JeeWeeJ]

Thanks for sharing Nargil! +1!

[GalenV]

Be sure to also check out www.TheCutterSTORIS.info for more pics, news, award-winning blog and merchandise.

[anonym_s4TCbLNuhWyC]

They removed the Guns? Noooo D:

[NargilFenris]

After WW2 most Coast Guard cutters had their armament stripped down.

[Krieg]

Need guns to  shoot pirates!  :Smile_izmena:

[NargilFenris]

Krieg, on 09 February 2013 - 11:42 PM, said:

Need guns to  shoot pirates!  :Smile_izmena:

I said stripped down not removed completely. That and we also have our ship mounted machine guns and whatever is sitting in the armory for boardings.

[Windhover118]

Krieg, on 09 February 2013 - 11:42 PM, said:

Need guns to  shoot pirates!  :Smile_izmena:

Honestly, even stripped down, most Coast Gaurd Cutters still have enough firepower to defend themselves from just about anything short of full blown naval vessel.

[NargilFenris]

We have more to fear from our cutters falling apart due to age then we do someone attacking us.

[Windhover118]

NargilFenris, on 10 February 2013 - 01:43 AM, said:

We have more to fear from our cutters falling apart due to age then we do someone attacking us.

Sad but true, the government can afford to spend billions on experimental aircraft but they cant afford to update the Coast Gaurds ageing fleet. Most of the Coast Gaurds cutters are cold war era relics. The Coast Gaurd has a few new cutters but most are from the early 80s, some even date back as far as the 60s.

[NargilFenris]

Windhover118, on 10 February 2013 - 01:59 AM, said:

Sad but true, the government can afford to spend billions on experimental aircraft but they cant afford to update the Coast Guards aging fleet. Most of the Coast Guards cutters are cold war era relics. The Coast Guard has a few knew cutters but most are from the early 80s, some even date back as far as the 60s.

Estimated program cost of National Security Cutters, $5.7 billion. Estimated cost of F-22 program $66.7 billion.