USCGC Storis ( WMEC - 38 ) USCG " Storis " ( WAGL - 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 . She was also the first American vessel to circumnavigate North America . World War II . 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 Patrol s . 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 . " Storis " is a Scandinavian name taken from the Eskimo word " sirorssuit " meaning " great ice . " On 10 June 1943 , she began escorting convoy GS - 24 from Narsarssuak to St . John ' s , Newfoundland , in company with the ( flag ) , , , and , the convoy consisting of USAT " Fairfax " and . 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 submarine s . 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 . Following 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 and to search for a deep draft channel through the Arctic Ocean and to collect hydrographic information . Upon her return to Greenland waters , " Storis " became the first U . S . registered vessel to circumnavigate the North American continent . 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 . " 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 . " Storis " also had a cameo in the 2006 film " The Guardian " . Decommissioning . " 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 . 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 . 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 . However the auction failed to reach its reserve price when the auction closed on 27 June 2013 . The " Storis " was towed on 25 October 2013 from California to Mexico where the ship was scheduled to be scrapped .