She was laid down on 9 June 1942 at Western Pipe and Steel Company shipyards in San Pedro, California, launched on 28 December 1942 and commissioned on 26 February 1944.

[2][3][4][5][6] Her hull was of unprecedented strength and structural integrity, with a relatively short length in proportion to the great power developed, a cut away forefoot, rounded bottom, and fore, aft and side heeling tanks.

[6] Severny Veter, (Russian: Северный Ветер or "North Wind"), was transferred to the Soviet Navy in February 1944 through the Lend-Lease program, serving in the Northern Route Command.

On 15 October 1963 while on the summer Arctic mission, the captain, Commander John Metschl, and a Navy helicopter pilot were lost at sea doing ice reconnaissance.

During the summer of 1966, the engineering plant was upgraded and modifications were made to the flight deck and hangar to allow operation of a HH-52A Seaguard Helicopter.

Staten Island returned from her Antarctic voyage on 6 April 1967 and was then sent into the Arctic Ocean above Alaska for four months during the spring and summer of 1967 during which time she ran aground while traveling west from Prudhoe Bay and sustained minor damage.

Disaster struck when her 26-foot self-bailing motor surf boat capsized while attempting to pass a towline from the fishing vessel Dauntless to the Martindale, resulting in the death of her Deck Division Chief, BMC Elias Welch.

Staten Island arrived in New York on 9 November 1969, and departed for Seattle on 9 December 1969 by way of the Panama Canal with stops in San Juan, Puerto Rico, and Acapulco, Mexico.

Upon her arrival back in Seattle, Staten Island became the fourth United States ship to circumnavigate the North American continent, traveling over 23,000 miles (37,000 km) in the process.

She departed Seattle on 6 July 1970 to conduct scientific tests and evaluation of crude oil spread rate in the Arctic Ocean.

In mid-March 1972, during "Operation Deep Freeze", while en route from Dunedin, New Zealand, to Suva, Fiji, Staten Island was broadsided by a rogue wave and came within 2 degrees of capsizing.

While ascending the ladder to the bridge to relieve the helmsman, Seaman Cotten hailed the Officer of the Deck moments before an 80 ft (24 m) wall of water struck the port beam.

Completing her SUBICEX assignments she sailed south and while leaving the frozen sections of the Bering Sea she took heavy swells over her bow including large chunks of ice that damaged her superstructure.

Her crew completed the Arctic West Summer activities, thereby capping a 30-year ice breaking career in the polar regions of the world.

Staten Island was awarded the Coast Guard Unit Commendation with Operational Distinguishing Device for the periods of 23 September–8 October 1967, 21 September–1 November 1969 and 7 March 1973 – 3 April 1973.

[8] Staten Island also earned two awards of the National Defense Service Medal This article incorporates text from the public domain Dictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships.