The first icebreaker was an ordinary steamboat with a small nozzle in the bow and chopped ice in the harbor of the city of Philadelphia.
Today, state-of-the-art icebreakers, with nuclear reactors installed on them and sophisticated navigation technology, can break ice in difficult permafrost conditions. We will go to the northern latitudes and find out what is the largest icebreaker in the world.
List of the largest icebreakers in the world:
9
Nuclear-powered icebreaker "Arctic"
Photo by: Hanko / CC BY-SA
Let's start with the legendary ship, which was called "Leonid Brezhnev" from 1982 to 1986, and went down in history as the first icebreaker in the history of navigation to reach the North Pole.
The Arctic’s historic northern campaign took place in 1977, having covered 2528 miles in 7 days, the icebreaker reached the geographical point of the North Pole.
In 2008, the Arctic was decommissioned, but icebreakers of this type still plow open spaces of the northern seas. Among them, it is worth noting the "Soviet Union", "Siberia", "Russia".
8
Sevmorput
A lighter carrier with a nuclear installation on board was launched in 1986, and today remains the largest vessel of this type in the world for displacement.
Sevmorput is capable of overcoming 1 meter thick ice, and despite its venerable age, it is still in service. Over its glorious history, the ship has already passed 302 thousand miles, carrying at the same time cargo with a total weight of more than 1.5 million tons.
After major repairs, the nuclear icebreaker returned to the fleet, and is the only merchant ship with a nuclear installation. And the editors of TheBiggest wish the ship and its crew still many years of sailing.
7
"50 years of Victory"
Even before launching, the icebreaker had to go through a series of difficult tests. They laid the ship back in 1989, but due to lack of funds, construction was suspended, and only in 2007 the Russian flag was hoisted above the Victory deck.
This is a modified project of a new generation of Russian ships that can overcome the ice thickness of 2.8 meters.
In addition to its main task, conducting commercial caravans, the icebreaker is also used as a cruise ship, organizing excursions to the North Pole.
Below you can watch a short video where you can watch the icebreaker in action.
6
"Siberia"
Like the Arctic, the Siberia project also has two nuclear powered ships. The first served for the benefit of the Fatherland from 1977 to 1992, the second is planned to be commissioned in 2021, but it was launched on September 22, 2017.
A two-draft ship with deep draft can break the ice of the oceans up to 2.9 meters thick, but with a small one - ice in river beds and shallow bays.
The Siberia project has synthesized the qualitative characteristics of two Russian projects, and is successfully tested in the northern latitudes.
5
"Healy"
Among the most powerful ships of this class, mention should also be made of ships launched from foreign shipyards. These include the US Coast Guard research vessel Healy.
In 2015, this 117-meter-long research ship, for the first time in the history of American shipping, reached the North Pole alone.
There are two helipads on the decks, and 5 research laboratories are conveniently located in the holds.
4
Louis S. St-Laurent
In the foreground is the icebreaker Healy, in the background Louis S. St-Laurent.
Among the large ships that can overcome ice, the Canadian ship is one of the oldest, because it was launched in 1969.
After several upgrades and overhauls, Louis S. St-Laurent serves as part of the Canadian Coast Guard fleet.
Now, with its help, research is being actively carried out in the Arctic. It was with the help of equipment on board the ship off the coast of Greenland at the bottom of the ocean that scientists discovered a chain of 25 volcanoes.
3
"Polarstern"
German shipbuilders have created a unique vessel that can operate at low temperatures, reaching up to -50 ° C.
Scientific and research equipment is installed on board, and the Polashtern itself is capable of moving at a speed of 5 knots amid ice 1.5 meters thick.
He was launched in 1982, and is now used to study the Arctic and Antarctic, as well as in activities for the passage of merchant ships.
2
"Polar Sea"
The floating coast guard giant of the United States rightfully holds the lead of the heaviest icebreaker fleet, and in its capacity is not inferior to Russian counterparts.
But at the moment, the "Polar Sea" is standing at the pier, where the project for its modernization is being implemented. It is planned to equip the vessel with a nuclear installation, which will significantly increase cross-country ability and power.
Its diesel engines and gas turbines gave out power of 72 thousand horsepower. Such technical characteristics allowed the ship to participate in many missions to guide ships and explore the white expanses of the Arctic.
1
"Arctic"
But this ship was named after the legendary Soviet icebreaker, and launched in the summer of 2016.
The new "Arctic", with a hull length of 173.3 meters, is able to work not only in the ocean, but also to go into the estuaries and be operated in bays. A very effective ice breaking vessel on the rivers of Siberia.
The Arctic is capable of breaking ice up to 3 meters thick, but so far the ship is undergoing test tests. Commissioning is planned in 2018, but at the moment it is the most powerful icebreaker in the world.
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Finally
Diesel icebreakers and state-of-the-art nuclear-powered icebreakers have allowed mankind to advance significantly in the study of northern and southern latitudes. In addition, they fulfill an important function of conducting trade caravans in the most difficult navigation conditions of the North.
The thebiggest.ru editorial office asks you to write a comment on this article about what the largest icebreakers you have seen. You may have been to some of them. Share your impressions of what you saw.
Editor's Note: This article has been updated since its initial publication in October 2017.
Article author: Valery Skiba