The largest icebreaker in the world. The largest icebreaker in the world: photos, dimensions. The largest icebreaker in the world: photo, description, purpose

The first icebreaker appeared back in the 18th century, it was a small steamship breaking ice in Philadelphia harbor. A lot of time has passed since then, the wheel was replaced by a turbine, then by a nuclear reactor, and now they are hacking arctic ice. Our TOP includes the 10 largest icebreakers in the world.

1 “Northern Sea Route”, length 260 meters

Strictly speaking, this is an icebreaking transport vessel, the height of a multi-story building. But the Northern Sea Route is capable of traversing ice 1 meter thick, and who can say that it has not earned the title of icebreaker?

2 "Arctic", length 173 meters


Arktika is a nuclear icebreaker launched in 2016, the first in a series of new nuclear icebreakers Russian Federation. The icebreaker can break and move through ice up to 2.9 meters thick.

3 “50 Years of Victory”, length 159.6 meters


The nuclear-powered icebreaker of the Arktika class (sea, as opposed to the Taimyr class, river), is distinguished by its deep landing and impressive power. “50 Years of Victory” is a typical long-term construction project, the construction of which took place from 1989 to 2007. Despite the long start, by now the ship has already completed more than 100 trips to the North Pole.

4 “Taimyr”, length 151.8 meters


Taimyr is a nuclear-powered icebreaker that breaks ice up to 1.77 meters thick at river mouths so that ships can enter them. Features: reduced fit and the ability to work in extremely low temperatures.

5 “Vaigach”, length 151.8 meters


Brother of the Taimyr, built according to the same design, but a little younger. Nuclear equipment on the ship was installed in 1990.

6 “Yamal”, length 150 meters


“Yamal” is the same famous icebreaker on which the beginning of the third millennium was celebrated at the North Pole. In total, the number of flights to the North Pole is approaching 50.

7 “Healy”, length 128 meters


Healy is the largest US icebreaker, on which Americans reached the North Pole for the first time independently in 2015. This vessel is literally crammed with the latest measuring and laboratory instruments, since its main function is research.

8 “Polar Sea”, length 122 meters


Another US icebreaker, an “old man” in the fleet, built in 1977. The home port is Seattle, but it seems that soon this icebreaker will be scrapped, and our Top Ten largest icebreakers will have to be rewritten.

9 "Louis S. St-Laurent", length 120 meters


The Canadian "Louis S. St-Laurent" was built even earlier - in 1969, but in 1993 it underwent a complete modernization. This is Canada's largest icebreaker, which in 1994 became the world's first ship to reach the North Pole from the shores of North America.

10 “Polarstern”, length 118 meters


This is a German vessel designed for research purposes, built in 1982. Its advanced age has forced its creators to think about a replacement, and in 2017, Polarstern-II is expected to take over the Arctic watch watch.

Nuclear icebreakers can stay on the Northern Sea Route for a long time without needing refueling. Currently, the operating fleet includes the nuclear-powered ships "Rossiya", " Soviet Union", "Yamal", "50 Years of Victory", "Taimyr" and "Vaigach", as well as the nuclear-powered lighter-container carrier "Sevmorput". Their operation and maintenance is carried out by Rosatomflot, located in Murmansk.

1. Nuclear icebreaker - a sea vessel with a nuclear power plant, built specifically for use in waters covered with ice all year round. Nuclear icebreakers are much more powerful than diesel ones. In the USSR, they were developed to ensure navigation in the cold waters of the Arctic.

2. For the period 1959–1991. In the Soviet Union, 8 nuclear-powered icebreakers and 1 nuclear-powered lighter-container ship were built.
In Russia, from 1991 to the present, two more nuclear icebreakers were built: Yamal (1993) and 50 Let Pobeda (2007). Construction is currently underway on three more nuclear icebreakers with a displacement of more than 33 thousand tons, ice-breaking capacity of almost three meters. The first of them will be ready by 2017.

3. In total, more than 1,100 people work on Russian nuclear icebreakers, as well as ships based on the Atomflot nuclear fleet.

"Soviet Union" (nuclear-powered icebreaker of the "Arktika" class)

4. Icebreakers of the “Arctic” class are the basis of the Russian nuclear icebreaker fleet: 6 out of 10 nuclear icebreakers belong to this class. The ships have a double hull and can break ice, moving both forward and backward. These ships are designed to operate in cold Arctic waters, making it difficult to operate a nuclear facility in warm seas. This is partly why crossing the tropics to work off the coast of Antarctica is not among their tasks.

The icebreaker's displacement is 21,120 tons, draft is 11.0 m, maximum speed in clear water is 20.8 knots.

5. The design feature of the icebreaker “Soviet Soyuz” is that at any time it can be retrofitted into a battle cruiser. Initially, the ship was used for Arctic tourism. While making a transpolar cruise, it was possible to install meteorological ice stations operating in automatic mode, as well as an American meteorological buoy from its board.

6. Department of GTG (main turbogenerators). A nuclear reactor heats water, which turns into steam, which spins turbines, which energize generators, which produce electricity, which feeds electric motors that turn propellers.

7. CPU (Central control post).

8. The control of the icebreaker is concentrated in two main command posts: the wheelhouse and the central power plant control post (CPC). From the wheelhouse, general management of the icebreaker’s operation is carried out, and from the central control room, the operation of the power plant, mechanisms and systems is controlled and monitored.

9. The reliability of nuclear-powered ships of the Arctic class has been tested and proven by time - for more than 30 years of nuclear-powered ships of this class there has not been a single accident associated with a nuclear power plant.

10. Wardroom for meals for command personnel. The enlisted mess is located one deck below. The diet consists of four full meals a day.

11. "Soviet Union" was put into operation in 1989, with a specified service life of 25 years. In 2008, the Baltic Shipyard supplied equipment for the icebreaker that allows it to extend the life of the vessel. Currently, the icebreaker is planned for restoration, but only after a specific customer has been identified or until transit along the Northern Sea Route is increased and new work areas appear.

Nuclear icebreaker "Arktika"

12. Launched in 1975 and was considered the largest of all existing at that time: its width was 30 meters, length - 148 meters, and side height - more than 17 meters. All conditions were created on the ship to allow the flight crew and helicopter to be based. "Arktika" was capable of breaking through ice, the thickness of which was five meters, and also moving at a speed of 18 knots. The unusual coloring of the vessel (bright red), which personified a new maritime era, was also considered a clear difference.

13. The nuclear icebreaker "Arktika" became famous for being the first ship that managed to reach the North Pole. It is currently decommissioned and a decision on its disposal is awaiting.

"Vaigach"

14. Shallow-draft nuclear icebreaker of the Taimyr project. A distinctive feature of this icebreaker project is its reduced draft, which allows it to serve ships traveling along the Northern Sea Route with calls at the mouths of Siberian rivers.

15. Captain's bridge. Remote control panels for three propulsion electric motors, also on the remote control there are control devices for the towing device, a control panel for a tug surveillance camera, log indicators, echo sounders, a gyrocompass repeater, VHF radio stations, a control panel for windshield wipers, etc., a joystick for controlling a 6 kW xenon spotlight.

16. Machine telegraphs.

17. The main use of “Vaigach” is escorting ships with metal from Norilsk and ships with timber and ore from Igarka to Dikson.

18. The main power plant of the icebreaker consists of two turbogenerators, which will provide a maximum continuous power of about 50,000 hp on the shafts. s., which will make it possible to force ice up to two meters thick. With an ice thickness of 1.77 meters, the icebreaker's speed is 2 knots.

19. Middle propeller shaft room.

20. The direction of movement of the icebreaker is controlled using an electro-hydraulic steering machine.

21. Former cinema hall. Now on the icebreaker in each cabin there is a TV with wiring for broadcasting the ship’s video channel and satellite television. The cinema hall is used for general meetings and cultural events.

22. The office of the block cabin of the second first mate. The duration of stay of nuclear-powered ships at sea depends on the amount of planned work, on average it is 2-3 months. The crew of the icebreaker "Vaigach" consists of 100 people.

Nuclear icebreaker "Taimyr"

24. The icebreaker is identical to the Vaigach. It was built in the late 1980s in Finland at the Wärtsilä shipyard (Wärtsilä Marine Engineering) in Helsinki, commissioned by the Soviet Union. However, the equipment (power plant, etc.) on the ship was Soviet, and Soviet-made steel was used. The installation of nuclear equipment was carried out in Leningrad, where the icebreaker hull was towed in 1988.

25. "Taimyr" in the dock of the ship repair plant.

26. “Taimyr” breaks the ice in a classic way: a powerful hull leans on an obstacle of frozen water, destroying it with its own weight. A channel is formed behind the icebreaker through which ordinary sea vessels can move.

27. To improve ice-breaking ability, the Taimyr is equipped with a pneumatic washing system that prevents the hull from sticking broken ice and snow. If the laying of a channel is slowed down due to thick ice, the trim and roll systems, which consist of tanks and pumps, come into play. Thanks to these systems, the icebreaker can tilt first to one side, then to the other, and raise the bow or stern higher. Such movements of the hull break up the ice field surrounding the icebreaker, allowing it to move on.

28. For painting external structures, decks and bulkheads, imported two-component acrylic-based enamels with increased resistance to weathering, resistant to abrasion and impact loads are used. The paint is applied in three layers: one layer of primer and two layers of enamel.

29. The speed of such an icebreaker is 18.5 knots (33.3 km/h).

30. Repair of the propeller-rudder complex.

31. Installation of the blade.

32. Bolts securing the blade to the propeller hub; each of the four blades is secured with nine bolts.

33. Almost all vessels of the Russian icebreaker fleet are equipped with propellers manufactured at the Zvezdochka plant.

Nuclear icebreaker "Lenin"

34. This icebreaker, launched on December 5, 1957, became the world's first ship equipped with a nuclear power plant. Its most important differences were the high level of autonomy and power. During the first six years of use, the nuclear-powered icebreaker covered more than 82,000 nautical miles, carrying over 400 ships. Later, "Lenin" will be the first of all ships to be north of Severnaya Zemlya.

35. The icebreaker "Lenin" worked for 31 years and in 1990 was taken out of service and placed in permanent berth in Murmansk. Now there is a museum on the icebreaker, and work is underway to expand the exhibition.

36. The compartment in which there were two nuclear installations. Two dosimetrists went inside to measure the radiation level and monitor the operation of the reactor.

There is an opinion that it was thanks to “Lenin” that the expression “peaceful atom” was established. The icebreaker was built at the height of the Cold War, but had absolutely peaceful purposes - the development of the Northern Sea Route and the passage of civilian ships.

37. Wheelhouse.

38. Main staircase.

39. One of the captains of the AL "Lenin", Pavel Akimovich Ponomarev, was previously the captain of the "Ermak" (1928-1932) - the world's first Arctic-class icebreaker.

As a bonus, a couple of photos of Murmansk...

40. Murmansk is the world's largest city located beyond the Arctic Circle. It's on a rocky east coast Kola Bay of the Barents Sea.

41. The basis of the city’s economy is Murmansk sea ​​port- one of the largest ice-free ports in Russia. The Murmansk port is the home port of the Sedov barque, the largest sailing ship in the world.

Original taken from masterok in The largest icebreaker in the world

A nuclear icebreaker is a nuclear-powered vessel that is built specifically for use in waters covered with ice throughout the year. Thanks to the nuclear power plant, they are much more powerful than diesel engines and are easier to conquer frozen bodies of water. Unlike other ships, icebreakers have a clear advantage - they do not need to refuel, which is especially important in ice where there is no way to get fuel.

It is also unusual that of the 10 nuclear icebreakers existing in the world, all were built and then launched on the territory of the USSR and Russia. Their irreplaceability was demonstrated by an operation that took place in 1983. About 50 ships, including several diesel icebreakers, were trapped in the ice in the eastern Arctic. And only with the help of the nuclear-powered icebreaker "Arktika" they were able to free themselves from captivity, delivering the cargo to nearby villages.

The world's largest icebreaker is “50 Years of Victory”. It was laid down at the Baltic Shipyard in Leningrad in 1989, and four years later it was launched. True, construction was not completed, but was frozen due to financial troubles. Only in 2003 was it decided to resume it, and in February 2007, “50 Years of Victory” began undergoing tests in the Gulf of Finland, which lasted a couple of weeks. Then he independently went to his home port - the city of Murmansk. Let's take a closer look at the history of the icebreaker:
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“50 Years of Victory” is the eighth nuclear icebreaker built at the Baltic Shipyard and today it is the largest in the world. The icebreaker is a modernized project of the second series of nuclear-powered icebreakers of the Arktika type. “50 Years of Victory” is a largely experimental project. The vessel uses a spoon-shaped bow, first used during the development of the Canadian experimental icebreaker Canmar Kigoriyak in 1979 and which has convincingly proven its effectiveness during trial operation. The icebreaker is equipped with a new generation digital automatic control system. The complex of biological protection means for the nuclear power plant has been modernized and re-examined in accordance with the requirements of Gostekhnadzor. An environmental compartment has also been created, equipped with the latest equipment for the collection and disposal of all waste products of the ship.
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During the period from 1974 to 1989, a series of second-generation nuclear icebreakers (Project 10520 and modernized Project 10521) were built in the Soviet Union. The lead ship of this series - the nuclear icebreaker "Arktika" of project 10520 - was laid down on July 3, 1971, and was launched on December 26, 1972, and put into operation on April 25, 1975.


On October 4, 1989, in Leningrad, on the slipway of the Baltic Shipyard named after Sergo Ordzhonikidze, the icebreaker of Project 10521, under the original name "Ural", was laid down.


And although in the USSR nuclear-powered ships were fully commissioned in three to four years, the Ural took four years just to launch, due to the then situation in the country’s leadership and in the country as a whole.



It was expected that the ship would enter service in the mid-1990s, but due to a lack of funding, construction of the icebreaker was suspended and the huge ship remained at the berth, only 72% complete.


The Baltic Shipyard was forced to mothball the icebreaker at its own expense in order to maintain the possibility of its completion in the future.


Even renaming the icebreaker did not help to renew funding.

On August 4, 1995, on the eve of the visit of the then President of Russia to St. Petersburg and to the enterprise too, the nuclear-powered ship was renamed “50 Years of Victory”.


Over the many years of useless downtime at the Baltic Shipyard berth, several times it was proposed to cut up and dispose of the ship, but it literally miraculously avoided this.


Some of its units had expired their warranty life, although the ship did not make a single voyage.


At the end of the 1990s, when partial funding for construction began, work on the icebreaker “50 Let Pobeda” was resumed.

On October 31, 2002, government decree No. 1528-r was issued, according to which the completion of the icebreaker “50 Let Pobedy” was planned to be completed in 2003-2005. 2.5 billion rubles were allocated from the state budget to complete the work.


Until 2003, financing for the construction of the icebreaker was carried out on a general basis within the framework of the federal targeted investment program, and since 2003 - in accordance with the order of the Government of the Russian Federation of October 31, 2002 No. 1528-r.


In February 2003, the construction of the icebreaker entered the active phase after:


  • The Baltic Shipyard became part of the shipbuilding assets of the United Industrial Corporation (UPK);


  • a contract was signed between Baltic Shipyard OJSC and the Federal State Unitary Enterprise “Directorate of the State Customer for Maritime Transport Development Programs” for the completion of the vessel;

government funds were allocated.

According to the concluded contract, financing for the completion of the nuclear-powered ship in 2003-2005 was to be carried out from the federal budget. Quality construction work the icebreaker was to be supervised by representatives of the Russian Maritime Register of Shipping and the Murmansk Shipping Company.



On August 13, 2004, at a meeting at the Ministry of Transport of the Russian Federation, it was decided to increase funding for the construction of the icebreaker in the amount of 742.3 million rubles, of which 164 million were planned to be included in the 2005 budget and 578.3 million rubles in the 2006 budget. The need for additional funding was caused by new requirements to ensure nuclear safety in accordance with the requirements of Gosatomnadzor and the implementation of work related to long term ship construction. In particular, funds were needed for the design and manufacture of the latest multi-channel reactor safety systems, as well as for re-examination and revision of equipment and mechanisms.


On September 7, 2004, the icebreaker “50 Let Pobedy” was towed to the dock of the Kronstadt Marine Plant. After which specialists from the Baltic Shipyard, for the first time in the history of domestic shipbuilding, carried out docking work on an icebreaker under construction. Previously, docking of nuclear-powered ships was carried out only after several years of work and only at shipbuilding enterprises located in Murmansk region.


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Taking into account the fact that underwater systems and devices were installed on the icebreaker back in the early 1990s, during the completion of the vessel it was necessary to check their performance. The most time-consuming operation was the revision of the stern tube device, which supports the propeller shaft and is designed to prevent sea water from penetrating into the icebreaker’s hull. To examine it, specialists dismantled the propeller and propeller shaft. Work at the dock lasted 2 months. To successfully carry out this work, the plant independently designed and manufactured special equipment. The proper operation of the stern tube device was a necessary condition for the start of mooring tests on the icebreaker.


The vessel was also inspected: the right line of the propeller shaft, bottom-side fittings, pipeline systems and bottom fitting protectors, electrical navigation devices, anode assemblies and cathodic protection reference electrodes. In addition, the company’s specialists washed the outer lining of the underwater part of the icebreaker, bottom boxes and pipes of the bottom-side fittings at the dock. Dock work was carried out under the supervision of representatives of the Russian Maritime Register of Shipping and the Murmansk Shipping Company.


At the end of October 2004, after completion of docking work, the icebreaker was returned to the Baltic Shipyard.


The hull, superstructure and aft mast of the vessel were completely formed, and the installation of the main mechanical and electrical equipment was completed.


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On November 31, 2004, a fire occurred on board the icebreaker “50 Let Pobedy” moored at the quay wall of the Baltic Shipyard. It started at 08:45 on one of the upper decks where the welders were working. The flames quickly spread across the deck, which was littered with construction materials. A huge smoke screen formed over the icebreaker.

Firefighters who arrived on alert first began to evacuate the workers, some of whom had managed to ingest carbon monoxide. In total, firefighters rescued 52 people from the burning ship. Only after finishing the evacuation did they begin to search for sources of fire. According to preliminary data, he was on the third and fourth decks, where builders stored flammable building materials. total area The fire area was, according to various estimates, from 50 to 100 square meters. m. Nevertheless, the extinguishing was carried out according to the third number of complexity (out of five possible) - about 22 fire crews (112 firefighters) were pulled to the icebreaker. According to firefighters, this was due both to the need for mass evacuation of workers, and to the fact that ship fires are considered one of the most difficult: their extinguishing is always made difficult by heavy smoke, the complex layout of ship premises and the abundance of open holds.


At eleven o'clock in the afternoon, firefighters announced that the spread of the fire had been contained. However, the firefighting continued until the evening - at 18:00 the icebreaker was still watering the premises.


Those involved in the fire extinguishing believed that the cause of the fire was most likely the negligence of workers or a short circuit. The version of arson was not even considered in the foreground: according to the participants in the extinguishing, the Baltic Shipyard has a very strict access control regime and the entry of strangers onto the icebreaker is practically excluded.


The threat of radiation contamination was out of the question, since the installation mounted on the icebreaker had not yet been filled with nuclear fuel.


As the press service of the Baltic Shipyard stated, the consequences of the fire will not affect the delivery date of the vessel to the customer. But it is much more likely that the icebreaker will not be built on time for financial reasons. Such concerns were raised back in October 2004 at a meeting Maritime Council at the government of St. Petersburg, the head of the Federal Agency for Maritime and river transport. According to him, in 2005 the Ministry economic development and Trade of the Russian Federation agreed to finance only 10% of the cost of the work.


Following the results of the meeting held on September 18, 2005 in Vladivostok on the issue of socio-economic development Far East, the head of the Ministry of Transport announced that the nuclear icebreaker “50 Let Pobedy” will be completed by the end of 2006.


During the completion of the icebreaker, specialists from the Baltic Shipyard carried out an operation to load nuclear fuel, thanks to which nuclear-powered ships have an almost unlimited cruising range without refueling.


On October 28, 2006, the state commission signed an act on the readiness of the Baltic Shipyard for the physical launch of nuclear reactors of the icebreaker “50 Let Pobedy”. The reactor plants were developed by FSUE OKBM.


In November 2006, the physical launch of nuclear reactors took place and brought them to the energy level of power, after which comprehensive mooring tests began.


In 2006 and the first quarter of 2007, financing of work on the icebreaker was carried out at the expense of working capital of OJSC Baltic Plant and loans from commercial banks.


On January 17, 2007, the Baltic Shipyard completed comprehensive mooring tests on the nuclear icebreaker “50 Let Pobedy”.


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On January 31, 2007, the St. Petersburg OJSC Baltic Plant, part of the United Industrial Corporation, began state sea trials of the nuclear icebreaker 50 Let Pobedy.


The vessel was removed from the Neva waters, where maneuvering capabilities are limited for such large vessels, with the help of tugs. IN seaport Petersburg, the icebreaker was loaded with fuel, fresh and feed water, after which it entered the Baltic Sea under its own power for the first time.


On open water The icebreaker was tested for speed and maneuverability. They also checked the proper operation of navigation and communication systems, a desalination plant, steering, anti-icing and anchor devices and other equipment that could not be tested offshore.


The tests were carried out under the supervision of a state commission. Its members included representatives of the Federal Agency for Maritime and River Transport, Gostekhnadzor, Russian Maritime Register of Shipping, Federal Medical-Biological Agency, JSC Murmansk Shipping Company, RRC Kurchatov Institute, FSUE OKBM, JSC Central Design Bureau Iceberg and others organizations.


On February 17, 2007, state sea trials were successfully completed. The icebreaker showed high maneuverability and reliability. The State Commission confirmed the strict compliance of the quality of the vessel's systems and mechanisms with domestic standards and international norms.


On March 23, 2007, JSC Baltic Shipyard handed over to the customer the world's largest icebreaker, 50 Let Pobedy. After the official ceremony of signing the acceptance certificate, the state flag of the Russian Federation was raised on the ship in a solemn atmosphere.

With the signing of the acceptance certificate, the ship became part of the Russian nuclear icebreaker fleet, simultaneously becoming state property. The Federal Property Management Agency, in turn, by order of the government of the Russian Federation, transferred the new nuclear-powered ship to the trust management of Murmansk Shipping Company OJSC.


On April 2, 2007, the icebreaker “50 Let Pobedy” left the shipyard in St. Petersburg and entered the Baltic Sea, heading for its permanent home port of Murmansk.


On April 11, 2007, the “50 Years of Victory” successfully completed the passage from St. Petersburg, entered the Kola Bay and entered the roadstead near its home port. The official welcoming ceremony took place on the same day on the territory of FSUE Atomflot in Murmansk.


Representatives of the executive and legislative authorities of the city of Murmansk and the Murmansk region, Federal executive authorities, veterans and employees of the nuclear fleet of the Murmansk Shipping Company gathered to meet the crew and the world's largest icebreaker.


The icebreaker captain reported to CEO Murmansk Shipping Company on the successful completion of the transition and the readiness of the crew to carry out important government tasks along the Northern Sea Route and in the Russian Arctic.


The fact that the construction of the icebreaker “50 Let Pobedy” has been completed, and it has arrived at its home port, indicates that the country has finally realized the role and significance of the Northern Sea Route and the Arctic for the realization of its strategic interests, and is starting to infrastructure restoration.


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The first working voyage on the Northern Sea Route was planned for the end of April 2007.

It is expected that the navigation of transport cargo ships along the Northern Sea Route is the first stage of operation of the nuclear-powered icebreaker “50 Let Pobeda”. At the second stage, the work of the icebreaker will probably be associated with the extraction of hydrocarbons on the Arctic shelf, the nuclear-powered ship will be engaged in servicing production platforms and guiding transport ships with hydrocarbons through the ice.


In addition, “50 Let Pobedy” replaced the nuclear-powered icebreaker “Arktika” - the first icebreaker of this class built. The permitted life of its nuclear power plant ended in 2008. The icebreaker "Arktika" has worked 175 thousand hours - this is the maximum permitted service life, and in this regard, the entry into service of the new nuclear-powered icebreaker was very timely.


At the end of June 2007, the icebreaker “50 Let Pobedy” was in the Barents Sea near the Cape of Hope archipelago New Earth, where he was supposed to take two transport ships under escort and lead them through the ice into the Yenisei Gulf. In fact, this was the first ice test of a newcomer to the Arctic routes. Its crew had to check the operation of the nuclear power plant, equipment and mechanisms in difficult sailing conditions natural conditions. Only after passing this exam could the nuclear-powered icebreaker begin permanent work in Arctic waters.


On July 3, 2007, the nuclear-powered icebreaker “50 Let Pobedy” successfully completed its first piloting of motor ships heading to the port of Dudinka. Accompanied by the world's largest nuclear icebreaker, the ships traveled through the ice from Cape Zhelaniya on Novaya Zemlya to the Yenisei Gulf. Swimming went as usual


On June 25, 2008, the “50 Years of Victory” set off on its first voyage to the North Pole. There were about 100 tourists on board who wished to take part in a two-week excursion tour.


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In March 2008, FSUE Atomflot became part of the State Atomic Energy Corporation Rosatom, on the basis of the Decree of the President of the Russian Federation “On measures to create the State Atomic Energy Corporation Rosatom” (No. 369 of March 20, 2008).


On August 27, 2008, in Murmansk, an act was signed on the completion of measures for the transfer of the icebreaker “50 Let Pobedy” and other vessels with a nuclear power plant, as well as nuclear technical service vessels from the trust management of OJSC “Murmansk Shipping Company” to the economic management of FSUE “Atomflot” " It was on this day that the trust management agreement for the nuclear icebreaker fleet, which was concluded by the government of the Russian Federation with the Murmansk Shipping Company joint-stock company and has been in force since 1998, expired. At this stage, it was considered expedient to transfer federal property into the ownership of the State Atomic Energy Corporation Rosatom, which performs state functions for the development of the nuclear industry in the Russian Federation.


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The icebreaker “50 Let Pobedy” is a modernized project of the second series of nuclear-powered icebreakers of the “Arktika” type. The icebreaker is equipped with a new generation digital automatic control system and a modern set of means to ensure nuclear and radiation safety of a nuclear power plant. The nuclear-powered ship is equipped with an Anti-Terror protection system and an environmental compartment with the latest equipment for collecting and recycling waste generated during the operation of the vessel.


The length of the vessel is 159 meters, width - 30 meters, total displacement - 25 thousand tons, speed - 18 sea knots. The maximum ice thickness that the icebreaker can overcome is 2.8 meters. It is equipped with two nuclear power plants. The ship's crew includes 138 people.



TACTICAL AND TECHNICAL DATA


Type: Nuclear icebreaker

State: Russia

Home port: Murmansk

Class: KM(*) LL1 A

IMO number: 9152959

Call sign: UGYU

Manufacturer: JSC "Baltiysky Zavod"

Length: 159.6 m

Width: 30 m

Height: 17.2 m (side height)

Average draft: 11 m

Power point: 2 nuclear reactors

Screws: 3 fixed pitch propellers with 4 removable blades

Displacement: 25 thousand tons

Power: 75,000 l. With.

Maximum speed in clear water: 21 sea knots

Speed ​​in continuous fast ice 2.7 meters thick: 2 knots

Estimated maximum ice thickness: 2.8 m

Swimming autonomy: 7.5 months (by provisions)

Crew: 138 people. After a series of reductions, reduced to 106 people

Flag: RF

Mailing address: 183038, Murmansk 580, a/l “50 Years of Victory”


Shipowner: FSUE "Atomflot" of the state corporation "Rosatom"


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This nuclear-powered icebreaker is a modernized project of the second series of the Arktika-class icebreaker, which includes 6 of the 10 ships built. The thickness of the ice that the floating craft can overcome is 2.8 m. It has many differences from its predecessor, for example, here it was decided to use a spoon-shaped “nose”, which showed excellent results during testing of the prototype of the Canadian icebreaker Canmar Kigoriyak. In addition, a modernized set of biological protection means for a nuclear power plant, a digital automatic control system of the latest generation are installed here, and there is a special environmental compartment, which is equipped with equipment designed for the collection and disposal of all waste products of the craft.


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Meanwhile, “50 Years of Victory” is not always engaged in rescuing other ships from captivity. In fact it is also execution oriented arctic cruises. So, you can personally go to the North Pole by paying a certain amount for a ticket. Since there are no passenger cabins as such, tourists are accommodated in the cabins of the ship. But on board there is its own restaurant, swimming pool, sauna, and gym.



In the near future, the importance of such icebreakers will only increase. After all, more active development is planned in the future natural resources, which are located under the bottom of the Arctic Ocean.


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Navigation on certain sections of the Northern Sea Route lasts only two to four months. The rest of the time the water is covered with ice, the thickness of which sometimes reaches 3 meters. In order not to waste extra fuel and not risk the crew and the ship once again, helicopters or reconnaissance planes are sent from the icebreakers to find an easier path through the ice holes.


Icebreakers are specially painted dark red so that they are clearly visible in white ice.


The world's largest icebreaker can autonomously navigate the Arctic Ocean for a year, breaking ice up to 3 meters thick with its spoon-shaped bow.


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Nuclear icebreakers are built only in Russia. Only our country has such a long contact with the Arctic Ocean. The famous Northern Sea Route, 5600 km long, runs along northern shores our country. It starts at the Kara Gate and ends at Providence Bay. For example, if you move from St. Petersburg to Vladivostok by this sea route, the distance will be 14,280 km. And if you choose the route through the Suez Canal, then the distance will be more than 23 thousand km.


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Let's take a look at the insides of the Icebreaker.

The first icebreaker in the world appeared in the 18th century. It was not a very large steamship, capable of breaking the ice in Philadelphia harbor. A lot of time has passed since the wheel was replaced by a turbine, and then a powerful nuclear reactor appeared. Today, huge nuclear-powered ships are cracking the Arctic ice with enormous power.

What is an icebreaker?

This is a vessel used in waters covered with a thick layer of ice. are equipped with nuclear power plants, and therefore have more power than diesel engines, making it easier for them to conquer frozen bodies of water. Icebreakers have another clear advantage - they do not need refueling.

Below in the article the largest icebreaker in the world is presented (dimensions, design, features, etc.). Also, after reading the material, you can familiarize yourself with largest airliners world of this type.

General information

It should be noted that all 10 nuclear icebreakers that exist today were built and launched during the times of the USSR and Russia. The indispensability of such airliners is proven by an operation that occurred in 1983. At that time, about fifty ships, including diesel icebreakers, found themselves in the eastern Arctic, trapped in ice. Only thanks to the nuclear power were they able to free themselves from captivity and deliver important cargo to nearby settlements.

Nuclear-powered ships have been built in Russia a long time ago, because only our state has a long-distance connection with the Arctic Ocean - the famous maritime Northern Route, the length of which is 5 thousand 600 kilometers. It starts at and ends at Providence Bay.

There is one interesting point: icebreakers are specially painted dark red so that they are clearly visible in the ice.

Below in the article are presented the largest icebreakers in the world (top 10).

Icebreaker "Arktika"

One of the largest icebreakers, the nuclear-powered icebreaker "Arktika", went down in history as the very first surface ship to reach the North Pole. In 1982-1986 it was called “Leonid Brezhnev”. Its laying took place in Leningrad, at the Baltic Shipyard, in July 1971. More than 400 enterprises and associations, design and research scientific and other organizations took part in its creation.

The icebreaker was launched into the water at the end of 1972. The purpose of the vessel is to pilot ships along the Northern Arctic Ocean.

The length of the nuclear-powered vessel is 148 meters, and the side has a height of approximately 17 meters. Its width is 30 meters. The power of the steam-producing nuclear plant is more than 55 megawatts. The technical characteristics of the vessel made it possible to break through ice 5 meters thick, and its speed in clear water reached 18 knots.

Below are the 10 largest (by length) modern icebreakers in the world:

1. “Sevmorput” is an icebreaking transport vessel. Its length is 260 meters, its height corresponds to the size of a multi-story building. The ship is capable of passing through ice thickness of 1 meter.

2. Arktika is the largest nuclear icebreaker with a length of 173 meters. It was launched in 2016 and represents the first nuclear icebreaker of the Russian Federation. Capable of breaking ice up to 3 meters thick.

3. “50 Let Pobeda” is a nuclear-powered marine icebreaker (the largest in the world) of the Arktika class, distinguished by its impressive power and deep landing. Its length is 159.6 meters.

4. “Taimyr” is a nuclear-powered river icebreaker that breaks ice at river mouths up to 1.7 meters thick. Its length is 151.8 meters. The peculiarity of the vessel is its reduced landing and the ability to operate at low extreme temperatures.

5. “Vaigach” - built according to the same design as “Taimyr” (but it is a little younger). Nuclear equipment was installed on the ship in 1990. Its length is 151.8 m.

6. “Yamal” - famous for the fact that it was on this icebreaker that the meeting at the beginning of the third millennium at the North Pole took place. The total number of trips of the nuclear-powered ship to this point was almost 50. Its length is 150 meters.

7. Healy is the largest US icebreaker. In 2015, Americans were able to travel to the North Pole for the first time. The research vessel is equipped with the latest laboratory and measurement equipment. Its length is 128 meters.

8. PolarSea is one of the oldest icebreakers in the United States, built in 1977. Seattle is the home port. The length of the vessel is 122 meters. Perhaps due to old age it will soon be written off.

9. Louis S. St-Laurent is the largest icebreaker built in Canada (120 meters long) in 1969 and completely modernized in 1993. This is the first ship in the world to reach the North Pole in 1994.

10. Polarstern is a German nuclear-powered ship built in 1982 and intended for scientific research. The oldest ship is 118 meters long. In 2017, Polarstern-II will be built, which will replace its predecessor and will take duty in the Arctic.

The largest icebreaker in the world: photo, description, purpose

“50 Years of Victory” is a largely modernized experimental project of the 2nd series of icebreakers of the “Arktika” type. This vessel uses a spoon-shaped bow shape. It was first used in the development of the experimental Kenmar Kigoriyak (icebreaker, Canada) in 1979 and convincingly proved its effectiveness.

It is the largest and most powerful in the world, equipped with a modern digital automatic control system. It also has a modernized set of means for biological protection of a nuclear power plant. It is also equipped with an environmental compartment, equipped with the latest modern equipment that collects and disposes of waste products of personnel on the ship.

The icebreaker “50 Let Pobedy” is not only engaged in the release of other ships from ice captivity, it is also focused on tourist cruises. Of course, there are no passenger cabins on the ship, so tourists are accommodated in ordinary cabins of the ship. However, the ship is equipped with a restaurant, sauna, swimming pool and gym.

Brief history of the ship

The world's largest icebreaker is “50 Years of Victory”. It was designed in Leningrad, at the Baltic Shipyard, in 1989, and 4 years later it was built and launched for the first time. However, its construction was not completed due to financial troubles. Only in 2003 was its construction resumed, and in February 2007 in Gulf of Finland testing began. Murmansk became his home port.

Despite the slow start, today the ship has more than a hundred trips to the North Pole under its belt.

The most powerful and largest icebreaker “50 Let Pobedy” is the 8th nuclear icebreaker designed and built at the Baltic Shipyard.

"Siberia"

At one time, the Soviet Union had no equal in the construction of nuclear icebreakers. At that time, there were no such ships anywhere in the world, while the USSR had 7 nuclear icebreakers. For example, “Sibir” is a ship that became a direct continuation of nuclear installations of the “Arktika” type.

The vessel was equipped with a satellite communication system responsible for fax, navigation and telephone communication. It also had all the amenities: a relaxation room, a swimming pool, a sauna, a library, a training room and a huge dining room.

The icebreaker "Sibir" went down in history as the first ship to make year-round navigation from Murmansk to Dudinka. It is also the second ship to reach the top of the planet at the North Pole.

In 1977 (the moment the icebreaker was put into operation) it had the largest dimensions: 29.9 meters in width, 147.9 meters in length. At that time it was the largest icebreaker in the world.

The importance of icebreakers

The importance of such vessels will only increase in the near future, because in the future many activities are planned for the active development of natural resources located under the bottom of the great Arctic Ocean.

In some areas, navigation lasts only 2-4 months, because the rest of the time all the water is covered with ice up to 3 meters thick or more. In order not to risk the ship and crew, and also in order to save fuel, planes and helicopters are sent from icebreakers to carry out reconnaissance in search of an easier route.

The world's largest icebreakers have an important feature - they can autonomously navigate the Arctic Ocean throughout the year, breaking through ice up to 3 meters thick with their unusually shaped bows.

Conclusion

The USSR at one time had absolute dominance in the world in terms of the number of such ships. In total, seven nuclear icebreakers were built in those days.

Since 1989, some icebreakers of this type began to be used for tourist excursions taking place for the most part to the North Pole.

IN winter time The thickness of ice in the ocean averages 1.2-2 meters, and in some areas reaches 2.5 meters, but nuclear icebreakers are capable of sailing through such waters at a speed of 20 kilometers per hour (11 knots). In ice-free waters, speeds can reach 45 kilometers per hour (or 25 knots).