The first icebreaker, dating back to the 18th century, was a small steamship that carried out icebreaking operations in Philadelphia Harbor. More than a century has passed since its appearance, and during this time there have been global changes in the design: first, the wheel was replaced by a turbine, then by a nuclear reactor, and now today ships of impressive size are engaged in chopping ice in the Arctic. Today, Russia and America can be proud of their large fleet, consisting of nuclear and diesel powerful ships that are designed to perform icebreaking operations, but where and when the largest icebreaker in the world was created is still unknown to some. This will be discussed in our article.
The construction of a nuclear-powered lighter-container carrier was carried out at the large shipbuilding enterprise Zaliv in the period from 1982 to 1988. The nuclear-powered icebreaker "Sevmorput" is an icebreaking transport vessel that used a nuclear power plant. The lighter carrier was put into use in December 1988.
After the flag was raised and work began, the total distance of the lighter carrier was 302,000 miles. Over the entire period of operation of the icebreaker, over 1.5 million tons of various cargo were transported. The need to recharge the nuclear reactor was only required once.
The main purpose of the vessel, the height of a multi-storey building and 260.1 m long, is to transport cargo to remote areas of the North, but it is also capable of moving in ice 1 meter thick. And who after this will say that the ship “Sevmorput” does not deserve to bear the title of icebreaker?
"Arctic"
The nuclear icebreaker was named after its legendary predecessor, which was launched in 1972 and operated for more than 30 years. The 173.3 meter long vessel can operate in bays and estuaries, as well as ocean ice. The nuclear icebreaker Arktika was launched without a superstructure section in June 2016. According to the technology, the superstructure, weighing about 2,400 tons, must be installed after the ship is launched.
The Project 22220 icebreaker Arktika could pass through ice 2.9 thick. Thanks to the modern automatic control system equipped with the new vessel, it was possible to reduce the crew size by half.
The icebreaker is planned to be put into operation in 2018-2019 and after this happens it will break all records in terms of the power of power plants, the dimensions and height of the ice through which it will pass.
"50 years of Victory"
The main difference between the 159.6-meter long nuclear icebreaker “50 Let Pobedy” is its deep landing and impressive power. Construction of the ship was carried out from 1989 to 2007. Since its launch and start of use, the ship “50 Let Pobedy” has been sent on expeditions to the North Pole more than 100 times.
"Taimyr"
The 151.8-meter-long nuclear icebreaker at river mouths is capable of breaking up ice 1.77 meters thick, thus clearing the way for other ships. The main features of the Taimyr icebreaker include a reduced landing position and the ability to carry out icebreaking operations in areas with extremely low temperatures.
"Vaigach"
The shallow-landing nuclear icebreaker is the second ship in the Project 10580 series, which was built in Finland by order of the USSR. The main purpose of the 151.8-meter-long icebreaker is to serve ships heading along the Northern Sea Corridor to the mouths of rivers in Siberia. The ship was named after a hydrographic ship of the early 20th century performing icebreaking operations.
The icebreaker "Vaigach" escorts ships loaded with metal from Norilsk, and with timber and ore from Igarka. Thanks to the nuclear turboelectric installation, Vaygach can pass through ice up to two meters thick. In ice 1.77 meters thick, the ship moves at a speed of 2 knots. Icebreaking operations are carried out at temperatures down to -50 degrees.
"Yamal"
Construction of the 150-meter-long icebreaker was completed in 1986, and it was launched 3 years later. Initially, the ship was called “October Revolution”, and in 1992 it was renamed “Yamal”.
In 2000, Yamal went to the North Pole to celebrate the third millennium. In total, the icebreaker made 46 expeditions to the North Pole. Yamal became the seventh ship that managed to reach the North Pole. One of the advantages of the Yamal icebreaker is the ability to move forward and backward.
"Healy"
On an icebreaker 128 meters long, which is the largest in America, Americans for the first time independently managed to reach the North Pole. This event happened in 2015. The research vessel is equipped with the latest measuring and laboratory equipment.
Polar Sea
Construction of the 122-meter-long icebreaker was completed in 1976; the ship is still in working order, although it was not in service between 2007 and 2012. Diesel engines and gas turbine units together produce a power of 78 thousand horsepower. In terms of power characteristics, it is practically in no way inferior to the icebreaker Arktika. The speed of the icebreaker “Polar Sea” in ice 2 meters thick is 3 knots.
"Louis S. St. Laurent"
Construction of the Canadian icebreaker, 120 meters long, was completed in 1969. In 1993, the vessel was completely modernized. "Louis S. St-Laurent" is the first ship in the world to reach the North Pole (the expedition ended in 1994).
"Polarstern"
The 118-meter-long German vessel, designed for scientific and research work, can be operated at temperatures down to -50 degrees. In ice up to 1.5 meters thick, the icebreaker Polarstern moves at a speed of 5 knots. The ship mainly travels in the directions of the Arctic and Antarctic in order to study these areas.
In 2017, the new icebreaker Polarstern-II is expected to appear, which will be assigned to watch duty in the Arctic.
Now let's start with the story...
The nuclear icebreaker Arktika went down in history as the first surface ship to reach the North Pole. The nuclear-powered icebreaker "Arktika" (from 1982 to 1986 was named "Leonid Brezhnev") is the lead ship of the Project 10520 series. The keel of the vessel took place on July 3, 1971 at the Baltic Shipyard in Leningrad. More than 400 associations and enterprises, research and development organizations took part in the creation of the icebreaker, including the Experimental Mechanical Engineering Design Bureau named after. I. I. Afrikantov and Research Institute of Atomic Energy named after. Kurchatova.
The icebreaker was launched in December 1972, and in April 1975 the ship was put into operation.
The nuclear-powered icebreaker "Arktika" was intended for escorting ships in the Arctic Ocean to carry out various types icebreaking operations. The length of the vessel was 148 meters, width - 30 meters, side height - about 17 meters. The power of the nuclear steam generating plant exceeded 55 megawatts. Thanks to its technical characteristics, the nuclear-powered icebreaker could break through ice 5 meters thick and reach speeds of up to 18 knots in clear water.
The icebreaker Arktika's first voyage to the North Pole took place in 1977. It was a large-scale experimental project in which scientists had to not only achieve geographical point North Pole, but also to conduct a series of studies and observations, as well as test the capabilities of the “Arctic” and the stability of the vessel in constant collision with ice. More than 200 people took part in the expedition.
On August 9, 1977, the nuclear-powered ship left the port of Murmansk, heading for the archipelago New Earth. In the Laptev Sea, the icebreaker turned north.
And so on August 17, 1977, at 4 o’clock in the morning Moscow time, the nuclear icebreaker, having overcome the thick ice cover of the Central Polar Basin, for the first time in the world reached the geographical point of the North Pole in active navigation. In 7 days 8 hours, the nuclear-powered ship covered 2,528 miles. The age-old dream of sailors and polar explorers of many generations has come true. The crew and expedition members celebrated this event with a solemn raising ceremony State flag USSR on a ten-meter steel mast installed on ice. During the 15 hours that the nuclear-powered icebreaker spent on the top of the Earth, scientists carried out a complex of research and observations. Before leaving the pole, the sailors lowered into the waters of the Arctic Ocean a commemorative metal plate with the image of the State Emblem of the USSR and the inscription “USSR. 60 years of October, a/l “Arktika”, latitude 90°-N, 1977.”
This icebreaker has high sides, four decks and two platforms, a forecastle and a five-tier superstructure, and is propelled by three four-blade fixed-pitch propellers. The nuclear steam production plant is located in a special compartment in the middle part of the icebreaker. The icebreaker's hull is made of high-strength alloy steel. In places exposed to the greatest ice loads, the hull is reinforced with an ice belt. The icebreaker has trim and roll systems. Towing operations are provided by a stern electric towing winch. To conduct ice reconnaissance, a helicopter is based on the icebreaker. Monitoring and management of the technical means of the power plant is carried out automatically, without constant watch in engine rooms, rooms of propulsion electric motors, power plants and at switchboards.
Operation control and control of the power plant are carried out from the central control station; additional control of the propulsion electric motors is located in the wheelhouse and aft station. The pilothouse is the ship's control center. On the nuclear-powered ship it is located on the top floor of the superstructure, from where a greater view opens. The pilothouse is stretched across the vessel - 25 meters from side to side, its width is about 5 meters. Large rectangular portholes are located almost entirely on the front and side walls. Inside the cabin there is only the most necessary things. Near the sides and in the middle there are three identical consoles, on which there are control knobs for the movement of the vessel, indicators for the operation of the icebreaker’s three propellers and the position of the rudder, direction indicators and other sensors, as well as buttons for filling and draining ballast tanks and a huge typhon button for sounding. Near the left side control panel there is a chart table, near the central one there is a steering wheel, and at the starboard side control panel there is a hydrological table; All-round radar stands are installed near the navigation and hydrological tables.
At the beginning of June 1975, the nuclear-powered icebreaker guided the diesel-electric icebreaker Admiral Makarov along the Northern Sea Route to the east. In October 1976, the icebreaker Ermak with the dry cargo ship Kapitan Myshevsky, as well as the icebreaker Leningrad with the transport Chelyuskin, were rescued from ice captivity. The captain of the Arctic called those days the “finest hour” of the new nuclear-powered ship.
Arktika was decommissioned in 2008.
On July 31, 2012, the nuclear icebreaker Arktika, the first ship to reach the North Pole, was excluded from the Register of Ships.
According to information announced by representatives of the Federal State Unitary Enterprise Rosatomflot to the press, the total cost of dismantling the Arktika a/l is estimated at 1.3-2 billion rubles, with funds allocated under the federal target program. Recently, there was a broad campaign to convince management of the refusal to dismantle and the possibility of modernizing this icebreaker.
Now let’s come closer to the topic of our post.
In November 2013, at the same Baltic Shipyard in St. Petersburg, the laying ceremony of the lead nuclear icebreaker of Project 22220 took place. In honor of its predecessor, the nuclear-powered icebreaker was named “Arktika”. The universal double-draft nuclear icebreaker LK-60Ya will become the largest and most powerful in the world.
According to the project, the length of the vessel will be more than 173 meters, width - 34 meters, draft at the design waterline - 10.5 meters, displacement - 33.54 thousand tons. It will be the largest and most powerful (60 MW) nuclear icebreaker in the world. The nuclear-powered ship will be equipped with a two-reactor power plant with the main source of steam from the RITM-200 reactor plant with a capacity of 175 MW.
On June 16, the Baltic Shipyard launched the lead nuclear icebreaker “Arktika” of Project 22220,” the company said in a statement, as quoted by RIA Novosti.
Thus, the designers passed one of the most important stages in the construction of the ship. "Arktika" will become the lead ship of Project 22220 and will give rise to a group of nuclear icebreakers necessary for the development of the Arctic and strengthening Russia's presence in this region.
First, the rector of the St. Nicholas Naval Cathedral baptized the nuclear icebreaker. Then Speaker of the Federation Council Valentina Matvienko, following the traditions of shipbuilders, broke a bottle of champagne on the hull of the nuclear-powered ship.
“It is difficult to overestimate what has been done by our scientists, designers, and shipbuilders. There is a feeling of pride in our country, the people who created such a ship,” Matvienko said. She recalled that Russia is the only country that has its own nuclear icebreaker fleet, which will allow it to actively implement projects in the Arctic.
“We are reaching a qualitatively new level of development of this rich region,” she emphasized.
“Seven feet under your keel, great “Arktika”!” - added the speaker of the Federation Council.
In turn, Presidential Plenipotentiary Envoy for the Northwestern Federal District Vladimir Bulavin noted that Russia is building new ships, despite the difficult economic situation.
“If you like, this is our response to the challenges and threats of our time,” Bulavin said.
General Director of the Rosatom state corporation Sergei Kiriyenko, in turn, called the launch of the new icebreaker a great victory for both the designers and the staff of the Baltic Shipyard. According to Kiriyenko, the Arctic opens up “fundamentally new opportunities both in ensuring the defense capability of our country and in solving economic problems.”
Project 22220 vessels will be able to conduct convoys of ships in Arctic conditions, breaking through ice up to three meters thick. The new ships will provide escort for vessels transporting hydrocarbons from the fields of the Yamal and Gydan Peninsulas, the Kara Sea shelf to the markets of the countries of the Asia-Pacific region. The double-draft design allows the vessel to be used both in Arctic waters and at the mouths of polar rivers.
Under a contract with FSUE Atomflot, the Baltic Shipyard will build three nuclear icebreakers of Project 22220. On May 26 last year, the first production icebreaker of this project, Siberia, was laid down. Construction of the second nuclear-powered submarine "Ural" is planned to begin this fall.
The contract for the construction of the lead nuclear icebreaker of Project 22220 between FSUE Atomflot and BZS was signed in August 2012. Its cost is 37 billion rubles. The contract for the construction of two serial nuclear icebreakers of Project 22220 was concluded between BZS and the state corporation Rosatom in May 2014, the cost of the contract was 84.4 billion rubles.
sources
June 16, 2016, Baltic Shipyard launched the lead nuclear icebreaker "Arktika" of project 22220. In the presence of several thousand spectators, the godmother of the icebreaker, Chairman of the Federation Council Valentina Matvienko, broke a traditional bottle of champagne on the side of the icebreaker,
sending the largest and most powerful nuclear icebreaker in the world from the slipway, the press service of the United Shipbuilding Corporation (USC) reports.
« Today is a special day for the Russian nuclear industry. The world's largest and most powerful nuclear icebreaker "Arktika" left the slipway of the Baltic Shipyard. A harsh region requires harsh technology. I am sure that the icebreaker Arktika will give a new impetus to the development of the Arctic latitudes. I am very glad that young shipbuilders are entering the industry and continuing everything that has been accumulated by other generations of shipbuilders. Thanks to the shipbuilders of this creation. You look at it, and you are filled with such pride for the country and the people who are building it. Thank you for preserving the St. Petersburg shipbuilding school. Our country is proud of the result of such work! Seven feet under your keel, great "Arctic", - wished Valentina Matvienko.
The Kirov Plant shipped a turbine for the icebreaker "Arktika" to the Baltic Shipyard >>
The day of the launching of the nuclear icebreaker symbolically coincided with the start of the Economic Forum in St. Petersburg.
The General Director of Rosatom, the customer of Project 22220 nuclear icebreakers, Sergei Kiriyenko, in his welcoming speech noted: “ Today's event is a huge victory in every sense! A lot of work has been done, and today there are no analogues to such an icebreaker as the Arktika in the world. Thanks to the team of the Baltic Shipyard, everything was done according to schedule, and by the end of 2017 the Arktika will go into operation. This icebreaker is the most modern in its characteristics; it implements all the technical capabilities that have never been used on other ships before. The icebreaker "Arktika" is truly new opportunities for our country!»
After the command from the chief builder of the lead nuclear-powered ship, Vadim Golovanov, to begin launching, the delay was cut, holding back more than 14,000 tons of the weight of the ship’s hull, and the Arktika smoothly descended into the waters of the Neva River.
Ahead of the shipbuilders« Baltic Shipyard-Shipbuilding» completion of the lead nuclear-powered vessel on the water, contract delivery date is December 2017*.
* The construction of the lead nuclear icebreaker LK-60Ya "Arktika" required the intervention of Vladimir Putin - only he was able to decide to shift the project from 2017 to 2019. Serial "Sibir" and "Ural" will be delivered in 2021 and 2022. Failure to meet deadlines, one of the key reasons for which was Russia’s conflict with Russia, could turn into a scandal: the president has already ordered “personnel, organizational and management decisions” to be made, the Accounts Chamber, the Prosecutor General’s Office and the FSB will begin inspections. Both the customer Rosatom and the contractors, in particular USC, can answer. But you shouldn’t expect high-profile layoffs, because the project was launched back when Rosatom was headed by the first deputy head of the presidential administration, Sergei Kiriyenko.
In May 2017, Vladimir Putin instructed to postpone the delivery date of the lead nuclear icebreaker LK-60Ya Arktika from 2017 to 2019. In addition, the president demanded that personnel, organizational and management decisions be made in connection with the failure of the government contract. In parallel, the Accounts Chamber, the Prosecutor General's Office and the FSB must conduct an audit of the project.
The world's second largest nuclear icebreaker left the slipway of the Baltic Shipyard >>
FSUE Atomflot (owns nuclear icebreakers, controlled by Rosatom) and Baltic Shipyard (BZS, part of USC) agreed on the construction of the Arctic in 2012; money for the icebreaker - 37 billion rubles - was allocated by the budget. In 2014, a contract was signed for 2 more icebreakers of the series - Sibir and Ural - for 84.4 billion rubles. "Arktika" was supposed to be commissioned at the end of 2017, "Siberia" - at the end of 2019, "Ural" - at the end of 2020.
Turbines became the key problem of the Arctic. They were supposed to be supplied by the Ukrainian Kharkov Turbine Plant, but after 2014 the supplier had to be replaced by KEM (inaccuracy - in fact, KhTZ was not supposed to supply turbines; when in 2013 KEM won the tender for the production of turbine units, it was planned that they would be manufactured at the Kirov Plant turbines can only be tested at KhTZ, where there is a special stand for this -). A government source says that there are no serious technical difficulties: the first turbine is being tested at the KEM stand, the second should be tested by October. USC complained about personnel problems, a large time gap in the implementation of such projects, loss of competencies, reworking of the technical design and documentation.
In general, icebreaker contractors shift the blame for missed deadlines onto each other. Thus, USC believes that the weak links in the cooperation were the manufacturers of steam turbine units (STE) and electric propulsion systems (FSUE Krylov State Scientific Center - Krylov State Scientific Center). The Kirov plant reported that during the execution of the contract for the Arctic, checks are carried out that “do not reveal any violations of the law on the part of the plant.” The company added that the Krylov State Scientific Center delayed the delivery of generators by more than two years. The executive director of the Krylov State Research Center, Mikhail Zagorodnikov, believes that the delay is USC’s fault: the competition was held for five months, and although the technical design was ready in 2009, detailed design began only in 2013.
BZS also missed the delivery deadlines for both the LK-25 diesel icebreaker Viktor Chernomyrdin and the floating nuclear power plant Akademik Lomonosov.
Currently, the nuclear-powered icebreakers Taimyr and Vaygach are in operation, the life of their nuclear installations is being extended, which cannot happen indefinitely; when the icebreaker Yamal leaves, only the icebreaker 50 Let Pobedy will remain from the Arctic class. If by 2022 there are only four icebreakers, this will not be enough, since a sharp increase in cargo traffic from oil and gas fields, from Vostok Coal and Norilsk Nickel is predicted, and there are attempts to increase transit along the Northern Sea Route. By 2022, at least two new double-draft icebreakers should be built.
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The lead nuclear icebreaker of Project 22220 is being built to the class of the Russian Maritime Register of Shipping at« Baltic Shipyard-Shipbuilding» commissioned by the Rosatom State Corporation (the keel of the vessel took place on November 5, 2013) and will become the largest and most powerful nuclear icebreaker in the world.
Main characteristics of the Project 22220 nuclear icebreaker:
power.....60 MW (on shafts);
speed.....22 knots (in clear water);
length.....173.3 m (160 m along the vertical line);
width.....34 m (33 m along the vertical line);
height.....15.2 m;
draft.....10.5 m/8.65 m;
maximum ice penetration.....2.8 m;
total displacement.....33 540 t;
assigned service life.....40 years.
The nuclear icebreaker "Yamal" is one of ten icebreakers of the "Arctic" class, the construction of which began in 1986, back in Soviet times. The construction of the icebreaker "Yamal" was completed in 1992, but already at that time there was no longer a need for its use to ensure navigation along the Northern Sea Route. Therefore, the owners of this vessel, which weighs 23,455 tons and is 150 meters long, converted it into a vessel with 50 tourist cabins and capable of taking tourists to the North Pole.
The “heart” of the Yamal icebreaker is two sealed water-cooled reactors OK-900A, which contain 245 fuel rods with enriched uranium. The full load of nuclear fuel is about 500 kilograms, this reserve is sufficient for the continuous operation of the icebreaker for 5 years. Each nuclear reactor weighs about 160 tons and is located in a sealed compartment, protected from the rest of the ship's structure by layers of steel, water and high-density concrete. There are 86 sensors placed around the reactor compartment and throughout the ship that measure radiation levels.
The reactors' steam power boilers produce superheated, high-pressure steam that spins turbines that drive 12 electric generators. Energy from the generators is supplied to electric motors that rotate the blades of the icebreaker's three propellers. The engine power of each propeller is 25 thousand horsepower or 55.3 MW. Using this power, the Yamal icebreaker can move through ice 2.3 meters thick at a speed of 3 knots. Despite the fact that the maximum thickness of ice through which an icebreaker can pass is 5 meters, cases have been recorded of an icebreaker overcoming ice hummocks 9 meters thick.
The hull of the icebreaker "Yamal" is a double hull coated with a special polymer material that reduces friction. The thickness of the upper layer of the hull at the ice cutting site is 48 millimeters, and in other places - 30 millimeters. The water ballast system, located between the two layers of the icebreaker's hull, allows additional weight to be concentrated at the front of the ship, which acts as an additional ram. If the icebreaker's power is not enough to cut through the ice, then an air bubble system is activated, which throws 24 cubic meters of air per second under the surface of the ice and breaks it from below.
The design of the reactor cooling system of the nuclear icebreaker "Yamal" is designed to use sea water with a maximum temperature of 10 degrees Celsius. Therefore, this icebreaker and others like it will never be able to leave the northern seas and go to more southern latitudes.
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, Sovetsky Soyuz, Yamal, 50 Let Pobedy, Taimyr and Vaygach, 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.
Icebreaker displacement - 21,120 tons, draft - 11.0 m, maximum speed speed in clear water - 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 awaited.
"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 shipyard.
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 capacity, 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 roll 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 high level 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 goals - the development of the Northern sea route and conduct of civil vessels.
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.
