The Russian nuclear icebreaker "Soviet Union" is being scrapped. This was reported by RIA Novosti CEO enterprises of the state corporation "Rosatom" FSUE "Atomflot" (Rosatomflot) Vyacheslav Ruksha.

Nuclear icebreaker "Soviet Union" in the port of Murmansk. Photo: RIA Novosti / Sergey Subbotin

“The icebreaker “Soviet Union”, unfortunately, is being disposed of. An official order was signed,” Ruksha said.

What is the reason?

Ruksha explained that the reason for this decision was the sanctions Western countries against Russia. “Due to the effect of Western sanctions on the joint project of Rosneft and the American ExxonMobil for the extraction of hydrocarbons on the shelf of the Kara Sea, the icebreaker was “out of work,” said the head of Rosatomflot.

He also said that the issue of using the icebreaker by the Arctic group of the RF Armed Forces was being studied. But for this purpose, it turned out to be redundant in terms of power and there is no economic feasibility in its use, Ruksha explained.

What did the icebreaker do?

Since 2010, the "Soviet Union" has not been operated. It was withdrawn from the fleet due to a decrease in the volume of work in the Arctic.

However, in 2014, the leadership of Rosatom decided to restore the nuclear-powered ship by 2018 and use it in new offshore projects. It was assumed that he would be able to move in ice at a speed of 12-14 knots (22-26 km / h). After extending the resource of the reactor plant, the Sovetsky Soyuz could serve another 20 years.

What are the characteristics of an icebreaker?

The Russian nuclear-powered icebreaker of the Arktika class Sovetsky Soyuz was commissioned in 1989. The peculiarity of the icebreaker is that it was designed in such a way that it could be retrofitted into a battle cruiser in a short time.

"Soviet Union" was used for Arctic tourism and for scientific purposes. In 2004, he was one of three icebreakers that participated in research on the impact of global warming in the Arctic.

Russia is the only country with a fleet of nuclear-powered icebreakers. Nuclear icebreakers are much more powerful than diesel ones, so there are simply no analogues in the whole world. The most important advantage of the nuclear fleet is the absence of regular refueling, which is very convenient and beneficial in permafrost conditions.

The most massive project is the Arktika-type icebreakers (project 10520). These include six nuclear-powered icebreakers built in the USSR and Russia.

Nuclear-powered icebreakers of the Arktika class are used to escort cargo and other ships along the Northern Sea Route. This route includes the Barents, Pechora, Kara, East Siberian Seas, the Laptev Sea and the Bering Strait. The main ports on this route are Dixon, Tiksi and Pevek.

1. The icebreaker "Arktika" was laid down on July 3, 1971 at the Baltic Shipyard in Leningrad and only on April 25, 1975 was put into operation. He is the ancestor of this class and the first to visit the north pole. This happened on August 17, 1977 at 4 am Moscow time.

The nuclear icebreaker of project 10520 is a complex and expensive engineering structure. There are almost 1,300 rooms on the ship, including: - 155 cabins, a galley and a dining room, a club-cinema hall for 108 seats, a medical unit with an operating room, a gym, a library and other household premises to ensure a comfortable life for the crew and passengers during prolonged isolation from the “mainland” ” - two power plants with backup and emergency diesel generators, workshops, fire extinguishing and ventilation systems corresponding to a nuclear power facility - a helipad with appropriate infrastructure, a radio center, etc. and so on.

For 33 years of trouble-free operation, he traveled more than a million miles in the ice of the Arctic. In 1999-2000, he worked in the Arctic Ocean for a year without refueling and calling at the port.

Currently, the icebreaker is in the port of Murmansk, on "cold sludge". In August 2008, it was decommissioned.

2-3. The second icebreaker of this class, called "Sibir", is in the same place, awaiting disposal in 2015. This ship is completely identical to the "Arktika" and worked at sea from 1977 to 1992. Removed from service due to malfunction of steam generators.

In 1993, on board the Sibir, the anti-terrorist exercises Blockade of the Vympel group were held, dedicated to practicing the skills of freeing a nuclear icebreaker captured by terrorists.

Currently, the icebreaker is in cold sludge and is fully prepared for cutting: dock repairs have been completed, waste and nuclear fuel have been removed from the vessel, and the bottom has been sealed. According to plans, disposal will take place in 2015.

Displacement 21120 tons, length 147.9 m, width 29.9 m, depth 17.2 m, draft 11 m, NPP power 75000 hp, speed 20.8 knots.

An interesting fact: the icebreaker had an artillery mount on its bow; presumably in the bow had mines for ballistic missiles R-13. The living quarters are mounted on elastic mounts and shock absorbers and are isolated from the hull to keep noise out.

4. The third icebreaker "Russia" worked right up to 2013. It was laid down on February 20, 1981 at the Baltic Shipyard named after I.I. Sergo Ordzhonikidze in Leningrad, launched on November 2, 1983, commissioned on December 21, 1985, is the fourth nuclear-powered icebreaker in the world.

The ship can independently pass the tropics to work in the Antarctic, but then when crossing the tropics, the temperature in some rooms can rise above 50 ° C, which in turn can be detrimental to the individual mechanisms of the ship. It will also be necessary to reduce the power of the installation to a minimum. No one took the risk, so everyone nuclear icebreakers worked in northern latitudes.

In 1990, for the first time in the history of Arctic travel, he made a cruise voyage for foreign tourists to the North Pole.

In 2012-2013 the icebreaker even managed to work in the Gulf of Finland and ensure the escort of ships to the port of Primorsk

The "Rossiya" has introduced a set of design solutions aimed at further improving the ice qualities of the nuclear-powered ship. In particular, it is provided with devices to reduce the interaction of propellers with ice, means for better icebreaking, protection of the hull from sticking and corrosion, and also for improving the cleanliness of the channel behind the icebreaker. The composition of the equipment that provides ice reconnaissance, including during the polar night, has been changed. The nuclear-powered ship's hangar is designed for the Ka-32 all-weather helicopter.

Currently, the icebreaker is laid up and the process of unloading spent fuel has begun. According to the plans, the disposal will take place after 2015, together with the nuclear icebreakers Arktika and Sibir. The icebreaker was put into sludge due to lack of nuclear fuel for the next campaign and the refusal to extend the life of the reactor.

5. The next regular icebreaker "Soviet Union" was put into operation in 1989 and is currently being re-equipped in the port of Murmansk.

An interesting point is that the icebreaker is designed in such a way that it can be retrofitted into a warship in a short time. Some of this equipment is in a mothballed state on board, and some is in coastal warehouses. In particular, a fire control radar of the MP-123 detachable artillery mount was installed on the tank in front of the felling.

In March 2002, during the icebreaker's mooring at the berth in Murmansk, for the first time in practice, its power plant was used to supply onshore facilities. At the same time, the power of the installation reached 50 megawatts. The experiment was successful, but was considered unprofitable.

The service life of the icebreaker is set at 25 years. In 2007-2008, the Baltic Shipyard supplied equipment for the Sovetsky Soyuz icebreaker, which makes it possible to extend the life of the vessel.

Currently, the icebreaker is planned to be restored, but only after a specific customer is identified or until transit along the Northern Sea Route is increased and new areas of work appear. As Vyacheslav Ruksha, Director General of Rosatomflot, stated in August 2014, “we are extending the service life of the Sovetsky Soyuz icebreaker and will restore it by 2017.”

Nuclear scientists laugh at the meaning of the names of the ships. "Russia" is destroyed, and the "Soviet Union" is restored.

At one time, the "Soviet Union" brought and unloaded the Moskvich-2141 car onto the ice of the North Pole. Believe it or not, the leadership of AZLK wanted to promote its products to the West with such an unusual step. Although this miracle of the Russian auto industry flatly turned out to start, at an impromptu auction it was sold for 12 thousand dollars to the owner of a network of gas stations from the United States, and later safely delivered to a happy buyer at home. Thus, a historical maximum price for Moskvich-2141 was set.

6-10. The next icebreaker "Yamal" is on the list of my favorite ships. This is one of all the nuclear-powered ships that are currently working in full force on the Northern Sea Route.

The icebreaker was laid down in 1986 and launched in 1989. In 2000, he made an expedition to the North Pole to meet the third millennium. Yamal is the seventh ship to reach the North Pole. In total, he made 46 flights to the North Pole.

Everyone remembers this icebreaker by its distinctive coloring on the forecastle (bow of the ship) in the form of shark teeth. Looks amazing live! The stylized image on the nose of the icebreaker appeared in 1994 as a design element for a children's cruise, then left at the request of travel companies and eventually became traditional

The ship can break ice, moving both forward and backward. Reversing the engine (changing the direction of rotation from full turns in one direction to full turns in the other) takes 11 seconds, with a propeller weight of 50 tons. Also, the nuclear-powered ship has a double hull made of AK-28 steel. At the point of collision with ice, the outer hull has an "ice belt" five meters high and 46 mm thick, in other places the thickness of the outer hull is about 30 mm. The body is covered with a half-millimeter layer of special paint "Inerta-160" to reduce friction. That still colossus!

There are several incidents associated with this icebreaker that I would like to talk about:

On December 23, 1996, a fire broke out on the ship, as a result of which one crew member died. Nuclear reactors were not damaged, the fire was extinguished within 30 minutes.
- On August 8, 2007, a 65-year-old tourist from Switzerland, through negligence, fell overboard an icebreaker and died after hitting the water and propellers.
- On March 16, 2009, in the Yenisei Bay of the Kara Sea, during ice escort, the Yamal collided with the Indiga tanker. As a result of the impact, a crack with a total length of 9.5 m was formed on the main deck of the tanker with an opening of up to 8 mm. The tanker was in ballast, pollution environment Did not happen. Then the tanker was escorted by Yamal to Arkhangelsk for repairs.

At that time, when we were in Murmansk, the icebreaker was in a floating dock and was undergoing scheduled repairs.

1-13. "50 Years of Victory".

Today it is the largest operating icebreaker in the world. It was laid down on October 4, 1989 under the name "Ural" and launched on December 29, 1993. Further construction was suspended due to lack of funds. In 2003, construction was resumed, and already on February 1, 2007, the icebreaker entered the Gulf of Finland for sea trials, which lasted two weeks. The flag was raised on March 23, 2007, and on April 11 the icebreaker arrived at its permanent home port of Murmansk. On July 30, 2013, the icebreaker reached the North Pole for the hundredth time!

The estimated maximum ice thickness that the icebreaker must overcome is 2.8 m.

"50 Years of Victory" is a modified project 10520 "Arktika", which has many differences from its predecessor. The vessel uses a spoon-shaped bow, which was first used in the development of the Canadian experimental icebreaker Kenmar Kigoriyak in 1979 and convincingly proved its effectiveness during trial operation. The icebreaker has a digital system automatic control new generation. The complex of means of biological protection of the nuclear power plant has been modernized and re-examined in accordance with the modern requirements of Rostekhnadzor. An environmental compartment has been created for the 50 Years of Victory, equipped with the latest equipment for the collection and disposal of all waste products of the vessel.

14. The next icebreaker, the first nuclear, grandfather "Lenin"

Now it is located in Murmansk, stands at the pier and works as a full-fledged museum. It was built in 1959 and did a lot of useful things for the Northern Sea Route.

Due to the high power of the power plant and high autonomy, the icebreaker showed excellent performance already in the first navigation. The use of a nuclear icebreaker made it possible to significantly extend the period of navigation.

The nuclear icebreaker "Lenin" is a smooth-deck vessel with an elongated middle superstructure and two masts; a runway for ice reconnaissance helicopters is located in the stern. The water-to-water type nuclear steam generating plant, located in the central part of the ship, generates steam for 4 main turbogenerators that supply 3 propulsion motors with direct current, the latter drive 3 propellers(2 onboard and 1 middle) of a particularly robust design. There are 2 autonomous auxiliary power stations. Management of mechanisms, devices and systems - remote. Crew created good living conditions for a long arctic voyage.

The icebreaker "Lenin" worked for 30 years and in 1989 was decommissioned and put into eternal parking in Murmansk.

There were two accidents on the nuclear icebreaker Lenin. The first happened in February 1965. The reactor core was partially damaged. Part of the fuel was placed at the Lepse floating technical base. The rest of the fuel was unloaded and placed in a container. In 1967, the container was loaded onto a pontoon and sunk in Tsivolki Bay, the east coast of the Novaya Zemlya archipelago.
The second accident on the icebreaker occurred in 1967. A leak in pipelines of the third circuit of the reactor was recorded. During the liquidation of the leak, serious mechanical damage was caused to the equipment of the reactor plant. It was decided to completely replace the entire reactor compartment. Part of the fuel was placed again at the Lepse floating technical base. The reactor plant was towed to Novaya Zemlya in Tsivolki Bay and flooded.

Thanks to this icebreaker and these accidents, our modern ships are improved and safe, no matter what happens! Starting with Lenin and ending with 50 Years of Victory, one can see a huge leap in nuclear power and in nuclear fleet respectively.

The nuclear icebreaker "Lenin" became the first national ship-museum with a nuclear power plant, which was moored to the berth at the sea station of the hero city of Murmansk on May 5, 2009 and in five years has become one of the most visited sights of Murmansk. More than 100,000 visitors visited the nuclear-powered ship during its stay, official delegations and honored guests of the city of Murmansk come here.

15. "Taimyr" and "Vaigach".

These nuclear-powered icebreakers have a reduced draft and are designed to guide ships to the mouths of Siberian rivers.

The icebreakers were built in Finland at the Wärtsilä shipyard (Wärtsilä Marine Engineering) in Helsinki by order of the Soviet Union. However, the equipment (power plant, etc.) on the ship was installed Soviet, steel was used Soviet-made. The installation of nuclear equipment was carried out in Leningrad,. This installation develops a power of 50,000 liters. With. and allows icebreakers to go through ice two meters thick. With an ice thickness of 1.77 meters, the speed of the icebreaker is 2 knots. Icebreakers can operate at temperatures down to -50 °C.

1. "SIBERIA"

This ship became a direct continuation of the Arktika-type nuclear installations. At the time of commissioning (1977), Siberia had the largest width (29.9 m) and length (147.9 m). The vessel operated a satellite communication system responsible for fax, telephone and navigation. Also present: a sauna, a swimming pool, a training room, a relaxation salon, a library and a huge dining room.

The nuclear-powered icebreaker "Siberia" went down in history as the first ship to carry out year-round navigation in the direction of Murmansk-Dudinka. He also became the second unit that reached the top of the planet, entering the North Pole.

2. "LENIN"

This icebreaker, launched on December 5, 1957, became the first ship in the world equipped with a nuclear power plant. Its most important differences are a high level of autonomy and power. Already during its first use, the vessel demonstrated excellent performance, thanks to which it was possible to significantly increase the navigation period.

During the first six years of operation, the nuclear-powered icebreaker covered more than 82,000 nautical miles, navigating over 400 vessels. Later, "Lenin" will be the first of all ships to be north of Severnaya Zemlya.

3. "ARCTIC"

This nuclear-powered icebreaker (launched in 1975) 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. The unit was equipped with a medical unit, where there was an operating room and a dental unit. All conditions were created on the ship, allowing the flight crew and the helicopter to be based.

"Arktika" was able to break through the ice, the thickness of which was five meters, and also move at a speed of 18 knots. The unusual color of the vessel (bright red) was also considered a clear difference, which personified a new nautical era. And the icebreaker was famous for being the first ship that managed to reach the North Pole.

4. "RUSSIA"

Launched in 1985, this unsinkable icebreaker is the first of a series of Arctic nuclear installations with a capacity of 55.1 MW (75,000 horsepower). The crew has at its disposal: the Nature salon with an aquarium and living vegetation, a chess room, a cinema hall, as well as everything else that was present on the Siberia icebreaker.

The main purpose of the installation: cooling of nuclear reactors and use in the conditions of the Arctic Ocean. Since the ship was forced to constantly be in cold water, it could not cross the tropics to find itself in the southern hemisphere.

For the first time, this vessel made a cruise voyage to the North Pole, specially organized for foreign tourists. And in the 20th century, a nuclear icebreaker was used to study the continental shelf at the North Pole.

5. "SOVIET UNION"

The design feature of the Sovetsky Soyuz icebreaker, commissioned in 1990, is that it can be retrofitted into a battle cruiser at any time. Initially, the ship was used for Arctic tourism. Making a transpolar cruise, it was possible to install meteorological ice stations operating in automatic mode, as well as an American meteorological buoy. Later, the icebreaker, which was stationed near Murmansk, was used to supply electricity to facilities located near the coast. The vessel also found use in the course of research in the Arctic on the effects of global warming.

6. "YAMAL"

The nuclear icebreaker Yamal was laid down in 1986 in the USSR, and launched after the death of the Soviet Union in 1993. The Yamal became the twelfth ship to reach the North Pole. In total, he has 46 flights in this direction, including one that was specially initiated to meet the third millennium. Several emergencies occurred on the ship, including: a fire, the death of a tourist, and a collision with the Indiga tanker. The icebreaker was not injured during the last emergency, but a deep crack formed in the tanker. It was Yamal that helped transport the damaged ship for repairs.

Six years ago, the ice drift completed a rather important mission: it evacuated archaeologists from the Novaya Zemlya archipelago, who reported their own disaster.

7. "50 YEARS OF VICTORY"

This icebreaker is considered the most modern and largest of all existing ones. In 1989, it was laid down under the name "Ural", but since there was not enough funding, for a long time (until 2003) it stood unfinished. Only since 2007 the ship could be operated. During the first tests, the nuclear-powered icebreaker demonstrated reliability, maneuverability, and a top speed of 21.4 knots.

At the disposal of the passengers of the ship: a music room, a library, a swimming pool, a sauna, a gym, a restaurant, as well as satellite TV.

The main task assigned to the icebreaker is escorting caravans in the Arctic seas. But the ship was also intended for Arctic cruises.

Icebreaker « Soviet Union is a Russian nuclear-powered icebreaker of the Arktika class, built at the Baltic Shipyard in Leningrad. Launched on October 31, 1986, commissioned in 1989. Included in and used by the Murmansk Shipping Company.

The icebreaker is designed in such a way that it can be retrofitted into a warship in a short time. Some of this equipment is in a mothballed state on board, and some is in coastal warehouses. In particular, a fire control radar of the MP-123 detachable artillery mount was installed on the tank in front of the felling.

In 1991, 1992, 1997 and 1998 "Soviet Union" served for Arctic tourism. During the transpolar cruise from July 27 to August 16, 1991, 5 automatic meteorological ice stations (No. 20, 21, 23, 18, 26) and one American meteorological buoy No. I.D. 7058 were installed on board drifting ice. Installation methods - carrying stations from the icebreaker to the selected ice floe or delivery of stations to the drifting ice floe by the icebreaker's helicopter.

During a transpolar cruise in 1992, under the command of the captain of the nuclear-powered ship "Soviet Union" A. G. Gorshkovsky, at the parking lot at the North Pole on August 23, 1992, the Andreevsky flag and the flag of the city of St. Petersburg were raised on the flagpole of the vessel in honor of Russian sailors and shipbuilders " Baltic Plant" in the city of St. Petersburg. The raising of the flags was carried out by the passenger assistant to the captain N. N. Rumyantsev

In March 2002, during the icebreaker's mooring at the berth in Murmansk, for the first time in practice, its power plant was used to supply onshore facilities. At the same time, the power of the installation reached 50 megawatts. The experiment was successful, but was considered unprofitable.

In 2004, he was one of three icebreakers participating in research on the impact of global warming in the Arctic.

The service life of the icebreaker is set at 25 years. In 2007-2008, the Baltic Shipyard supplied equipment for the Sovetsky Soyuz icebreaker, which makes it possible to extend the life of the vessel.

Currently, the icebreaker is planned to be restored, but only after a specific customer is identified or until transit along the Northern Sea Route is increased and new areas of work appear. As Vyacheslav Ruksha, Director General of Rosatomflot, stated in August 2014, “we are extending the service life of the Sovetsky Soyuz icebreaker and will restore it by 2017.”

Main technical characteristics

• The greatest length is 147.9 m.
• The greatest width is 29.9 m.
• Board height 17.2 m.
• Displacement 21,120 tons.
• Type of main plant: nuclear turboelectric, two reactors up to 55 megawatts.
• Max travel speed per clean water 20.8 knots.

Links

• . Fish Resources (01.11.2006). Retrieved July 10, 2010. .
• . Polar Mail Today. Retrieved July 10, 2010. .
• Ridge Alpha.(July 27, 2007). Retrieved July 10, 2010. .
• Vladimir BLINOV.. Murmansk Bulletin (23.08.2008). Retrieved July 10, 2010. .

Notes

Napoleon enters Moscow after a brilliant victory de la Moskowa; there can be no doubt about victory, since the battlefield remains with the French. The Russians retreat and give up the capital. Moscow, filled with provisions, weapons, shells and untold riches, is in the hands of Napoleon. The Russian army, twice as weak as the French, does not make a single attempt to attack for a month. Napoleon's position is the most brilliant. In order to fall on the remnants of the Russian army with double strength and exterminate it, in order to negotiate a favorable peace or, in case of refusal, to make a threatening movement against Petersburg, in order even, in case of failure, to return to Smolensk or Vilna , or stay in Moscow - in order, in a word, to keep the brilliant position in which the French army was at that time, it would seem that no special genius is needed. To do this, it was necessary to do the simplest and easiest: to prevent the troops from plundering, to prepare winter clothes, which would have been enough in Moscow for the entire army, and it would be right to collect provisions that were in Moscow for more than six months (according to the indications of French historians) for the entire army. Napoleon, the most brilliant of geniuses and having the power to direct the army, historians say, did nothing of the sort.
Not only did he not do any of this, but, on the contrary, he used his power to choose from all the paths of activity presented to him that which was the most stupid and pernicious of all. Of all that Napoleon could do: spend the winter in Moscow, go to St. Petersburg, go to Nizhny Novgorod, go back, north or south, the way that Kutuzov went later - well, whatever you think up is more stupid and more pernicious than what he did Napoleon, that is, to remain in Moscow until October, leaving the troops to plunder the city, then, hesitating whether to leave or not to leave the garrison, leave Moscow, approach Kutuzov, do not start fighting, go to the right, reach Maly Yaroslavets, again without experiencing the chance to break through , to go not along the road along which Kutuzov went, but to go back to Mozhaisk and along the devastated Smolensk road - nothing could be more stupid than this, more detrimental to the army, as the consequences showed. Let the most skillful strategists come up with, imagining that Napoleon's goal was to destroy his army, come up with another series of actions that would, with the same certainty and independence from everything that the Russian troops undertake, would completely destroy the whole French army, like what Napoleon did.
The brilliant Napoleon did it. But to say that Napoleon destroyed his army because he wanted it, or because he was very stupid, would be just as unfair as to say that Napoleon brought his troops to Moscow because he wanted it, and because that he was very smart and brilliant.
In both cases, his personal activity, which had no more power than the personal activity of each soldier, only coincided with the laws according to which the phenomenon took place.
Quite falsely (only because the consequences did not justify the activities of Napoleon) historians present to us the strength of Napoleon weakened in Moscow. He, just as before, as after, in the 13th year, used all his skill and strength to do the best for himself and his army. Napoleon's activity during this time is no less amazing than in Egypt, in Italy, in Austria and in Prussia. We do not know correctly about the extent to which the genius of Napoleon was real in Egypt, where forty centuries looked at his greatness, because all these great feats are described to us only by the French. We cannot correctly judge his genius in Austria and Prussia, since information about his activities there must be drawn from French and German sources; and the incomprehensible surrender of corps without battles and fortresses without siege should incline the Germans to recognize genius as the only explanation for the war that was waged in Germany. But there is no reason for us to recognize his genius in order to hide our shame, thank God. We have paid to have the right to simply and directly look at the matter, and we will not cede this right.
His activity in Moscow is as amazing and ingenious as elsewhere. Orders after orders and plans after plans come from him from the moment he enters Moscow until he leaves it. The absence of residents and deputations, and the fire of Moscow itself, do not bother him. He does not lose sight of either the good of his army, or the actions of the enemy, or the good of the peoples of Russia, or the administration of the valleys of Paris, or diplomatic considerations about the forthcoming conditions of peace.

In military terms, immediately upon entering Moscow, Napoleon strictly orders General Sebastiani to follow the movements of the Russian army, sends corps along different roads, and orders Murat to find Kutuzov. Then he diligently orders the strengthening of the Kremlin; then he makes an ingenious plan for a future campaign across the entire map of Russia. In terms of diplomacy, Napoleon calls to himself the robbed and ragged captain Yakovlev, who does not know how to get out of Moscow, sets out to him in detail all his policy and his generosity and, writing a letter to Emperor Alexander, in which he considers it his duty to inform his friend and brother that Rostopchin badly ordered in Moscow, he sends Yakovlev to Petersburg. Having set out in the same detail his views and generosity before Tutolmin, he sends this old man to St. Petersburg for negotiations.

The Soviet Union broke the ice with nuclear icebreakers and knew no equal. There were no ships of this type anywhere in the world - the USSR had absolute dominance in the ice. 7 Soviet nuclear icebreakers.

"Siberia"

This ship became a direct continuation of the Arktika-type nuclear installations. At the time of commissioning (1977), Siberia had the largest width (29.9 m) and length (147.9 m). The vessel operated a satellite communication system responsible for fax, telephone and navigation. Also present: a sauna, a swimming pool, a training room, a relaxation salon, a library and a huge dining room.
The nuclear-powered icebreaker "Siberia" went down in history as the first ship to carry out year-round navigation in the direction of Murmansk-Dudinka. He also became the second unit that reached the top of the planet, entering the North Pole.

"Lenin"

This icebreaker, launched on December 5, 1957, became the world's first ship equipped with a nuclear power plant. Its most important differences are a high level of autonomy and power. Already during its first use, the vessel demonstrated excellent performance, thanks to which it was possible to significantly increase the navigation period.
During the first six years of operation, the nuclear-powered icebreaker covered more than 82,000 nautical miles, navigating over 400 vessels. Later, "Lenin" will be the first of all ships to be north of Severnaya Zemlya.

"Arctic"

This nuclear-powered icebreaker (launched in 1975) 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. The unit was equipped with a medical unit, where there was an operating room and a dental unit. All conditions were created on the ship, allowing the flight crew and the helicopter to be based.
"Arktika" was able to break through the ice, the thickness of which was five meters, and also move at a speed of 18 knots. The unusual color of the vessel (bright red) was also considered a clear difference, which personified a new nautical era. And the icebreaker was famous for being the first ship that managed to reach the North Pole.

"Russia"

This unsinkable icebreaker, launched in 1985), was the first of a series of Arctic nuclear installations with a capacity of 55.1 MW (75,000 horsepower). The crew has at their disposal: the Internet, the Nature salon with an aquarium and living vegetation, a chess room, a cinema hall, as well as everything else that was present on the Sibir icebreaker.
The main purpose of the installation: cooling of nuclear reactors and use in the conditions of the Arctic Ocean. Since the ship was forced to constantly be in cold water, it could not cross the tropics to find itself in the southern hemisphere.

For the first time, this vessel made a cruise voyage to the North Pole, specially organized for foreign tourists. And in the 20th century, a nuclear icebreaker was used to study the continental shelf at the North Pole.

The design feature of the Sovetsky Soyuz icebreaker, commissioned in 1990, is that it can be retrofitted into a battle cruiser at any time. Initially, the ship was used for Arctic tourism. Making a transpolar cruise, it was possible to install meteorological ice stations operating in automatic mode, as well as an American meteorological buoy. Later, the icebreaker, which was stationed near Murmansk, was used to supply electricity to facilities located near the coast. The vessel also found use in the course of research in the Arctic on the effects of global warming.

"Yamal"

The nuclear icebreaker Yamal was laid down in 1986 in the USSR, and launched after the death of the Soviet Union in 1993. Yamal became the twelfth ship to reach the North Pole. In total, he has 46 flights in this direction, including one that was specially initiated to meet the third millennium. Several emergencies occurred on the ship, including: a fire, the death of a tourist, and a collision with the Indiga tanker. The icebreaker was not injured during the last emergency, but a deep crack formed in the tanker. It was Yamal that helped transport the damaged ship for repairs.
Six years ago, the ice drift completed a rather important mission: it evacuated archaeologists from the Novaya Zemlya archipelago, who reported their own disaster.

"50 Years of Victory"

This icebreaker is considered the most modern and largest of all existing ones. In 1989, it was laid down under the name "Ural", but since there was not enough funding, for a long time (until 2003) it stood unfinished. Only since 2007 the ship could be operated. During the first tests, the nuclear-powered icebreaker demonstrated reliability, maneuverability, and a top speed of 21.4 knots.
At the disposal of the passengers of the ship: a music room, a library, a swimming pool, a sauna, a gym, a restaurant, as well as satellite TV.
The main task assigned to the icebreaker is escorting caravans in the Arctic seas. But the ship was also intended for Arctic cruises.