The history of atomic icebreakers. Russian nuclear icebreaker fleet: composition, list of operating icebreakers and command

Russia possesses the only nuclear-powered icebreaker fleet in the world, designed to solve the problems of ensuring a national presence in the Arctic on the basis of the use of advanced nuclear achievements. With its appearance, the real development of the Far North began. This is due to the fact that all the northern borders of the state are maritime and they pass through the waters of the Arctic Ocean, the seas of which are covered with ice almost all year round, with the exception of a part of the Barents Sea.

For Russia, at all times, the Northern Sea Route, which runs along the northern coast of the country, was a strategic route along which one can transport goods, ferry ships and warships from west to east of the country and back. This is the shortest route from Europe to Japan and China.

Until the 1960s, navigation in the Arctic Ocean lasted three to three and a half months. The small capacity of power plants did not allow ships to force heavy ice early spring and late autumn. Therefore, it was decided to start building icebreakers with nuclear reactors, which would be able to carry out year-round ice escort in the Arctic.

From 1971 to 1992, the second-generation nuclear icebreakers Arktika, Siberia, Russia, Sovetsky Soyuz and Yamal were built at the Baltic Shipyard in Leningrad. From 1982 to 1988, the Sevmorput lighter-carrying container ship was created at the Kerch shipyard Zaliv. The nuclear icebreakers Taimyr and Vaigach were built by order of the USSR at the shipyard of the Wartsila company in Finland from 1985 to 1989. In this case, Soviet equipment (power plant) and steel were used. "Taimyr" was put into operation on June 30, 1989, and "Vaygach" - on July 25, 1990. Due to the reduced draft, they could serve ships following the Northern Sea Route, calling at the mouths of Siberian rivers.

Currently, the nuclear icebreaker fleet includes: two nuclear icebreakers with a two-reactor nuclear power plant with a capacity of 75 thousand horsepower (Yamal, 50 Years of Victory), two icebreakers with a one-reactor installation with a capacity of about 50 thousand horsepower (Taimyr, Vaygach), a nuclear-powered lighter-carrier container ship Sevmorput and five service vessels ...

The rest of the nuclear-powered ships have developed their technical resource and decommissioned (Lenin in 1989, Siberia in 1992, Arctic in 2008, Russia). In 2017, it was decided to dispose of the Soviet Union nuclear-powered ship, although earlier.

At the operating Russian nuclear icebreakers, work was carried out to extend the life of the reactor facilities. The operation of the Vaigach nuclear-powered icebreaker is scheduled to be completed at the turn of 2023-2024, Taimyr in 2025-2026, Yamal in 2027-2028. The completion of the operation of the nuclear-powered icebreaker "50 Years of Victory" is attributed to 2035.

Instead of the retiring nuclear icebreakers, the more advanced project 22220 projects Arktika, Siberia and Ural, which are currently under construction, will be commissioned.

Icebreakers of project 22220 have, apart from nuclear facility, electric motor systems, which significantly reduces the cost of its operation and facilitates the work of the crew. Reactors work not only for steam turbines, which in turn rotate the propeller shafts, they act as power plants, supplying current to all consumers of the ship, including engines. And that is what they are. Icebreakers of project 22220 will be able to conduct caravans of ships in arctic conditions breaking through ice up to three meters thick in the direction of travel. New ships carrying hydrocarbons from the fields of the Yamal and Gydan peninsulas, the shelf of the Kara Sea to the markets of the countries of the Asia-Pacific region. The vessel's double-draft design with an adjustable immersion depth allows it to be used both in Arctic waters and in the estuaries of polar rivers.

"Arctic" and "Siberia" have already been launched, and "Ural". "Arctic" is planned to be commissioned in the first half of 2019, "Siberia" and "Ural" -.

In addition, a project is being prepared for a new, even more powerful Russian nuclear-powered icebreaker 10510 "Leader" with a capacity of 120 megawatts. The main tasks of the new nuclear-powered ships-leaders should be to ensure year-round navigation along the Northern Sea Route, etc.

Without modern icebreakers, it is impossible to solve many of the socio-economic problems facing Russia in the Arctic. This includes the development of the Far North, the realization of the oil and gas potential of the Arctic shelf of Russia, geological exploration to explore the Arctic shelf areas, the development of fields and all service infrastructure, as well as the efficient operation and export of the extracted products.

The material was prepared on the basis of information from RIA Novosti and open sources

In December 1957, the world's first surface ship with a nuclear power plant was launched in Leningrad. power plant... This wonderful news, shortly before the 42nd anniversary of the Great October Revolution, spread all over the world.

Foreign newspapers were full of headlines: "The Russians have commissioned an atomic boat", "The polar colossus of the Soviets - on the Neva", "The Soviet Union won a victory on the peaceful front of the use of atomic energy" ...
1. The decision to build the world's first nuclear icebreaker was made at a meeting of the Council of Ministers of the USSR on November 20, 1953. The new vessel was necessary for the development of navigation along the Northern Sea Route. Conventional diesel icebreakers had a very high fuel consumption, which reduced their efficiency, while a nuclear icebreaker could sail virtually indefinitely.
2. About 300 enterprises and research institutes were involved in the construction of the world's first nuclear icebreaker. Soviet Union... The construction of the icebreaker was carried out in the open air, since none of the existing workshops was suitable for the construction of a ship of this scale. Despite this, from the laying of the ship at the Leningrad shipyard named after. A. Marty took less than a year and a half to launch it - from August 25, 1956 to December 5, 1957.


Construction of the atomic icebreaker Lenin.
3. The project of the world's first nuclear icebreaker, named "Lenin", turned out to be completely unique in terms of openness - during construction and sea trials, it was visited, in particular, by British Prime Minister Harold Macmillan and US Vice President Richard Nixon.
4. The atomic icebreaker "Lenin" possessed not only a nuclear power plant, but also an advanced design unusual for Soviet ships of that time - there was a cinema hall, a music and smoking rooms, a sauna, a library on board, and the crew cabins were designed for 1-2 people. The interior of the vessel was decorated with Karelian birch and Caucasian walnut.

The atomic icebreaker "Lenin" is leaving the stocks.
5. The launching of the first nuclear icebreaker frightened the NATO countries and ... the leadership of Leningrad. When the ship left the shipyard, the city authorities demanded guarantees that an atomic explosion would not occur on the Lenin. During the passage from Leningrad to Murmansk, "Lenina" was accompanied by NATO warships, which analyzed the radiation background around the ship. The fears were in vain - for all the years of operation of the icebreaker, none of its crew members suffered from radiation.
6. On December 3, 1959, the nuclear-powered icebreaker "Lenin" was officially enlisted in the Soviet fleet. Pavel Akimovich Ponomarev was appointed the first captain of the world's first nuclear icebreaker. Interestingly, Ponomarev was previously the captain of the Ermak icebreaker, the world's first Arctic-class icebreaker.


7. In 1961, the icebreaker "Lenin" carried out the first ever landing of a drifting research station from a ship. Station "North Pole-10" was opened on October 17, 1961 and operated until April 29, 1964. From that moment on, disembarking polar expeditions from the board of an icebreaker became a common practice.
8. On November 4, 1961, Boris Makarovich Sokolov became the captain of the icebreaker "Lenin", who did not leave his post for almost 30 years, until the ship was withdrawn from the fleet in 1990. In 1981 Boris Sokolov was awarded the title of Hero of Socialist Labor.


9. After the commissioning of the atomic icebreaker "Lenin", the navigation time in the western region of the Arctic was increased from three to 11 months. "Lenin" successfully operated for more than 30 years, exceeding the design life by five years. Over the years, the icebreaker has covered more than 654 thousand nautical miles (563.6 thousand in ice), navigating 3,741 ships through the Arctic ice. The icebreaker "Lenin" became the first ship that was on a continuous watch in the Arctic for 13 months.
10. After decommissioning in 1990, the threat of disposal loomed over the Lenin icebreaker. However, the veterans of its crew managed to achieve the creation of a museum on its basis. At present, the world's first nuclear-powered icebreaker "Lenin" is permanently docked in Murmansk, becoming one of the symbols of the polar city.

Nuclear icebreakers can stay on the Northern Sea Route routes for a long time without needing to refuel. At present, the operating fleet includes the nuclear-powered ships "Russia", "Sovetsky Soyuz", "Yamal", "50 Let Pobedy", "Taimyr" and "Vaigach", as well as the nuclear-powered lighter-carrier container ship "Sevmorput". They are operated and maintained by Rosatomflot, located in Murmansk.

1. Nuclear icebreaker - a nuclear powered ship built specifically for use in ice-covered waters 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 icebreakers and 1 nuclear lighter carrier - container ship were built.
In Russia, from 1991 to the present, two more nuclear-powered icebreakers have been built: Yamal (1993) and 50 Let Pobedy (2007). Now construction is underway for three more nuclear icebreakers with a displacement of more than 33 thousand tons, the icebreaking capacity is almost three meters. The first one will be ready by 2017.

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

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

4. Icebreakers of the Arctic class are the backbone of the Russian nuclear icebreaker fleet: 6 out of 10 nuclear icebreakers belong to this class. The vessels have a double hull, they can break the 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 displacement of the icebreaker is 21,120 tons, the draft is 11.0 m, the maximum speed in clear water is 20.8 knots.

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

6. Department of the GTG (main turbine generators). A nuclear reactor heats water, which turns into steam, which spins turbines, which drive generators, which generate electricity that goes to electric motors that turn propellers.

7. CPU (Central control post).

8. Icebreaker control is concentrated in two main command posts: the wheelhouse and the central control post of the power plant (CPC). From the wheelhouse, general management of the icebreaker is carried out, and from the central control room - the control of the operation of the power plant, mechanisms and systems and control over their work.

9. The reliability of nuclear-powered ships of the "Arktika" 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 catering for the command staff. The private dining room is located on the deck below. The diet consists of a full four meals a day.

11. "Soviet Union" was put into operation in 1989, when deadline service in 25 years. In 2008 Baltiyskiy Zavod supplied the equipment for the icebreaker 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 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 the depth of the side - more than 17 meters. All conditions were created on the ship, allowing the flight crew and the helicopter to be based. "Arctic" was capable of breaking through ice, the thickness of which was five meters, and also move at a speed of 18 knots. The unusual color of the ship (bright red), which personified a new maritime era, was also considered a clear difference.

13. The nuclear-powered 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 pending.

"Vaygach"

14. Shallow draft nuclear icebreaker of the Taimyr project. A distinctive feature of this icebreaker project is a reduced draft, which makes it possible to service ships following the Northern Sea Route, calling at the mouths of Siberian rivers.

15. Captain's bridge. Remote controls for three propeller motors, also on the console 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 and other joystick for controlling a 6 kW xenon projector.

16. Machine telegraphs.

17. The main application of the Vaygach 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 turbine generators, which will provide the maximum continuous power on the shafts of about 50,000 hp. with., which will allow forcing ice up to two meters thick. With an ice thickness of 1.77 meters, the icebreaker's speed is 2 knots.

19. Room of the middle propeller shaft.

20. The direction of movement of the icebreaker is controlled by an electro-hydraulic steering gear.

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

22. Study of the block cabin of the second chief officer. The duration of the stay of nuclear-powered ships at sea depends on the number of planned works, on average it is 2-3 months. The crew of the Vaygach icebreaker consists of 100 people.

Nuclear icebreaker "Taimyr"

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

25. "Taimyr" in the dock of the shipyard.

26. "Taimyr" breaks the ice in a classic way: a powerful hull falls on an obstacle from 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 icebreaking capacity, the Taimyr is equipped with a pneumatic flushing system, which prevents the hull from sticking broken ice and snow. If the laying of the channel is inhibited due to thick ice, the trim and heel systems, which consist of tanks and pumps, come into play. Thanks to these systems, the icebreaker can roll on one side, then on the other, raise the bow or stern higher. From such movements of the hull, the ice field surrounding the icebreaker is crushed, allowing you to move on.

28. For painting external structures, decks and bulkheads, imported two-component acrylic enamels with increased resistance to weathering, abrasion and shock 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. Blade to propeller hub bolts, each of the four blades is secured by nine bolts.

33. Almost all ships 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 are the high level of autonomy and power. During the first six years of operation, the nuclear icebreaker covered more than 82,000 nautical miles, navigating 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 put to eternal mooring in Murmansk. Now there is a museum on the icebreaker, work is underway to expand the exposition.

36. The compartment in which there were two nuclear installations. Two dosimetrists entered, measuring the level of radiation and monitoring the operation of the reactor.

There is an opinion that it was thanks to "Lenin" that the expression "peaceful atom" was entrenched. The icebreaker was built in the midst of the Cold War, but had absolutely peaceful goals - the development of the Northern Sea Route and the escort of civilian ships.

37. The wheelhouse.

38. Front 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 icebreaker of the Arctic class.

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

40. Murmansk is the largest city in the world, located beyond the Arctic Circle. It is located on the rocky eastern coast of the Kola Bay of the Barents Sea.

41. The backbone of the city's economy is the Murmansk seaport, 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.

Quite recently, a very interesting trip for me and for other bloggers took place to Murmansk, to the place of parking and repair of the Russian nuclear fleet. Almost all the icebreakers were in one place, they were at the berths, each of them carried out their own work.
Many have already written their posts, many have already read them. In order not to repeat myself and not pour dry facts into your monitors, I will tell you interesting moments about each icebreaker together and separately ...

Russia is the only country with a fleet of nuclear 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 lack of regular refueling, which is very convenient and beneficial in permafrost conditions.

I will begin my story with the most massive project - Icebreakers of the "Arctic" type (project 10520). These include six nuclear-powered icebreakers built in the USSR and Russia.

Arktika-class nuclear-powered icebreakers 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 Dikson, Tiksi and Pevek.

1. Icebreaker "Arctic"was laid down on July 3, 1971 at the Baltic Shipyard in Leningrad, and only on April 25, 1975 it was put into operation. He is the ancestor of this class and the first to visit the North Pole. It happened August 17, 1977 at 4 a.m. Moscow time.

Nuclear icebreaker of project 10520 is a complex and expensive engineering structure. The ship accommodates almost 1,300 rooms, including: - 155 cabins, a galley and a dining room, a cinema club for 108 seats, a medical block with an operating room, a gym, a library and others household premises to ensure a comfortable life for the crew and passengers with long-term isolation from the "mainland" - two power plants with backup and emergency diesel generators, workshops, fire extinguishing and ventilation systems corresponding to the nuclear power facility - Helipad with the appropriate infrastructure, radio center, etc. etc.

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 or calling at the port.

Currently, the icebreaker is located in the port of Murmansk, in a "cold storage". In August 2008, it was decommissioned.

By the way, everyone's favorite captain Dmitry Lobusov dmitry_v_ch_l , who now works for "50 Years of Victory", from 2005 to 2007 also managed the Arctic in the person of the captain.
My grandmother once went on an expedition to the North Pole on it. She even has pictures somewhere. Then I will find and show ...

2-3. The second icebreaker of this class, called "Siberia", is standing there, awaiting disposal in 2015. This vessel is completely identical to the "Arctic" and worked at sea from 1977 to 1992. Out of service due to malfunctioning steam generators.

In 1993, the "Blockade" anti-terrorist exercises of the "Vympel" group were held aboard the Siberia Airlines, which were dedicated to practicing the skills of freeing a nuclear icebreaker captured by terrorists.

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

Displacement 21,120 tons, length 147.9 m, width 29.9 m, side depth 17.2 m, draft 11 m, NPP power 75,000 hp, speed 20.8 knots.

An interesting fact: the icebreaker had an artillery mount on the bow; presumably in the bow had silos for ballistic missiles R-13. The living quarters are mounted on resilient mounts and shock absorbers and isolated from the body so that no noise can be heard.

4. The third icebreaker "Russia" worked right up to 2013. Z Laid on February 20, 1981 at the Baltic Shipyard. Sergo Ordzhonikidze in Leningradlaunched on November 2, 1983, commissioned on December 21, 1985, is the fourth nuclear powered icebreaker in the world.

A ship can independently go through the tropics to work in Antarctica, but then when crossing the tropics, the temperature in some rooms can rise above 50 ° C, which in turn can be detrimental to some of the ship's mechanisms. It will also be necessary to reduce the power of the installation to a minimum. Nobody took the risk, so all nuclear icebreakers operated in northern latitudes.

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

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

The Rossiya has introduced a set of design solutions aimed at further improving the ice performance of the nuclear-powered ship. In particular, it provides devices for reducing the interaction of propellers with ice, means for better ice penetration, protection of the hull from sticking and corrosion, as well as for improving the cleanliness of the channel behind the icebreaker. The composition of the equipment providing ice reconnaissance, including in the conditions of the polar night, has been changed. The hangar of the nuclear-powered ship is designed for the all-weather Ka-32 helicopter.

At present, the icebreaker is laying down and the process of unloading the spent fuel has begun. According to the plans, disposal will take place after 2015, together with the nuclear-powered icebreakers Arktika and Siberia. The icebreaker was transferred to a sludge due to the lack of nuclear fuel for the next campaign and the refusal to extend the service life of the reactor.

5. The next regular icebreaker "Sovetsky Soyuz" was put into operation in 1989 and is currently being refurbished in the port of Murmansk.

An interesting point is that l The cone is designed in such a way that it can be retrofitted into a battleship in a short time... Some of this equipment is in a mothballed state on board, some in onshore warehouses.. In particular, a fire control radar for the MP-123 removable artillery mount was installed on the tank in front of the wheelhouse.

In March 2002, while the icebreaker was moored at the pier in Murmansk, for the first time in practice, its power plant was used to supply power to onshore facilities. At the same time, the power of the installation reached 50 megawatts. The experiment was successful, but was found to be unprofitable.

The service life of the icebreaker is set at 25 years. In 2007-2008, the Baltic Shipyard supplied the 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 work areas appear. As stated in August 2014 general manager Rosatomflot Vyacheslav Ruksha, “we are extending the service life of the Soviet Union icebreaker, we will restore it by 2017”.

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

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

Awesome detailed post I read from masterok about this icebreaker

6-10. The next icebreaker Yamal is on the list of my favorite ships. This is one of all nuclear-powered ships that are currently operating 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 for its distinctive coloring on the tank (nose of the ship) in the form of shark teeth. Looks amazing live! The stylized image on the bow 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 crack ice by moving both forward and backward. Reversing the engine (changing the direction of rotation from full revolutions in one direction to full revolutions) takes 11 seconds, with a propeller weighing 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" of 5 meters height, 46 mm thick, in other places the outer hull is about 30 mm thick. The body is coated with a half-millimeter layer of special paint "Inerta-160" to reduce friction. That colossus!

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

On December 23, 1996, a fire broke out on the ship, as a result of which one member of the crew died. Nuclear reactors were not damaged, the fire was extinguished within 30 minutes.
- On August 8, 2007, a 65-year-old tourist from Switzerland inadvertently fell over the side of an icebreaker and died after being hit by water and propellers.
- On March 16, 2009 in the Yenisei Gulf of the Kara Sea during the 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 with an opening of up to 8 mm was formed on the main deck of the tanker. The tanker followed in ballast, pollution environment Did not happen. Then the tanker was accompanied by Yamal for repairs to Arkhangelsk.

At the time when we were in Murmansk, the icebreaker stood in the floating dock and passed scheduled repair... Photos from there:

11-13. The most delicious of this series is "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 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 the 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 "Arctic", which has many differences from its predecessor. The vessel uses a spoon-shaped bow, first used in the development of the Canadian experimental icebreaker "Canmar Kigoriyak" in 1979 and convincingly proved its effectiveness during trial operation. The icebreaker is equipped with a digital system automatic control new generation. The complex of biological protection means of a nuclear power plant has been modernized, which has undergone re-certification in accordance with the modern requirements of Rostekhnadzor. For "50 Years of Victory", an ecological compartment was created, equipped with the latest equipment for the collection and disposal of all waste products of the vessel.

There will be a separate, detailed post about him in pictures and interesting story... We climbed it up and down, dined with the captain, visited the wheelhouse and other secret places, but everything has its time! Wait for a huge post on this topic, but for now there are a few photos for seed :)

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

Now it is located in Murmansk, stands at the pier and works as a full-fledged museum. OH 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-powered icebreaker made it possible to significantly extend the navigation period.

The nuclear-powered icebreaker "Lenin" is a smooth-decked vessel with an elongated middle superstructure and two masts; in the aft part there is a take-off and landing pad for ice reconnaissance helicopters. A water-moderated nuclear steam generating unit located in the central part of the vessel generates steam for 4 main turbine generators, which supply 3 propeller motors with direct current, the latter drive 3 propellers (2 side and 1 medium) of a particularly robust design. There are 2 autonomous auxiliary power plants. Mechanisms, devices and systems are controlled remotely. Good living conditions have been created for the crew for a long Arctic voyage.

The icebreaker "Lenin" worked for 30 years and in 1989 it was taken out of service and put to an eternal stop in Murmansk.

The atomic icebreaker "Lenin" had two accidents. The first happened in February 1965. The reactor core was partially damaged. Part of the fuel was transferred to 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 archipelago. New earth.
The second icebreaker accident happened in 1967. A leak was detected in the pipelines of the third circuit of the reactor. During the elimination of the leak, serious mechanical damage was inflicted on the equipment of the reactor plant. It was decided to completely replace the entire reactor compartment. Part of the fuel was again transferred to the Lepse floating technical base. Reactor installation towed to Novaya Zemlya in Tsivolki Bay and flooded.

Thanks to this icebreaker and these accidents, our modern ships have been modified and safe, whatever happens! Starting with Lenin and ending with 50 Years of Victory, you 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 pier at the seaport of the hero-city of Murmansk on May 5, 2009 and in five years became one of the most visited sights of Murmansk. During the stay, the nuclear-powered ship was visited by more than 100,000 visitors, official delegations and guests of honor Murmansk.

I will also tell you about him separately!

15. Well, on the off chance I would like to tell you about the two smaller brothers, icebreakers "Taimyr" and "Vaygach".

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

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

Unfortunately, we did not find "Taimyr" in the port, but "Vaygach" was moored to the "Soviet Union" and was peacefully waiting to go out to sea.

In the end, I wanted to show you the infographic in comparison. A very curious picture that shows the scale and colossal nature of these stunning ships. The picture is clickable, if suddenly you don't consider something :)

Many thanks Department of Communications State corporations Rosatom for openness and personally to Ekaterina Ananyeva fromCommunications Department of FSUE Atomoflot and Artyom Shpakov

The Soviet Union was breaking the ice with nuclear icebreakers and had no equal. Nowhere in the world were there ships of this type - 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 ship operated a satellite communication system responsible for fax, telephone connection and navigation. Also present were a sauna, a swimming pool, a workout room, a relaxation salon, a library and a huge dining room.
The nuclear icebreaker "Siberia" went down in history as the first ship that carried out year-round navigation in the direction of Murmansk-Dudinka. It also became the second unit to reach 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 in the course of 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 icebreaker covered more than 82,000 nautical miles, navigating over 400 ships. 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 those existing at that time: its width was 30 meters, length was 148 meters, and the side height was more than 17 meters. The unit was equipped with a medical unit, which included an operating theater and a dental unit. All conditions were created on the ship, allowing the flight crew and the helicopter to be based.
"Arctic" was capable of breaking through ice, the thickness of which was five meters, and also move at a speed of 18 knots. The unusual color of the ship (bright red), which personified a new maritime era, was also considered a clear difference. And the icebreaker was famous for the fact that it was the first ship that managed to reach the North Pole.

"Russia"

This unsinkable icebreaker, launched in 1985), became the first of a series of Arctic nuclear installations, the capacity of which reaches 55.1 MW (75 thousand horsepower). The crew has at their disposal: the Internet, the Priroda salon with an aquarium and live vegetation, a chess room, a cinema, and everything else that was present on the Siberia icebreaker.
The main purpose of the unit: cooling nuclear reactors and use in 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 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. The vessel was originally used for Arctic tourism. Making a transpolar cruise, from its board it was possible to install meteorological ice stations operating in automatic mode, as well as an American meteorological buoy. Later, an icebreaker stationed near Murmansk was used to supply power to facilities located near the coast. The vessel was also used during the study in the Arctic of the impact of global warming.

Yamal

The nuclear-powered icebreaker Yamal was laid down in 1986 in the USSR, and was launched after the demise of the Soviet Union in 1993. Yamal "became the twelfth ship to reach the North Pole. In total, he has 46 flights to this direction, including the one that was specially initiated to meet the third millennium. Several emergencies, among which: fire, death of a tourist, as well as a collision with the tanker "Indiga". 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 vessel 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. In 1989 it was laid down under the name "Ural", but since there was not enough funding, for a long time (until 2003) it was not completed. Only from 2007 the ship could be operated. During the first tests, the nuclear icebreaker demonstrated reliability, maneuverability, and a top speed of 21.4 knots.
At the disposal of the ship's passengers: a music salon, a library, a swimming pool, a sauna, a gym, a restaurant, and satellite TV.
The main task assigned to the icebreaker is the escort of caravans in the Arctic seas. But the ship was also intended for Arctic cruises.