Soviet nuclear-powered icebreaker Lenin

By jbottero

(2025-12-28)

The Lenin is a Soviet nuclear-powered icebreaker, the first nuclear-powered icebreaker in the world. Launched in 1957, it is both the world's first nuclear-powered surface ship and the first nuclear-powered civilian vessel. The Lenin entered operation in 1959. From 1960 to 1965 the ship covered over 157,000 kilometers (85,000 nautical miles) during the Arctic navigation season, of which almost 120,000 km (65,000 nmi) was through ice. Nuclear power proved to be an ideal technology for a vessel working in such a remote area as it removed the need for regular replenishment of fuel. It was officially decommissioned in 1989, and subsequently converted to a museum ship. It is now permanently based at Murmansk.

Also seen HERE at Virtual Globetrotting.

Soviet nuclear-powered icebreaker Lenin

By pak555

(2021-12-04)

Lenin (Лeнин) je ledoborec spuštěný na vodu v roce 1957 a je jak první hladinovou lodí, tak zároveň první civilní lodí poháněnou jadernou energií. Lenin začal službu v roce 1959 a byl oficiálně stažen v roce 1989.

Icebreaker Aurora Australis

By McMaster_de

(2017-04-06)

The icebreaker Aurora Australis is Australia's Antarctic research and resupply flagship.

CCGS Louis S. St-Laurent

By kkeps

(2015-04-14)

Historical imagery 6/17/06

Taymyr class & Arktika class nuclear-powered icebreaker

By Rene73

(2015-04-12)

USCGC Mackinaw (WAGB-83)

By Mike1989

(2015-04-02)

Built in 1943 and commissioned into US Coast Guard service in 1944

USCGC Mohawk (WPG-78)

By Mike1989

(2013-06-27)

The fifth US Coast Guard cutter named Mohawk (WPG-78) was built by Pusey & Jones Corp., Wilmington, Delaware, and launched 1 October 1934. She was commissioned on 19 January 1935.
She was first assigned patrol and general icebreaking duties on the Hudson and Delaware Rivers, and the outbreak of war found her stationed at Cape May, New Jersey.

Japanese icebreaker Shirase (AGB-5002)

By Rene73

(2013-06-23)

Icebreaker

By kkeps

(2013-06-22)

CCGS Pierre Radisson

By SpiderX22

(2013-06-21)

The CCGC Pierre Radisson is an icebreaker of the Canadian Coast Guard. She is designated as a "Medium Gulf Icebreaker. Her winter home port is Quebec City at the mouth of the St Lawrence River in the Gulf of St. Lawrence. She is staffed by a crew of twelve officers and twenty-six sailors. She was built in 1978 by Burrard Dry Dock Company in North Vancouver, British Columbia. Her IMO number is 7510834. The Pierre Radisson participated in Operation Nanook (2009) and Operation Nanook (2008), annual joint training exercises with elements of the Canadian Armed Forces to prepare for sovereignty and disaster patrols.

Sōya

By WacoKidd110

(2013-06-20)

The Sōya is a Japanese museum ship that previously served as an icebreaker and patrol boat, and was the first Japanese ship to take part in an Antarctic research expedition. It is on permanent display in Tokyo.

Boat on ice

By Mike1989

(2013-04-08)

The Fuji at dock in Nagoya Port

By Mike1989

(2013-03-19)

Sitting in the Port of Nagoya’s Garden Wharf, opposite the Nagoya Aquarium, is a large, bright orange and white ship with a large Sikorsky Sea King helicopter riding piggy back. This is the Japanese Antarctic survey ship, Fuji, a retired ice breaker that plied the South Pole for 18 years starting it’s first journey in 1965.

100 meters long, 11 meters wide and 22 meters high with a displacement of 5,250 tons, the diesel electric powered Fuji boasted a speed of 17 knots, (about 35 kilometers an hour) and carried a 245 capacity full crew and research team. The Fuji could break through ice as thick as 80 Centimeters. After many successful missions, Fuji was finally retired, and the fate of the icebreaker was in doubt.

Nuclear Powered Icebreaker 'Rossiya'

By mlc1us

(2013-03-07)

The Arktika class is a Russian (former Soviet) class of nuclear-powered icebreakers. They are owned by the federal government, but were operated by the Murmansk Shipping Company (MSCO) until 2008, when they were transferred to the fully government-owned operator Atomflot. Of the ten civilian nuclear-powered vessels built by Russia (and the Soviet Union), six have been of this type. They are used for clearing shipping lanes north of Siberia as well as for scientific and recreational expeditions to the Arctic.

USCG Ice Breaker at McMurdo Station

By DivSock

(2013-01-17)

Google Historical Imagery 2/1999.

Polar Prince

By daggerwell

(2011-08-16)

CCGS Amundsen

By daggerwell

(2011-08-14)

CCGS Alexander Henry

By daggerwell

(2011-08-14)

Icebreaker Ymer

By adrbr

(2011-08-13)

Icebreaker Frej

By adrbr

(2011-08-13)

Icebreaker Elbjørn

By Dania

(2010-02-07)

Icebreaker Elbjørn was inaugurated back in 1952 and served its original purpose for 44 years. After being out of service for seven years the Elbjørn set out on a new and entirely different journey in 2003, when it was acquired by the nationally known cook and globetrotter Lars Jeppesen together with glassblower Rikke Precht. Together they undertook a gentle restoration of the vessel, and today Elbjørn appears with a beautiful mix of restaurant, bars, glassworks, shop, and museum.

Canadian Coast Guard High-endurance Multi-tasked Vessel

By kjfitz

(2009-04-15)

Large multi-taskable vessels approximately 85 metres long, with an icebreaking capability that allows them to work mainly in southern waters and in the western Arctic.

R/V Akademik Fyodorov (Research vessel)

By Rene73

(2008-11-07)

Icebreaker Tarmo

By Rene73

(2008-03-26)

Icebreaker Atle

By Rene73

(2008-03-26)

Icebreaker Ymer

By Rene73

(2008-03-26)

Icebreaker Frej

By Rene73

(2008-03-26)

Voima

By Accagas

(2008-02-18)

The MS Voima is Finnish icebreaker.

Otso

By Accagas

(2008-02-18)

The MS Otso is Finnish icebreaker.

Former Canadian Coast Guard icebreaker CCGS Alexander Henry

By kjfitz

(2008-02-05)

CCGS Alexander Henry is a former Canadian Coast Guard icebreaker and currently a museum ship preserved at the Marine Museum of the Great Lakes in Kingston, Ontario.

Built at Port Arthur Shipbuilding Co. Ltd., Port Arthur, she was commissioned into the Department of Transport's Marine Service as CGS Alexander Henry using the prefix "Canadian Government Ship". She was transferred in 1962 to the newly-created Canadian Coast Guard and is named after Alexander Henry, an 18th Century British explorer and fur trapper.

CCGS Alexander Henry served her entire coast guard career on the Great Lakes. She was launched in 1958, commissioned in 1959, and retired from service in 1984 after CCGS Samuel Risley entered service.

Icebreaker SS Sankt Erik

By kjfitz

(2007-12-06)

The SS Sankt Erik is an icebreaker, and a museum ship attached to the Vasa Museum in Stockholm, Sweden.

She was launched in 1915 as the Isbrytaren II, and was a conventionally constructed Baltic icebreaker, with a strengthened bow shaped to be lifted up onto the ice to crush it and a forward facing screw to push water and crushed ice along the side of the hull. She also has heeling tanks which can be filled and emptied with seawater in turn to rock the ship to widen the channel. Her reciprocating steam engines are the most powerful functioning ones in Sweden.

Although she was the country's first large icebreaker, she was owned by the city of Stockholm and used to keep the channels around it clear of ice. She was also sometimes used outside of the Stockholm area by the Swedish government since they had contributed towards her cost.

She was renamed in 1958 during an extensive refit, which saw her converted from coal to oil, the bridge was enclosed to protect the deck crew from the weather, and radar and radio fitted.

Russian Icebreaker off the coast of Antarctica

By kjfitz

(2007-06-02)

Near Mirny Station.

Danish icebreakers

By Hinkkanen

(2007-03-04)

Denmark has three icebreakers, all seen here at Frederikshavn. The two sisterships in the map are Danbjørn (A551) and Isbjørn (A552), both launched in 1965, and the outermost one is Thorbjørn (A553) launched in 1980. They were originally operated by the Ministry of Industrial Affairs and partly manned with a staff from the Royal Danish Navy. After January 1, 1996 they were officially transferred to the Navy.

Antarctic oceanographic research ship / icebreaker Polarstern

By kjfitz

(2007-02-09)

Real-time tracking

PFS Polarstern (meaning pole star) is a German research icebreaker of the Alfred Wegener Institute for Polar and Marine Research in Bremerhaven. The Polarstern was put into commission in 1982 and is mainly used for research in the Arctic and Antarctica.

Polarstern was built by the Howaldtswerke/Deutsche Werft at Kiel and the Werft Nobiskrug at Rendsburg. The ship has a length of 118 metres (387 feet).

Polarstern is a double-hulled icebreaker. It is operational at temperatures as low as -50 °C. (-58°F) Polarstern can break through ice 1.5 metres thick at a speed of 5 knots. Thicker ice must be broken by ramming.

Official site

Icebreaker Fuji - Antarctic Museum

By kjfitz

(2007-01-21)

The floating Fuji Antarctic Museum is moored on the opposite side of the pier. The museum itself is an expedition ship that explored the Antarctic for 18 years between 1965 and 1983. The interior of the ship is reproduced as it was during its service, and videos, panels and diorama are used to introduce the nature of the Antarctic as well as how the researches were conducted.

Icebreaker Stephan Jantzen

By Hinkkanen

(2006-04-30)

Icebreaker Stephan Jantzen was built at the Admiralty Shipyard, Leningrad, in 1967 as Dobrynja Nikitisj. I don't know when she was transferred to Germany, probably sometime in the 1990s as she is still listed as Russian in the 1990/91 Weyers Flotten Taschenbuch. In 2004 she was replaced in service by new icebreaker Arkona and she was intended to be decommissioned in March 2005 and put up for sale by VEBEG GmbH.

Icebreaker Varma

By Hinkkanen

(2006-03-20)

Icebreaker Varma, owned and operated by the Riga port is the sistership of Estonian Tarmo. Varma was built for Finnish Maritime Administration in 1968 and sold to Latvia in 1994.

US Coast Guard Ice Breaker 'Polar Sea' (WAGB-11)

By kjfitz

(2006-03-07)

POLAR SEA and her sister ship, POLAR STAR, are the world's most powerful non-nuclear icebreakers. Built by Lockheed Shipbuilding and Construction Company of Seattle, Washington, the two powerful icebreakers are based at the Seattle Coast Guard Support Center at Pier 36.

The Polar Class icebreakers are two of the largest cutters operated by the Coast Guard. These cutters, specifically designed for open-water icebreaking have reinforced hulls, special icebreaking bows, and a system that allows rapid shifting of ballast to increase the effectiveness of their icebreaking. The Polar Sea and Polar Star were built in the 1970s. They serve in Arctic/Antarctic serving science and research as well as providing supplies to remote stations. Both Polar Class icebreakers are under the control of Pacific Area, Ice Operations Section.

US Coast Guard Ice Breaker 'Polar Star' (WAGB-10) in dry dock

By kjfitz

(2006-03-07)

POLAR STAR and her sister ship, POLAR SEA, are the world's most powerful non-nuclear icebreakers. Built by Lockheed Shipbuilding and Construction Company of Seattle, Washington, the two powerful icebreakers are based at the Seattle Coast Guard Support Center at Pier 36.

The Polar Class icebreakers are two of the largest cutters operated by the Coast Guard. These cutters, specifically designed for open-water icebreaking have reinforced hulls, special icebreaking bows, and a system that allows rapid shifting of ballast to increase the effectiveness of their icebreaking. The Polar Sea and Polar Star were built in the 1970s. They serve in Arctic/Antarctic serving science and research as well as providing supplies to remote stations. Both Polar Class icebreakers are under the control of Pacific Area, Ice Operations Section.

Icebreaker Tarmo

By Hinkkanen

(2006-02-02)

Name ship of the Finnish Tarmo-class, she was built in 1963 and served under Finnish flag until 1993. It is now the only working icebrreaker in Estonia and it is not to be confused with earlier Tarmo, the World's oldest surviving icebreaker (1907) which is currently a museum in Kotka, Finland.

Icebreaker Suur Tõll

By Hinkkanen

(2006-02-02)

Icebreaker Suur Tõll is the largest preserved steam icebreaker in the world. She was built by the Vulcan Werft, Stettin 1912-14 for the Russian government as the Tsar Mihhail Feodorovits. During the Russian Revolution she was renamed Volynets and in March 1918 she was captured by the Finns and renamed Wäinämöinen. She was then handed over to Estonia in 1922 and again renamed. Now she became Suur Tõll after a mythological hero from Saaremaa. In 1940 she was captured by the Soviets and became Volynets again and served until early 1980's. Today she ibelongs to Eesti Meremuuseum (Estonian Maritime Museum) and is currently undergoing restoration.

Finnish icebreakers

By Hinkkanen

(2006-01-25)

Finnish icebreakers at their summer base in Helsinki

Two icebreakers

By Hinkkanen

(2005-08-09)

Icebreaker Krasin

By Hinkkanen

(2005-08-09)

This is icebreaker Krasin, built in 1916 as Svyatogor and renamed Krasin in 1926 and was until the 1950's the most powerful icebreaker in the world. She was modernized in DDR in the 1950.s. She made her last voyage in 1990 and is currently a museum ship in St. Petersburg.