''50 Let Pobedy'' (russian: 50 лет Победы; "50 Years of Victory", referring to the anniversary of victory of the Soviet Union in World War II) is a Russian

nuclear-powered icebreaker A nuclear-powered icebreaker is an icebreaker with an Nuclear marine propulsion, onboard nuclear power plant that produces power for the vessel's propulsion system. , Russia is the only country that builds and operates nuclear-powered icebreakers ...

History

Construction on project no. 10521 started on 4 October 1989, at the Baltic Works in

Leningrad Saint Petersburg ( rus, links=no, Санкт-Петербург, a=Ru-Sankt Peterburg Leningrad Petrograd Piter.ogg, r=Sankt-Peterburg, p=ˈsankt pʲɪtʲɪrˈburk), formerly known as Petrograd (1914–1924) and later Leningrad (1924–1991), i ...

(now

Saint Petersburg Saint Petersburg ( rus, links=no, Санкт-Петербург, a=Ru-Sankt Peterburg Leningrad Petrograd Piter.ogg, r=Sankt-Peterburg, p=ˈsankt pʲɪtʲɪrˈburk), formerly known as Petrograd (1914–1924) and later Leningrad (1924–1991), i ...

), USSR. Originally the ship was named ''Ural''. Work was halted in 1994 for lack of funds, so that the actual fiftieth anniversary of

Victory Day Victory Day is a commonly used name for public holidays in various countries, where it commemorates a nation's triumph over a hostile force in a war or the liberation of a country from hostile occupation. In many cases, multiple countries may ob ...

in 1995, after which she was named, found the ship in an abandoned state. Construction was restarted in 2003. On 30 November 2004, a fire broke out on the ship. All workers aboard the vessel had to be evacuated while the fire crews battled the fire for some 20 hours before getting it under control; one worker was sent to the hospital. She was finally completed in the beginning of 2007, after the 60th Anniversary. The icebreaker sailed into the

Gulf of Finland The Gulf of Finland ( fi, Suomenlahti; et, Soome laht; rus, Фи́нский зали́в, r=Finskiy zaliv, p=ˈfʲinskʲɪj zɐˈlʲif; sv, Finska viken) is the easternmost arm of the Baltic Sea. It extends between Finland to the north and E ...

for two weeks of

sea trial A sea trial is the testing phase of a watercraft (including boats, ships, and submarines). It is also referred to as a " shakedown cruise" by many naval personnel. It is usually the last phase of construction and takes place on open water, and ...

s on 1 February 2007. Upon completing sea trials, the icebreaker returned to St. Petersburg Baltic shipyard and started preparations for her maiden voyage to

Murmansk Murmansk (Russian: ''Мурманск'' lit. "Norwegian coast"; Finnish: ''Murmansk'', sometimes ''Muurmanski'', previously ''Muurmanni''; Norwegian: ''Norskekysten;'' Northern Sámi: ''Murmánska;'' Kildin Sámi: ''Мурман ланнҍ'') i ...

. The new ship showed superior characteristics for an icebreaker, such as exceptional maneuverability and a top speed of . She arrived at her homeport

on 11 April 2007. The icebreaker is an upgrade of the ''Arktika'' class. The long and wide vessel, with a

displacement Displacement may refer to: Physical sciences Mathematics and Physics *Displacement (geometry), is the difference between the final and initial position of a point trajectory (for instance, the center of mass of a moving object). The actual path ...

of 25,840 metric tons, is designed to break through ice up to thick. She has a crew of 140. ''50 Let Pobedy'' is also an experimental project; for the first time in the history of Russian icebreakers the design incorporated a

spoon-shaped bow The bow () is the forward part of the hull of a ship or boat, the point that is usually most forward when the vessel is underway. The aft end of the boat is the stern. Prow may be used as a synonym for bow or it may mean the forward-most part ...

. As predicted by the ship's designers, such a shape increases the efficiency of the ship's efforts in breaking the ice. The icebreaker is equipped with an all-new digital automated control system. The biological shielding complex was heavily modernized and re-certified by the State Commission. A new ecological compartment was created. The ship has an athletic/exercise facility, a swimming pool, a library, a restaurant, a massage facility, and a music salon at the crew's disposal.

Arctic tourism

Since 1989 the nuclear-powered icebreakers have also been used for tourist purposes carrying passengers to the North Pole. Each participant pays up to US$45,000 for a cruise lasting two weeks. The ''Fiftieth Anniversary of Victory'' contains an accommodation deck customised for tourists.

Quark Expeditions Quark Expeditions is an expedition travel company. The company offers Polar Region expeditions aboard purpose-built expedition ships and icebreakers. History Quark Expeditions was founded in 1985 by Mike McDowell, initially specializing in sm ...

chartered ''50 Let Pobedy'' (which they refer to as ''50 Years of Victory'') for expeditions to the North Pole in 2008. The ship carried 128 guests in 64 cabins in five categories. As of February 2013, Quark Expeditions as well as international polar cruise company Poseidon Expeditions were both offering North Pole cruises on 50 Let Pobedy. On 30 July 2013 ''50 Let Pobedy'' reached the North Pole for the 100th time in the history of icebreaker navigation during one of

Poseidon Expeditions Poseidon Expeditions is a provider of polar expeditions. The company was started in 1999 as a tour operator specializing in expedition cruises to the North Pole and the Russian High Arctic aboard icebreakers and ice-strengthened ships. His ...

cruises. In October 2013, the vessel carried the

Olympic Flame The Olympic flame is a symbol used in the Olympic movement. It is also a symbol of continuity between ancient and modern games. Several months before the Olympic Games, the Olympic flame is lit at Olympia, Greece. This ceremony starts the Olympic ...

to the North Pole, in the runup to the

2014 Winter Olympics , ''Zharkie. Zimnie. Tvoi'') , nations = 88 , events = 98 in 7 sports (15 disciplines) , athletes = 2,873 , opening = 7 February 2014 , closing = 23 February 2014 , opened_by = President Vladimir Putin , cauldron = , stadium = Fisht Olympic ...

In August 2017, the vessel set a new record for transit time to the North Pole, making the journey from Murmansk to the Pole in 79 hours, arriving at 02:33 AM on 17 August 2017.

References

LNG carrier An LNG carrier is a tank ship designed for transporting liquefied natural gas (LNG). History The first LNG carrier ''Methane Pioneer'' () carrying , classed by Bureau Veritas, left the Calcasieu River on the Louisiana Gulf coast on 25 January ...

'' Christophe de Margerie'' from China to the north Russian port of

Sabetta Sabetta (russian: Сабетта) is the location of a port and liquified natural gas (LNG) plant— Yamal LNG—on the Yamal Peninsula, in the north of Russia along the Northern Sea Route. Location The site chosen for the port is on the western ...

on the

Northern Sea Route The Northern Sea Route (NSR) (russian: Се́верный морско́й путь, ''Severnyy morskoy put'', shortened to Севморпуть, ''Sevmorput'') is a shipping route officially defined by Russian legislation as lying east of Nov ...

Sovcomflot Sovcomflot (russian: ПАО «Совкомфлот», ПАО «Современный коммерческий флот», , Modern Commercial Fleet). Sovcomflot is Russia's largest shipping company, and one of the global leaders in the maritime ...

video via ''

The Siberian Times ''The Siberian Times'' is an English-language news website that was originally launched in Novosibirsk, Russia in 2012. According to the editor of the website, Svetlana Skarbo, their aim is to challenge stereotypes about the region which have b ...

'', 17 February 2021. {{Nuclear surface ships Nuclear-powered icebreakers Icebreakers of Russia 1993 ships Ships built at the Baltic Shipyard

History

Arctic tourism

References

External links