''Professor Molchanov'' (russian: «Профессор Молчанов») is a Russian (formerly

Soviet The Soviet Union,. officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. (USSR),. was a List of former transcontinental countries#Since 1700, transcontinental country that spanned much of Eurasia from 1922 to 1991. A flagship communist state, ...

) ice-strengthened oceanographic

research vessel A research vessel (RV or R/V) is a ship or boat designed, modified, or equipped to carry out research at sea. Research vessels carry out a number of roles. Some of these roles can be combined into a single vessel but others require a dedicated ...

. The ship was built in Finland in 1983 and is now converted to passenger duties for the expedition cruise market.

Research vessel

''Professor Molchanov'' is an Akademik Shuleykin-class ice-strengthened vessel, built in

Finland Finland ( fi, Suomi ; sv, Finland ), officially the Republic of Finland (; ), is a Nordic country in Northern Europe. It shares land borders with Sweden to the northwest, Norway to the north, and Russia to the east, with the Gulf of B ...

for the

Soviet Union The Soviet Union,. officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. (USSR),. was a transcontinental country that spanned much of Eurasia from 1922 to 1991. A flagship communist state, it was nominally a federal union of fifteen national ...

. Launched on 28 December 1982, she was named after

Pavel Molchanov Pavel Alexandrovich Molchanov (russian: Павел Александрович Молчанов) ( in Volosovo, Russian Empire – October 1941 in Leningrad, Russian SFSR) was a Soviet Russian meteorologist and the inventor of the first Russian r ...

radiosonde A radiosonde is a battery-powered telemetry instrument carried into the atmosphere usually by a weather balloon that measures various atmospheric parameters and transmits them by radio to a ground receiver. Modern radiosondes measure or calcula ...

inventor, on his 90th anniversary. Between 26 January 1983 and 7 September 1991, the ship was used for polar and oceanographic research. She made 34 research cruises as a Soviet research vessel, including three global

hydrology Hydrology () is the scientific study of the movement, distribution, and management of water on Earth and other planets, including the water cycle, water resources, and environmental watershed sustainability. A practitioner of hydrology is calle ...

expeditions held by

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

Hydrometeorological Administration: *28 April 1984 - 10 June 1984, through

North Sea The North Sea lies between Great Britain, Norway, Denmark, Germany, the Netherlands and Belgium. An epeiric sea on the European continental shelf, it connects to the Atlantic Ocean through the English Channel in the south and the Norwegian S ...

Norwegian Sea The Norwegian Sea ( no, Norskehavet; is, Noregshaf; fo, Norskahavið) is a marginal sea, grouped with either the Atlantic Ocean or the Arctic Ocean, northwest of Norway between the North Sea and the Greenland Sea, adjoining the Barents Sea to ...

, north-eastern

Atlantic Ocean The Atlantic Ocean is the second-largest of the world's five oceans, with an area of about . It covers approximately 20% of Earth's surface and about 29% of its water surface area. It is known to separate the " Old World" of Africa, Europe ...

Barents Sea The Barents Sea ( , also ; no, Barentshavet, ; russian: Баренцево море, Barentsevo More) is a marginal sea of the Arctic Ocean, located off the northern coasts of Norway and Russia and divided between Norwegian and Russian territo ...

*19 September 1989 - 30 November 1989, through

Greenland Sea The Greenland Sea is a body of water that borders Greenland to the west, the Svalbard archipelago to the east, Fram Strait and the Arctic Ocean to the north, and the Norwegian Sea and Iceland to the south. The Greenland Sea is often defined as p ...

North Atlantic Ocean The Atlantic Ocean is the second-largest of the world's five oceans, with an area of about . It covers approximately 20% of Earth's surface and about 29% of its water surface area. It is known to separate the "Old World" of Africa, Europe an ...

, Norwegian Sea, Barents Sea *12 December 1989 - 22 February 1990, through Norwegian Sea,

South Atlantic Ocean The Atlantic Ocean is the second-largest of the world's five oceans, with an area of about . It covers approximately 20% of Earth's surface and about 29% of its water surface area. It is known to separate the "Old World" of Africa, Europe and ...

, Barents Sea, North Sea, North Atlantic Ocean Since 2012, annual expeditions have been conducted on board the ship within the framework of the

Northern (Arctic) Federal University Northern (Arctic) Federal University named after M.V. Lomonosov (russian: Северный (Арктический) Федеральный университет имени М. В. Ломоносова), or NArFU for short, is a Federal Univers ...

Floating University project.

Passenger ship

The ship was converted for passenger use, and is now operated by Oceanwide Expeditions for expedition cruising in high latitudes. She has one suite, 23 twin cabins and 2 triple cabins. The public areas consist of a lounge and bar, small library, infirmary, and sauna. The dining room also serves as a lecture room. There are viewing areas on the open deck and passengers are usually welcome on the bridge. She has

Zodiac The zodiac is a belt-shaped region of the sky that extends approximately 8° north or south (as measured in celestial latitude) of the ecliptic, the Sun path, apparent path of the Sun across the celestial sphere over the course of the year. ...

craft for landings and wildlife viewing.

References

{{reflist

External links

Oceanwide Expeditions
Akademik Shuleykin-class oceanographic research vessels 1983 ships Finland–Soviet Union relations Barents Sea Expedition cruising