Construction
The leading vessel in Russia’s second nuclear icebreaker class, Arktika became the classification name for four icebreakers to follow: the Sibir in 1977, Rossia in 1985, Sovetskiy Soyus in 1989, and the Yamal in 1992. The Arktika is a double-hulled ice breaker; the outer hull is 48 mm (1.89 in) thick, the inner 25 mm (0.98 in) thick, with the space in between utilized for water ballasting. At the strongest point, the cast steel prow is 50 cm (19 ¾ in) thick and bow shaped to aid in icebreaking, the curve applying greater and more dynamic force to fracture the ice than a straight bow would. Maximum ice thickness it can break through is approximately 5 meters (16.4 ft). Common to many icebreakers, the Arktika also has an Air Bubbling System (ABS) which delivers 24 m3/s of steam from jets 9 m (29.5 ft) below the surface to further aid in the breakup of ice. The ship is divided by eight bulkheads, providing nine watertight compartments in the event of disaster and can undergo short towing operations when needed. It also comes equipped with a helicopter pad and hangar on the aft of the ship. Mil Mi-2 Hoplite, dubbed ptichka-Russian for little bird, or Kamov Ka-27 Helix helicopter, used for scouting expeditions to find safe routes through the ice flows.
Read more about this topic: Arktika Class Icebreaker
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