Captains and icebreakers. Interview with the captain of the icebreaker "50 Years of Victory" D.V. Lobusov
Current page: 1 (total book has 2 pages) [available reading excerpt: 1 pages]
Nikita Kuznetsov
Polar captains of the Russian and Soviet fleets
Copyright © Paulson 2014
© Kuznetsov N. A., 2014
* * *
Cities do not call us to themselves,
The artist does not paint portraits.
We are heavy, like our ships,
And like our ships, we are reliable.
And in the storm, and in the polar night
Our work never ends
We are ready to help anyone
Sailors of the icebreaker fleet.
The lines of the scientist and bard A. M. Gorodnitsky perfectly reflect the essence of the work of captains and crews of icebreakers. The writer-sailor V.V. Konetsky, who himself repeatedly sailed along the Northern Sea Route, spoke figuratively and succinctly about them: “Icebreakers are like ruthless surgeons overloaded with operations. They serve on icebreakers, they work on transports.”
"Ermak" is preparing to enter the test, Newcastle-upon-Tyne, February 1899
The captains of ice-going vessels have always been among the elite of the fleet. This is due to the conditions in which they have to work, the diversity of the tasks performed, and the enormous responsibility. Icebreakers and, accordingly, their captains have always been few in number, and almost every one of them deserves to be immortalized. We will tell only about three outstanding sailors from a whole galaxy of conquerors of the ice seas - M. P. Vasiliev, M. Ya. Sorokin and Yu. K. Khlebnikov, whose biographies were somehow connected with the Ermak icebreaker.
M. P. Vasiliev - the first commander of "Ermak"
Mikhail Petrovich Vasiliev was born on October 17, 1857 in the city of Petrokov in the Kingdom of Poland (part of the Russian Empire until 1917) in the family of a retired colonel. On November 25, 1873, Mikhail entered the service of a volunteer conductor of the 2nd class, that is, a draftsman, in the Warsaw Fortress Engineering Administration. But already in 1874, he decided to choose a career as a sailor and became a cadet at the Naval School (as the Naval Corps was called from 1867 to 1891). Five years later, on August 30, 1879, Vasiliev received the rank of midshipman. During his studies, he in 1878-1879. made an overseas voyage on the frigate "Minin".
The young officer began his service on the Baltic Sea, in the 4th naval crew, and on February 1, 1882, he was transferred to the Pacific Ocean, to the Siberian flotilla. The main task of her ships was considered to be the protection of the natural resources of the Far East from foreign poachers.
The cruiser "Vityaz" after the accident, 1893
In 1883–1887 Vasiliev served as an auditor on the Abrek clipper. His official duties, in addition to the general ship service, included the management of all monetary capital, financial responsibility for the maintenance of parts of the ship's property, and record keeping. "Abrek" made trips to the Sea of Japan, the Sea of Okhotsk and the Bering Sea, and hydrographic work was carried out during the voyage. Vasiliev also took part in them - in the Kii Strait, off the southeastern coast of the Patience Peninsula (Sakhalin Island), Tyuleny Island, the Feklistov Islands and Bolshoi Shantar. On January 1, 1884, he was promoted to the rank of lieutenant.
In the wardroom of the cruiser Vityaz, 1892–1893 From left to right: assistant senior mechanical engineer V. A. Obnorsky, lieutenant I. I. Chagin, midshipman O. O. Richter, doctor I. V. Yastrebov, doctor P. M. Gubarev, unknown official, unknown doctor, lieutenant A A. Zurov, senior mechanical engineer T. F. Zagulyaev, lieutenant M. P. Vasiliev.
M. P. Vasiliev left the Far East on October 16, 1887 on the steamer of the Volunteer Fleet "Moscow", at the head of the echelon of the lower ranks of the Siberian crew transferred to the reserve. In January of the following year, he was officially transferred to the Baltic Fleet and enrolled in the 1st naval crew. In 1888–1889 Mikhail Petrovich studied at the Mine Officer Class, an educational institution designed to train specialist officers, after which he received the rank of mine officer of the 2nd category (since 1892 - 1st).
October 3, 1889 Vasiliev was appointed mine officer of the Vityaz corvette. This ship gained fame thanks to the perfect in 1885-1889. circumnavigation under the command of Captain 1st Rank S. O. Makarov, during which systematic oceanographic research was carried out in the Pacific Ocean. Their results were included in the book by S. O. Makarov “Vityaz and the Pacific Ocean”.
In September 1891, the Vityaz again set off for the Far East. During this voyage, M.P. Vasiliev served as a senior officer. The ship, which since 1892 was listed as a cruiser of the 1st rank, was not lucky. On April 28, 1893, off the east coast of the Korean Peninsula, at the entrance to Port Lazarev Bay, he jumped out onto stones that were not marked on the map. Rescue work continued until May 31, and it seemed that the Vityaz could be saved, but, alas ... Its hull was destroyed by a sudden storm. On June 20, most of the sailors, led by the cruiser commander, captain 1st rank S. A. Zarin, set off for Vladivostok. MP Vasiliev and 11 sailors remained at the crash site to monitor the wreckage of the ship and protect the salvaged property.
Captain 2nd rank M.P. Vasiliev - commander of the icebreaker "Ermak"
After that, Vasiliev returned to the Baltic. On January 16, 1894, he married the daughter of Lieutenant General Egershtrem, Maria Nikolaevna, on October 20, their son Vladimir was born. On May 14, 1896, Vasiliev was promoted to captain of the 2nd rank for distinction. In 1894–1896 he commanded the destroyers "Kotka", No. 102, "Sokol", and on January 1, 1897 he was appointed to the post of senior officer of the squadron battleship "Emperor Nicholas I".
At this time, on the initiative of Admiral S. O. Makarov, the construction of the world's first linear icebreaker Yermak began at the English shipyard Armstrong, Whitworth and Co. in Newcastle. It is not known where and when the two prominent sailors met, but it was Makarov who offered Vasilyev to take command of the ship under construction.
In the book “Ermak in the Ice,” Makarov noted: “During the summer of 1898, I commanded the Practical Squadron of the Baltic Sea and therefore could not personally monitor the progress of work on the Yermak. In the middle of summer, Captain 2nd Rank Mikhail Petrovich Vasiliev, who I had chosen as commander, went there. He had just returned this spring from the Pacific Ocean, where he was a senior officer on the battleship Emperor Nicholas I. He is a man of great knowledge and an amazingly pleasant disposition. I was always very pleased with this choice afterwards.
The ceremony of launching the icebreaker took place on October 17, 1898, M. N. Vasilyeva became his “godmother”. The completion and testing of the Yermak took a little time, and already on March 4, 1898, he arrived in Kronstadt. Work for the icebreaker was found immediately: without going to St. Petersburg, where a solemn meeting was being prepared for him, the Yermak went to Revel, from whom he freed the steamers jammed with ice.
In 1899–1900 the icebreaker was owned by the Ministry of Finance and sailed under the flag of the commercial fleet, and its crew consisted of civilian sailors hired by freelancers - with the exception of the commander and several naval officers. This state of affairs predetermined further discussions about the use of Yermak and, ultimately, its fate for more than three decades. The Ministry of Finance primarily wanted to make a profit, while Makarov sought to engage in scientific research. And at the first stage he achieved his goal - in 1899, Yermak went to the Arctic.
Admiral S. O. Makarov on the deck of the Yermak during the first Arctic voyage, 1899
The first voyage lasted from May 29 to June 14. In the region of the southern tip of Svalbard, a leak was discovered in the hull, and they had to return back to Newcastle for repairs. Fortunately, the damage to the hull turned out to be insignificant, and in general the expedition was recognized as quite successful.
The second voyage began on 14 July and ended on 16 August. His route also passed in the Svalbard region. Scientific research was carried out, concrete signs-"brands" were installed at conspicuous places on the coast. During the campaign, the icebreaker received a hole in the bow, but despite this, Makarov did not change his plans, and for some time the Yermak went with a flooded bow compartment.
Cover of the first edition of the book by S. O. Makarov "Ermak" in the ice" (St. Petersburg, 1901)
As a result of two voyages, Makarov wrote the book "Ermak" in the Ice, which was published in 1901. The results of scientific observations were of great value, and some of them were a kind of novelty. For example, Makarov invented a method for calculating the path of a ship during an ice voyage. A lot of footage was filmed. The experience of the summer expedition showed that although the ice is not an insurmountable obstacle for the icebreaker, the strength of the hull is still insufficiently ensured.
The cause of the damage was recognized as the weakness of the bow - there, according to the model of the "American" type icebreakers, a nose propeller was installed. If for work in the Baltic or on the Great Lakes, where such a design was born, it was the best fit, then for swimming in the polar seas, the contours of the bow had to be changed, and the propeller removed.
After lengthy and heated discussions between Makarov and members of the interdepartmental commission, on November 18, 1899, a decision was made to rebuild the bow at the Armstrong plant. The British successfully completed the work and in September 1900 launched the converted bow. Changing its shape did not affect the quality of the icebreaker's work in the Baltic, but at the same time, the possibilities of polar navigation increased significantly. However, during this period, Makarov could no longer devote much time to his offspring. “On December 6, my appointment as the Chief Commander of the Kronstadt port took place. In this position, I was not as free as before, when I was the senior flag officer, and since that time I have never been able to personally sail on an icebreaker. He made all subsequent voyages with his commander M.P. Vasiliev, who masterfully managed this peculiar ship, ”wrote the admiral.
M. P. Vasilyev during the first voyage of the Yermak to the Arctic
Ermak played an important role in rescuing the coastal defense battleship General-Admiral Apraksin, which on November 13, 1899, as a result of a navigational error, jumped onto the shallows off the southeastern coast of Gogland Island. It was not possible to immediately remove the battleship from the shallows, and rescue work had to be postponed until spring. At the same time, there was a danger that the ice would crush the armadillo's hull. It was then that "Ermak" was needed. In addition, various materials and coal were delivered to Apraksin on the icebreaker. In April 1900, "Yermak" managed to pull the battleship off the stone ridge and bring it safely to Aspe.
“Ermak and its valiant commander, Captain 2nd Rank Vasiliev, Apraksin owes salvation. In an impenetrable snow blizzard, the battleship, wrapped in chains stretched out into a string, steel and hemp cables that attached one thousand five hundred square feet of plasters, walked for seven hours in the Yermak stream through ice fields between individual blocks of hummock formation and a channel punched in solid ice, and not a single chain, not a single cable was cut by ice, ”wrote Rear Admiral Z. P. Rozhestvensky, commander of the Training and Artillery Detachment of the Baltic Fleet, to Makarov.
In March 1901, Makarov proposed to the Minister of Finance S.Yu. Witte a project for a new polar expedition, whose tasks included exploring the lands located north of Spitsbergen, the northern and western parts of the Kara Sea. The idea was considered by the chairman of the Department of Industry, Sciences and Trade of the State Council, Admiral N. M. Chikhachev, who issued a negative opinion. Did not support the proposal and Witte. The expedition nevertheless took place, but the research area was limited to the northern and western coasts of Novaya Zemlya.
Map of the voyages of "Ermak" in 1899 and 1901.
The campaign lasted from May 16 to September 1, 1901. The ice near the northern part of Novaya Zemlya turned out to be impassable for Yermak. Nevertheless, considerable success was achieved: two voyages to Franz Josef Land were made, a map of Novaya Zemlya from Dry Nose to the Admiralty Peninsula was compiled, a large amount of materials on glaciology was collected, and deep-sea and magnetic studies were carried out. Almost all the scientists who took part in the voyage left notes and reports in which they highly appreciated the results.
The experience of the first years of operation of Yermak turned out to be simply invaluable. The icebreaker was, in fact, an "experimental stand" on which design solutions, methods of ice navigation, etc. were worked out. New information was provided not only by successes, but literally by every breakdown, every hole. The merit of the ship's commander, M.P. Vasiliev, is enormous. On February 1, 1900, Makarov wrote to him: “Your work with Yermak is a good name, and I am extremely happy to hear the best reviews from everyone.”
Shortly after the voyage to Novaya Zemlya, MP Vasiliev returned to the navy. On October 8, 1901, “by agreement of the Department of Merchant Shipping and the personal order of the chief commander of the Kronstadt port, Admiral Makarov,” Lieutenant A.K. For some time, Mikhail Petrovich commanded the naval gunboat "Brave", and in 1903 he held the position of head of destroyers and their teams of the 20th naval crew.
After the unsuccessful start of the Russo-Japanese War, the post of commander of the fleet in the Pacific was taken over by Vice Admiral S. O. Makarov, who soon offered Vasilyev to become the flag captain of his headquarters. He took this position on March 9, 1904, and already on the 28th, an order was issued to appoint Vasilyev as commander of the Tsesarevich squadron battleship. But he did not have time to take command of the ship ...
On the morning of March 31, having learned about the death of the Terrible destroyer in a battle with the Japanese, Makarov ordered to immediately go to sea. At 9.43, at a distance of two miles from the coast, the Petropavlovsk touched a mine with its starboard side. Her explosion caused the detonation of ammunition on the battleship itself, which sank after 2 minutes. About 650 people died, including S. O. Makarov, his chief of staff, Rear Admiral M. P. Molas, and the famous battle painter V. V. Vereshchagin. Only 80 crew members managed to escape.
Admiral S. O. Makarov and the squadron battleship Petropavlovsk. Postcard, 1904
For Admiral Makarov and the dead sailors, not only Port Arthur mourned, but all of Russia. Even Japanese poets composed poems in memory of Makarov. According to a modern historian, “Fate decreed that S. O. Makarov had the opportunity to lead the Port Arthur squadron for a very short time, just over a month. During this time, he could not achieve any significant success in the war at sea for quite objective reasons. But the “restless admiral” did the main thing - he raised the morale of the sailors, made them believe in their strength and the possibility of defeating a more numerous enemy.
After the death of Petropavlovsk, Vasiliev was able to swim to the shore, but died there from a broken heart and was buried in Port Arthur. After the war, the widow, with the help of M. A. Ginsburg (a former supplier of Russian squadrons in the Far East), transported the ashes of her husband to St. Petersburg. On December 28, 1906, he was buried in the Alexander Nevsky Lavra. The team of the icebreaker "Ermak" laid a wreath on the coffin of the first captain of the icebreaker with the inscription: "Dear Mikhail Petrovich, our dear commander, peace be upon you - an honest man."
The grave of M.P. Vasiliev has not survived to this day. But the memory of him remained - an island in the Tsivolki group of the Nordenskiöld archipelago (Kara Sea), a cape on the island of Wiener Neustadt of the Franz Josef Land archipelago, a glacier on the island of Western Spitsbergen are named after him.
M. Ya. Sorokin - the patriarch of Russian ice navigation
That is what the sailors called this illustrious captain, who was remembered by his contemporaries as a representative of the "old school" of maritime culture. “The mighty Volgar, he was the personification of the courageous beauty of free Russian heroes, until the end of his days he retained the proud and independent posture of a man with a clear conscience, able to defend his point of view and not capable of any deals with his convictions. He was for us the standard of humanity, deep patriotism, professional jewelry skills, the unshakable honor and dignity of the Soviet sailor, ”wrote one of his students, captain of the nuclear icebreaker Arktika, Yu. S. Kuchiev, about Sorokin.
Cruiser of the 1st rank "Aurora". Postcard, drawing by S. D. Vsevolozhsky
Mikhail Yakovlevich Sorokin came from the townspeople of the Tsaritsyno district of the Saratov province. He was born on September 24, 1879 in the village of Akhmatovo, was brought up "with his parents", from 1887 he studied at a parochial school, and then became a sailor on a sailing ship.
In 1901, Sorokin graduated from the Baku nautical classes and, before the Russo-Japanese War, served as an assistant captain of the Tropic cargo-and-passenger steamer of the Russian East Asian Society. With the outbreak of war, Sorokin was called up for active service, enlisting in the 19th naval crew. On July 12, 1904, he was promoted to warrant officer in the naval unit and a month later was appointed watch officer of the Aurora cruiser.
Dark bronze medal "In memory of the voyage of the 2nd Pacific Squadron around Africa to the Far East"
The cruiser as part of the 2nd Pacific Squadron on October 2, 1904 left Libau for the Far East. Under the command of Captain 1st Rank E.R. Egoriev, he made a difficult 224-day transition, which the crew withstood with honor.
The Aurora was part of the cruising detachment of Admiral O. A. Enkvist, who held the flag on the cruiser Oleg. On the first day of the Battle of Tsushima, May 14, 1905, the cruisers covered the column of Russian transports. From 14.30 to 16.30 they fought with superior Japanese forces, and then retreated under the protection of a column of Russian battleships.
The ship received 18 hits from 3 to 8 inch shells. Fragments of one of them penetrated through the viewing slot into the conning tower, where almost all the officers who were there were wounded. The wound of E. R. Egoryev turned out to be fatal, and the command of the cruiser was taken by a senior officer, Captain 2nd Rank A. K. Nebolsin, himself seriously wounded.
In total, 10 people were killed in the battle and 89 were wounded (of which 6 were mortally). The ship received damage to the hull and superstructures, one 152-mm and five 75-mm guns and an artillery fire control system failed.
On the night of May 15, Admiral Enquist decided to abandon the breakthrough to Vladivostok and go south. Oleg, Aurora and Zhemchug arrived at the port of Manila in the Philippines on May 21, where they were interned four days later until the end of the war. On May 22, Sorokin was appointed acting junior navigator of the Aurora, which returned to the Baltic on February 19, 1906.
Mikhail Yakovlevich remained to serve in the navy in 1906–1907. He was the chief of the watch on the gunboat "Storm" and transport "Angara".
On April 30, 1907, he was promoted to second lieutenant in the Admiralty, and in September of the same year he was seconded to the Main Hydrographic Department. In 1908–1914
Sorokin commanded the port ship (former gunboat) "Storm", gradually "growing up" in rank: on May 12, 1908, after passing the exam, he became a lieutenant, and on March 25, 1912 - a staff captain.
M. Ya. Sorokin in the form of a staff captain of the Corps of Hydrographers of the Russian Imperial Fleet, 1914
The journalist S. T. Morozov, who spoke with M. Ya. Sorokin, wrote about this time: “Serving in hydrography is not only honorable, but also troublesome, restless. Months at sea, rare weeks on shore. The ship Burya, which constantly sailed in the Finnish skerries, did not often call at the port of Helsingfors. The young commander had a lot of worries - sounding depths, furnishing the fairways with navigation signs. In 1911, Sorokin married the daughter of a goldsmith, Nelli Viktorovna Lindors. Morozov noted: "The gray-eyed Swede Nelly rarely saw her Michel at home."
From May 1914 to 1918, Sorokin commanded the port (since 1915 - hydrographic) ship Azimut, built for the Commission for the Survey of Finnish Skerries. The activities of hydrographers to ensure the safety of navigation became especially important during the First World War. The Hydrographic Expedition and the Commission for the Survey of Finnish Skerries were combined into a Special Purpose Hydrographic Detachment, subordinate to the commander of the fleet. The main tasks of the detachment were to search for and equip strategic fairways for entering the skerries from the sea and sailing along the skerries themselves.
During the war years, Sorokin was awarded the military orders of St. Stanislav II degree with swords (February 16, 1915) and St. Anna IV degree with the inscription "For Courage" (November 12, 1915). Also, for distinction in service, on March 22, 1915, he was promoted to the rank of captain of the Hydrograph Corps. On May 3, 1917, Mikhail Yakovlevich, while remaining commander of the Azimut, became the head of the party of the Hydrographic Detachment of the Finnish Skerries.
After the October Revolution, Sorokin remained to serve in the Navy. In the spring of 1918, he commanded the Azimuth during the Ice Campaign of the Baltic Fleet ships from Helsingfors to Kronstadt, and then took over one of the minesweepers. In 1921, after the Kronstadt rebellion, the former officer was arrested. He was soon released, but was demobilized from the fleet.
Hydrographic vessel "Azimuth"
Then Mikhail Yakovlevich returned to the civilian fleet. S. T. Morozov told about his life during this period: “He was given honorary positions. Either they were appointed a naval inspector, that is, senior over all other captains, or they were instructed to prepare for navigation one of the first merchant steamers at that time, or they were sent to icebreakers. It was a responsible matter - to guide transport ships in the ice to the port of Leningrad. Captain Sorokin quickly made friends with the harsh winter Baltic. And with the authorities - both in the shipping company and in the port - he lived at odds. He expressed his opinions about the mistakes made to everyone in the face. Therefore, he soon earned a reputation as a obstinate, wayward person.
For some time, Sorokin was the first mate on the Svyatogor icebreaker (from 1927 - Krasin), then - the captain of the Franz Mehring passenger-and-freight ship.
In 1924–1925 he served as a marine inspector of the Leningrad commercial port, and from the mid-1920s. until 1932 (with interruptions) he commanded the Krasin icebreaker.
In 1928–1932 Mikhail Yakovlevich participated in the Kara barter expeditions, the main task of which was the export of timber for export and the delivery of various goods to the North. The expedition of 1929 was planned to be rather large-scale; 27 vessels were supposed to participate in it (in 1928 - only 8). The Krasin, which worked that year in the Western sector of the Arctic, from July 30 to October 4 covered 9,000 miles in the ice and sailed 26 steamers.
Over the next few years, Sorokin was the group captain of the Karsk and Lena expeditions, at the same time being a member of the Commission for Supervision of the Construction of the First Powerful Soviet Icebreakers of the Iosif Stalin Type. In the spring of 1938, he became the captain of the Yermak, which he commanded until 1947, and also in 1950-1951.
During the Kars expedition in 1929. From left to right: M. I. Shevelev, E. P. Puishe, Afanasiev, N. I. Evgenov, G. Ya. Vangengeim, M. Ya. Sorokin
Navigation in 1938 proved to be very difficult. On March 15, "Ermak" under the command of V. I. Voronin delivered the rescued "Papanin" to Leningrad, and on May 11 he left for Murmansk. Five caravans of ships wintered in the Arctic, remaining there after a difficult and unsuccessful navigation last year. In addition, the icebreaking ships Malygin, Sadko and Sedov drifted in the Central Polar Basin. During the operation to liberate the Malygin and Sadko, the Yermak set a new record, reaching 83 ° 06 'north latitude in free navigation. From this point to the North Pole remained 420 miles.
In total, during the navigation of 1938, Yermak traveled 13,000 miles, of which 2,617 were in ice, while freeing 17 wintering steamers.
One of the issues of the newspaper "Through the Ice", published on the icebreaker "Ermak" in the 1930s
It is not surprising that after such work, for half of 1939, the icebreaker stood in Kronstadt for repairs. On February 21, the 40th anniversary of the Yermak, which went on a regular flight on July 16, was solemnly celebrated. In the fall, he again worked as an escort in the Kara Sea, on November 3 he returned to Murmansk, and in December, having crossed the war zone, he moved to Liepaja and then to Leningrad.
When the "Winter" (Soviet-Finnish) war began on November 30, 1939, "Ermak" continued to release ships and ships from ice. In December, the icebreaker was transferred to the jurisdiction of the Red Banner Baltic Fleet (KBF) and armed. Especially a lot of work fell on the vessel in the last days of the year, when the difficult ice conditions were supplemented by intense meteorological conditions - forty-degree frosts and a snow blizzard. The situation for Yermak was further complicated by the fact that after returning from the Arctic, it had a shortage of crew, which had to be urgently replenished. From December 30, 1939 to January 3, 1940, Yermak provided escort for the October Revolution battleship during fire reconnaissance of the Saaremiya battery. In January, the Yermak was repeatedly attacked by Finnish aircraft, and at the end of the month it was fired upon by the Tarmo icebreaker.
In April 1940, Yermak led a caravan of transports to Hanko Bay - this peninsula was leased by the USSR under the terms of a peace treaty. For distinction during the Soviet-Finnish War, a number of icebreaker crew members were nominated for government awards. The commandant and military commissar of Yermak turned to the Military Council of the KBF with a request to petition the government to award the ship with an order, but this event took place only nine years later. But on July 5, M. Ya. Sorokin was awarded the Order of Lenin.
In the summer of 1940, the Yermak was returned to its former owner, the Leningrad office of the Glavsevmorput, and it met the beginning of the Great Patriotic War while being under repair in the Leningrad port. Already on June 27, 1941, the icebreaker came under the control of the Red Banner Baltic Fleet, along with the crew and all property. Since October 4, he was in the Detachment of armed icebreakers, which was part of the Detachment of military transports, which, in turn, was subordinate to the Special Purpose Detachment of the KBF. From January 14, 1942, the icebreaker detachment was headed by M. Ya. Sorokin, who on June 2 of the same year was awarded the rank of captain of the 2nd rank.
"Ermak" again received weapons, the composition of which has changed several times; by 1944 it consisted of six 45 mm guns. Soon the old icebreaker took the fight: on September 9, during a night raid by German aircraft, one of the bombs exploded 10 meters from the side. At the same time, the bridge and the wheelhouse were damaged. On September 20, a tragic incident occurred with Yermak. Following the Sea Canal, he collided with the Hydrograph hydrographic vessel, which sank as a result of this (it was raised in June 1944).
The first military task of "Yermak" was to guide a caravan of ships with equipment and troops to the area of forts Krasnaya Gorka and Gray Horse; the wounded were brought back. On September 23, Kronstadt was subjected to a massive air raid, but the icebreaker was lucky enough to avoid enemy bombs.
In November and December, Yermak provided ice escort for ships between Leningrad and Kronstadt. He made 16 flights, and each of them was associated with no small danger. Captain Sorokin noted: "Ice - from below, bombs from above, shells - from the side ...". The enemy constantly sought to disable the icebreaker with artillery fire. The most dangerous section of the Sea Canal ran from the end of the dams to the Peterhof buoy (3–5 miles). Our sailors could not cope with enemy batteries on their own due to insufficient firepower, and an attempt by Soviet artillery from Kronstadt was unsuccessful due to the good camouflage of the batteries themselves.
Captains V. I. Voronin and M. Ya. Sorokin on the bridge of the icebreaker "Joseph Stalin", June 21, 1948. Exposition of the Russian State Museum of the Arctic and Antarctic (St. Petersburg)
Shell hits were noted repeatedly: on November 26, December 1 and 5. The sides of the icebreaker were pierced below and above the waterline, decks, guns and mechanisms were damaged, two boats and outboard ladders were broken. Fragments riddled the pipes and outer skin. On December 1, a shell hit the engine room and broke the water main, but this damage was repaired by the engine crew. The next day, the icebreaker led the Vakhur steamer to Leningrad, on board of which were the defenders of Hanko.
December 8 at 22.45 in the Peterhof area, leading the destroyer Stoykiy in tow, Yermak was blown up by a bottom mine. The explosion occurred in the bow, and the hull and second deck were severely deformed. One sailor was killed and several were injured. This is how M. Ya. Sorokin described this sad event in his diary: “The explosion was very strong, even the antenna yard under the mast was broken. From the explosion, the icebreaker was thrown, like a chip, to the edge of the canal, the lights went out, on the navigation bridge, from the ejected soil and water, essentially a swamp was formed up to the knees.
Although there were no holes, the deformation of the hull was severe, the skin cracked in some places, the main cast-iron pipe of the water system shattered into pieces, and the upper deck was cracked in the midship area. In addition, the boat was torn off the deck, the pillers were bent in the wardroom, from which the wooden paneling partially flew off. But most importantly, the steering wheel and the car did not suffer. The icebreaker could continue to work.
In December, "Ermak" twice went to the island of Lavensari. During the first campaign, which lasted from December 13 to 15, he rescued 16 ships covered in ice. For the second time, together with the icebreaker "V. Molotov, under enemy fire, managed to withdraw a number of ships and transports. December 28 "Ermak" arrived in Kronstadt. In total, during the first military navigation, he made 22 campaigns and escorted 89 ships (according to other sources - 74). According to M. Ya. Sorokin, the crew lost one person killed, 18 people were seriously injured, the same number were slightly injured. The last combat mission completed by Yermak in the initial period of the war was the deployment of the Red Banner Baltic Fleet ships on the Neva.
Due to the lack of coal, Yermak was laid up on January 10, 1942, and for almost two and a half years stood motionless at the Palace Embankment. But not only supply difficulties posed a threat to Makarov's offspring: on June 10, 1942, a bomb exploded near the side. The ship's hull was damaged.
On August 1, almost all the Yermakovites left for the land front. 15 people remained on the ship, necessary to keep it in a "live" state. Shortly before that, on July 25, 1942, M. Ya. Sorokin was awarded the Order of the Red Banner.
The need for a powerful icebreaker arose only after the lifting of the blockade of Leningrad, Finland's withdrawal from the war and the beginning of the navigation of Soviet, Finnish and Swedish ships in the eastern part of the Baltic. In 1944, Yermak was withdrawn from the KBF. The crew returned to the icebreaker, and in December its forty-sixth ice navigation began. However, Sorokin remained a sailor - on April 28, 1945 he was awarded the rank of captain of the 1st rank, and on December 2 he was awarded the Order of Nakhimov, 2nd degree. Only on September 26, 1946, he was fired from the navy.
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In late March, Arkhangelsk hosted the international Arctic forum "The Arctic Territory of Dialogue". Within the framework of the forum there were expositions, which showed modern Russian technologies for the development of the North. Participants demonstrated domestic breakthrough technologies in the field of responsible resource development and environmental protection.
One of the largest "full-scale" objects of the exposition was the icebreaker of the FSUE "Rosmorport" fleet "Novorossiysk". During the Arctic Forum there was a unique opportunity to get on the icebreaker, which I took advantage of.
On board the Novorossiysk I was met by the captain of the icebreaker, Yaroslav Verzhbitsky, who told me about the icebreaker, about the crew, and about the harsh working days.
- Yaroslav Yaroslavovich, tell us how you became the captain of the Novorossiysk icebreaker? How long did it take to get there?
In 1991 he graduated from the State Maritime Academy named after Admiral S.O. Makarov in St. Petersburg. After that, he worked mainly on small tankers. In 2008, I got the opportunity to get acquainted with the specifics of working on an icebreaker. He became a captain in 2009 on the icebreaker "St. Petersburg" of the "Moskva" project. After that - again as a captain on the icebreaker "Vladivostok", then "Novorossiysk".
2. Icebreaker "Novorossiysk" at the pier of the Red Pier in Arkhangelsk. 
- "Novorossiysk", like "Vladivostok", icebreakers of the same project - 21900M. Are there any differences between them?
There are no differences from Vladivostok, they are exactly the same. The icebreaker "Murmansk" is slightly different, it is the second in the series. It has an external elevator that can be used to lift people with disabilities, while Vladivostok and Novorossiysk do not have this.
3. Navigation bridge of the icebreaker. 
- How do you prepare for work on the new icebreaker?
As I already said, before Novorossiysk I had already worked on an icebreaker of this project. They practically do not differ from each other. Therefore, I did not have any difficulties in mastering the ability to manage new equipment.
4. Central control panel on the navigation bridge. 
- Tell us about the main tasks of the Novorossiysk icebreaker
The main task is icebreaking support for the movement of ships to and from the port. We can conduct both the leading method and in tow. If the situation is very difficult, then we take it in tow, because often ballast ships cannot go on their own, despite a fairly wide channel, or in a situation of strong compression.
5. Helipad 
Do Novorossiysk and Project 21900 icebreakers have any features that can distinguish them from classic icebreakers?
Icebreakers built in recent years are steered by rudder propellers or azipods. If classic icebreakers maneuver by means of the rudder, then the propellers themselves, mounted on the columns, rotate here. Thus, the icebreaker maneuvers.
6.
- How much demand is there for a 16MW plant?
Well, we are already getting not 16MW, but 18MW. More powerful. 16 MW is on the icebreakers "Moskva" and "St. Petersburg". The installation itself is in demand! We were at the right time and in the right place. Two linear icebreakers usually operate in the White Sea: "Dikson" and "Kapitan Dranitsyn". This year, "Captain Dranitsyn" stayed for the winter in Chukotka, we are doing his job.
7. Engine room. 
Is it hard to work on an icebreaker?
Is it hard? Well, you see, if you like the work, then it will not be hard.
8. Navigation bridge. 
- Tell us about your work schedule. Judging by your work in the White Sea, you hardly sleep?
The fact that people are here all the time does not mean that they work around the clock. There is a schedule, while working on the icebreaker in navigation, people work four hours through eight. That is, four hours work and eight rest.
9. Icebreakers FSUE "Rosmorport" "Novorossiysk" and "Kapitan Chadaev" during the escort of the nuclear submarine "Orel". 
- Does the icebreaker have Russian equipment?
The icebreaker itself was built in Vyborg at the Vyborg Shipyard. The icebreaker has a lot of foreign equipment, but also a lot of Russian equipment. For example, there are many systems of the Russian company "Transas", there is cartography, and communications, and much more.
10. Control panel on the left wing of the navigation bridge. 
- How many people are in the crew?
Despite the size of the icebreaker, the entire crew consists of 29 people. Thanks to modern technology, automation, there is no need for a large number of people.
11. CCP - the central control post of the engine room. 
- Can the crew leave the icebreaker in their free time?
If the icebreaker is at the berth, as it is now, then the crew members who are not on watch or on a working day have no obstacles to this.
12. Workshop and warehouse. 
How is the crew resting?
For the rest of the crew, our icebreaker has everything you need. Each crew member has a separate cabin equipped with a bathroom. Also in each cabin there is an outlet for the Internet, we have a ship network.
In addition, we have a sauna with a swimming pool, a gym with exercise equipment, billiards, TVs in almost every cabin.
13. Cabin. 
- Which flight do you remember the most?
Most of all I remember the flight on the icebreaker "St. Petersburg". A few years ago he was sent to the port of Sabetta, and then I saw the Arctic for the first time.
14. Medical block. 
- Tell me, did you get into critical situations and how did you get out of them?
Thank God, there were no such hopeless situations. We are trying to prevent such situations. If this situation occurs, then some kind of flaw has been made. We must try to foresee everything in advance.
15. Hospital. 
- Were there any difficulties in the White Sea?
This year, according to the stories of those who used to work here, the situation is much easier, because at the end of March the White Sea was almost clear of ice.
Ice remained only in the throat of the White Sea. But there were difficulties. When we entered there, there was a difficult ice situation, there were large ice fields with hummocks. They created significant difficulties in piloting vessels, despite the fact that the width of the piloted vessels was significantly inferior to the width of the icebreaker. Behind us was a canal with a width of about 26 meters, and the ships that we saw through were mostly 16-18 meters wide. Although it was easy for them to follow us, the presence of hummocks often made it difficult for them to move. And this is the difference from the situation in the Gulf of Finland, where the ice is thick, but there are no such hummocks.
16. Cabin for a passenger with disabilities. 
17. Bathroom cabin for a passenger with disabilities. 
- I read that in the White Sea you not only conduct ships, but also pass ice tests?
No, this is incorrect. We are planning ice trials in the Kara Sea in April. There at this time you can find ice of appropriate thickness and strength. In order to correctly conduct ice tests, we must work on one and a half meters of ice and continuously move on one meter.
Also, when we came to the White Sea, for three weeks we were testing the latest unmanned aerial vehicles built in Russia.
18. Multi-purpose unmanned helicopter Camcopter S-100 on the helipad of the Novorossiysk icebreaker. 
- Were there any difficulties with the passage to the city of Arkhangelsk?
The ice was not thick, so it was not difficult to enter. In front of our passage, the navigation channel of the Northern Dvina was widened from 20 meters to 26 meters in such a way as not to damage the pedestrian crossings from the mainland to the islands used by people. We were required to be very careful when moving.
19. Canteen crew. 
20. Caboose. 
During the international Arctic forum "Arctic - Territory of Dialogue" the icebreaker is here as one of the exhibits. They say it was used as a hotel. Is it so?
Yes, our icebreaker was in the role of an exhibit of the international forum "Arctic - Territory of Dialogue". As for the hotel, that's an exaggeration. Only representatives of Rosmorport lived here in the amount of 10-12 people.
21. Cabin. 
- Do you have any hobbies?
22. Pool. 
23. Sauna. 
- How do you see the future of the Russian icebreaker fleet?
We are now on the future of the icebreaker fleet and we are! It is worth noting that an even more powerful diesel-electric icebreaker, Viktor Chernomyrdin, is being built at the Baltic Shipyard.
24. Billiard room. 
- Are you proud of your work?
Yes. Not only am I proud, but I also like it, and I also get paid for it.
25. Aft ladder shaft and hoisting device with a work boat. 
- How do you like to spend your holidays and how long does it last?
Vacation lasts 28 days. Also, during the navigation, days off are accumulated, which you can take and rest. I live in the suburbs of St. Petersburg, and my vacation is bringing my country house and land plot into a divine form.
26. A cutout in the stern with a "crinoline" for towing ships close.
Yaroslav Yaroslavovich, thank you for the interview and the tour of the Novorossiysk icebreaker. Impressed with the conditions for the crew. This is not an icebreaker, but a real cruise liner for the northern seas. Good luck in your much needed work!
sdelanounas_en wrote on September 17, 2012The third part is devoted to diesel-electric icebreakers of the "river-sea" class of projects 1105 and 1191, as well as port icebreakers of the Kapitan M. Izmailov type.
1. Diesel-electric icebreaker "Captain M. Izmailov"
Specifications:
Displacement: 2047 tons
Main dimensions: length - 56.3 m, width - 16 m, draft - 4.2 m.
Power: 2.5 MW
Autonomy: 15 days
2. Diesel-electric icebreaker Kapitan Kosolapov
Built in 1976 in Finland at the shipyard of the Wärtsilä company by order of the USSR.
Specifications: coincide with the data of the icebreaker "Captain M. Izmailov"
Home port: Arkhangelsk
Owner: "Rosmorport". Is in operation.
Note:Another icebreaker of this series, Kapitan A. Radjabov, remained in Azerbaijan after the collapse of the USSR, where it continues to operate.
3. Diesel-electric icebreaker "Captain Chechkin"
Specifications:
Displacement: 2240
Main dimensions: length - 77.6 m, width - 16.3 m, draft - 3.5 m.
Maximum travel speed: 13 knots
Power: 3.2 MW
Autonomy: 10 days
Homeport: Astrakhan
Owner: "Rosmorport". Is in operation.
4. Diesel-electric icebreaker Kapitan Plakhin
Built in 1977 in Finland at the Wärtsilä shipyard according to project 1105 for the USSR.
Specifications:
Home port: St. Petersburg
Owner: "Rosmorport". Is in operation.
5. Diesel-electric icebreaker "Captain Chadaev"
Specifications: match the data of the icebreaker "Captain Chechkin"
Home port: Arkhangelsk
Owner: "Rosmorport". Is in operation.
6. Diesel-electric icebreaker "Captain Krutov"
Built in 1978 in Finland at the Wärtsilä shipyard according to project 1105 for the USSR.
Specifications: match the data of the icebreaker "Captain Chechkin"
Home port: Novorossiysk
Owner: "Rosmorport". Is in operation.
7. Diesel-electric icebreaker "Kapitan Bukaev"
Built in 1978 in Finland at the Wärtsilä shipyard according to project 1105 for the USSR.
Specifications: match the data of the icebreaker "Captain Chechkin"
Homeport: Astrakhan
Owner: "Rosmorport". Is in operation.
8. Diesel-electric icebreaker Kapitan Zarubin
Built in 1978 in Finland at the Wärtsilä shipyard according to project 1105 for the USSR.
Specifications: match the data of the icebreaker "Captain Chechkin"
Home port: St. Petersburg
Owner: "Rosmorport". Is in operation.
9. Diesel-electric icebreaker "Captain Evdokimov"
Specifications:
Displacement: 2340 tons
Main dimensions: length - 76.5 m, width - 16.5 m, draft - 2.8 m.
Maximum travel speed: 13 knots
Power: 2.5 MW
Autonomy: 23 days
Home port: Arkhangelsk
Owner: "Rosmorport". Is in operation.
10. Diesel-electric icebreaker "Kapitan Babichev"
Built in 1983 in Finland at the Wärtsilä shipyard according to project 1191 for the USSR.
Specifications:
Home port: Zhatay (Yakutia)
11. Diesel-electric icebreaker Kapitan Chudinov
Built in 1983 in Finland at the Wärtsilä shipyard according to project 1191 for the USSR.
Specifications: coincide with the data of the icebreaker "Kapitan Evdokimov"
Homeport: Rostov-on-Don
Owner: "Rosmorport". Is in operation.
12. Diesel-electric icebreaker "Captain Borodkin"
Built in 1983 in Finland at the Wärtsilä shipyard according to project 1191 for the USSR.
Specifications: coincide with the data of the icebreaker "Kapitan Evdokimov"
Home port: Zhatay (Yakutia)
Owner: LORP. Is in operation.
13. Diesel-electric icebreaker "Avraamiy Zavenyagin" (until 2000 "Captain Krylov")
Specifications: coincide with the data of the icebreaker "Kapitan Evdokimov"
Home port: Arkhangelsk
Owner: Norilsk Nickel. Is in operation.
14. Diesel-electric icebreaker "Kapitan Metsayk"
Built in 1984 in Finland at the Wärtsilä shipyard according to project 1191 for the USSR.
Specifications: coincide with the data of the icebreaker "Kapitan Evdokimov"
Homeport: Astrakhan
Owner: "Rosmorport". Is in operation.
15. Diesel-electric icebreaker "Captain Demidov"
Built in 1984 in Finland at the Wärtsilä shipyard according to project 1191 for the USSR.
Specifications: coincide with the data of the icebreaker "Kapitan Evdokimov"
Home port: Taganrog
Owner: "Rosmorport". Is in operation.
16. Diesel-electric icebreaker Kapitan Moshkin
Built in 1986 in Finland at the Wärtsilä shipyard according to project 1191 for the USSR.
Specifications: coincide with the data of the icebreaker "Kapitan Evdokimov"
Home port: Taganrog
Owner: "Rosmorport". Is in operation.
Photocomplement.
Icebreaker "Captain Chadaev":
The city of Severodvinsk, located on the coast of the White Sea, is the only center of nuclear submarine shipbuilding in Russia. Here is the Sevmash production association, which builds nuclear submarines, as well as the Zvyozdochka enterprise, which repairs them. If the submarine needs to be tested in the winter, then the frozen sea becomes a serious obstacle. In such cases, the "veteran" of the Belomorsk naval base comes to the rescue - the icebreaker of project 97P "Ruslan".
Project 97P icebreakers are the final stage of the Project 97 icebreaker series. From 1972 to 1980, eight vessels of this modification were built, which were used as border guard ships and patrol icebreakers. The main differences between the 97P project and the prototype are the absence of a nose rotor, an increased maximum length, a more developed superstructure, and the presence of a helicopter pad.
Icebreaker project 97P "Ruslan"
The birthday of the Ruslan icebreaker is December 26, 1973 - on this day it was laid down on the slipway of the Leningrad Admiralty Association under serial number 02652. Almost two years later, on August 29, 1975, the flag of the USSR auxiliary fleet was hoisted on the ship, and it went to place of permanent base - in Severodvinsk. For more than forty years, Ruslan has been serving as part of the White Sea Naval Base. Despite its venerable age, the icebreaker successfully fulfills the tasks set by the command. The captain of the icebreaker Alexander Vladimirovich Mokin told Warspot about what tasks the Ruslan faces and what the crew is doing to fulfill them.
- How did you become the captain of the Ruslan icebreaker?
- After graduating from seafaring, I was assigned to military unit No. 90212 - now it is called the 133rd group of support vessels. Until 1986, I commanded the sea tug MB-116, and then I was transferred to the Ruslan, where I worked as a senior assistant under Captain Nikolai Ivanovich Krasovsky, who taught me how to “icebreaker”. In November 2003, Nikolai Ivanovich retired, and the unit commander offered me to lead the crew of the Ruslan icebreaker. So I became the captain of this icebreaker.
Captain of the icebreaker "Ruslan" Alexander Vladimirovich Mokin
- Tell us, please, about the main work of the icebreaker.
- The purpose of the icebreaker is to ensure the operations of the main forces of the fleet in ice conditions. Whatever tasks are set for the fleet forces, we must ensure their work in ice conditions. As a rule, this is the piloting of warships and reconnaissance of the ice situation. Also, our tasks include the delivery of personnel or cargo to the ship.
- Are you involved in work with civilian icebreakers?
- It happens, but the last time it was a very long time ago - in 1988 or 1989. We worked on the Northern Dvina and performed tasks that civilian icebreakers usually do - break ice and see off ships.
navigation bridge
- What tasks can Ruslan perform?
- "Ruslan" is capable of everything that the tactical and technical data of the icebreaker allow. It is designed to pass even ice up to 50 cm thick. This means that if the conditions are ideal and the ice is even, then Ruslan should go on it without stopping. But that doesn't happen in real life. The ice in the White Sea is hummocky, so everything depends on the specific conditions in which the icebreaker operates.
- Has it happened to Ruslan to get into difficult situations?
In 2003, there was a difficult ice situation, when the White Sea was completely covered with ice. At that time, besides us, there were three nuclear icebreakers of Rosatomflot in the sea. When the captain of the Taimyr nuclear-powered icebreaker got in touch with us and found out that we were working in such difficult weather conditions, he was very surprised. Usually, if you look at the map, there are large stretches of clear water in the White Sea in winter. There were none that winter. Our "Ruslan" coped, although it was beyond his strength.
Engine room "Ruslan"
- Do you work outside the White Sea?
- We work according to the instructions. They say let's go. Our area of responsibility is the White Sea, the navigation area is unlimited. Now, due to the age of the icebreaker, there are certain restrictions. But the assignments have recently extended only to the White Sea basin. And so the icebreaker visited both the Kara Sea and the Barents Sea, and even went around Europe. It was before me, a very long time ago, in 1977, when the icebreaker was sent for scheduled repairs to the Yugoslav city of Split.
- Does Ruslan have weapons?
- On the icebreaker "Ruslan" and its sisterships of project 97P there was an AK-726 bow artillery mount, two more AK-630 artillery mounts were on the skeletons. In 1977, according to the rules for passing the straits (in this case, Gibraltar), the weapons were dismantled in Murmansk. And since the icebreaker was already listed as part of the auxiliary fleet, the command decided not to install weapons. But, if necessary, installing weapons is not a problem. There are places for this. In addition, the icebreaker has electronic weapons, as well as a runway for helicopters of the Ka-27PS type.
View of the superstructure from the helipad. Places for mounting the AK-630 artillery mount are visible on the sides
- What is the number of the Ruslan crew?
- Now - 38 people. When the icebreaker was young and military, there were 125 people.
- What does the crew do in the summer?
- The icebreaker is engaged in its task - to break the ice and provide the strength of the fleet, and the crew is engaged in ensuring that the icebreaker can perform these tasks. That is, the maintenance of mechanisms and the maintenance of equipment in order of battle. The main task of the crew is to ensure that Ruslan can go to sea at any time and complete all assigned tasks. Also, in addition to labor duties on the icebreaker, we are obliged to maintain the level of our training. For this, special classes are held. We have a daily plan, according to which we are engaged in cleaning, repair, maintenance of mechanisms and classes in our specialty. Every year we pass tests by analogy with the military.
- What are the challenges facing the icebreaker at the moment?
- Now we have a certain readiness, which is expressed by a time interval. This means that the crew must do everything so that the icebreaker can leave the berth at the specified time and complete the assigned tasks.
Captain's cabin
- There are a lot of hockey equipment in your cabin. Are you into hockey?
- Yes, I play in a team. Unfortunately, only I play hockey on the icebreaker. At one time we had a football team, which was considered a home front team, but now no one plays ...
- You have two children. Have they followed in your footsteps?
- We didn’t go directly, but if you read the charter, you can find a certain continuity. My son is a lawyer, and my charter says that I must comply with the laws of the Russian Federation, that is, to some extent I am also a lawyer. Daughter is a manager. I also manage the ship. Management is management. It may be a bit far-fetched, but if you look at it from this angle, then partly they followed in my footsteps.
Once, at a press conference with his Danish colleague Lars Lekke Rasmussen, Prime Minister Vladimir Putin said that Russia would launch the most modern icebreaker to develop the Northern Route. The specialists decided to give the icebreaker the name of Vitus Bering, meaning that he is, firstly, a Dane, and secondly, an outstanding Russian explorer. According to plans, this icebreaker will be launched in St. Petersburg at the end of 2012.
Icebreaker "Russia" in the floating dock ("Leonid Brezhnev, "Arktika")
Tells L.G. Tsoi, Doctor of Technical Sciences, Prof., Head of the Laboratory of Icebreaking Equipment, TsNIIMF, St. Petersburg
In the last decade, the area of ice cover in the Arctic has decreased by a third, the thickness of ice has decreased on average from 3 to 1.8 m (according to Anglo-American data). In 2009, the international project AMSA (assessment of the impact of global warming on the Arctic shipping) of the Arctic Council, which includes the ministers of foreign affairs of the Arctic states, was completed. During the project, climate forecasts for 2020-2050 were considered. With a linear extrapolation of today's warming, by the middle of the 21st century, one can expect a complete release of ice from the coastal zone of the Arctic Ocean.
The first confirmation of such a forecast was navigation in 2008, when a through passage clear of ice formed along the entire Northern Sea Route (NSR) in summer. The same situation was observed along the Northwest Canadian Passage. The multi-year ice of the Canadian straits melted, and in September 2008 the straits were free of ice. It would seem that the warming trend is clearly evident.
Russia did not participate in this project. But TsNIIMF performed an independent predictive assessment of the competitiveness of transit flights (container traffic) along the NSR in a year-round mode under light ice conditions. The economic efficiency of the northern transit turned out to be comparable to the traditional southern route through the Suez Canal (one and a half times longer).
Russian scientists believe that the ongoing warming in the Arctic is cyclical. And AARI specialists are confident that the next cooling cycle will begin in the coming years. (The same data comes from the researchers of the polar expedition SP-36, who in March 2009 reported a decrease of 0.50 in temperature, typical for the Arctic at this time of the year). This means that new complications of navigation should be expected in the Arctic.
A consequence of the protracted springs of 2008 and 2009. ice will melt slowly. The year 2009 has already brought navigation complications in the Pechora Sea basin, creating problems for our oilmen who export oil to Europe from the Varandey terminal. During May, when temperatures are still low, the ice continues to grow. In past years, icebreaking shuttle tankers built in Korea (the lead one, Vasily Dinkov), quite easily passed this route from Varandey to Murmansk in 4 days on their own, without the support of icebreakers. These tankers have good ice-breaking ability: according to calculations, 1.7-1.8 m. Oil was transported quite regularly. The oil was discharged into a floating reservoir (in the hull of the Belokamenka large-capacity tanker) in the Kola Bay.
Now the complications began. Especially for LUKOIL, the Varandey icebreaker with a capacity of 23 MW with two rudder propellers was built. He recently started work. And already out of order, and was sent for repair. The tankers were forced to walk on their own. The tanker "Kapitan Gotsky" of the type "Vasily Dinkov" got into compression of the ice. A long, 250-meter tanker with a large cylindrical insert, stood for 12 hours in ice compression, unable to move, waiting for the ice to stop moving.
In the Arctic, such situations are not uncommon. Ice compresses the ship. And then the squeezing winds begin to blow, and the ship manages to escape from captivity. True, such situations are not always resolved safely. The oilmen may also have troubles. A pipe is a pipe. Oil must be transported constantly. Onshore storage capacities at Varandey are not unlimited. LUKOIL began negotiations with Atomflot on the possibility of attracting nuclear-powered icebreakers.
The conditions of spring navigation in 2009 in the Pechora Sea are quite a serious "call" for navigators and shipbuilders. Not everything is so simple in the Arctic. We cannot relax in anticipation of global warming.
Domestic tankers and icebreakers are built for a long service life. In new projects, it is necessary to take into account possible complications of navigation conditions in the near future. Moreover, it is proposed to increase the standard service life of new icebreakers from 25 years to 40 years. When designing icebreakers and ships, it is necessary to predict operating conditions for the same period. The icebreaking fleet will certainly be in demand, and it must be improved and developed in a timely manner.
Heavy navigation experience in the Arctic
The Arctic “pleased” navigators with heavy navigation in the 1970s and 1980s. Young Arctic captains and design engineers can only read about this in books. But the older generation of the burrows of the Arctic learned from their own experience. In those years, not only expeditions, but even the planned delivery of goods was difficult to carry out. From the Arctic, ore carriers exported ore and non-ferrous metals mined by the Norilsk MMC. Since 1978, when the small-draught icebreaker Kapitan Sorokin, specially built for the Yenisei, with a shaft power of 16.2 MW, came into operation, year-round navigation has been established.
It was clear that year-round navigation was possible only with icebreaking assistance: nuclear-powered icebreakers on the offshore section of the route in the Kara Sea and shallow-draft icebreakers in the Yenisei. Later, after making sure that the diesel-electric icebreakers of the Kapitan Sorokin type were insufficiently ice-breaking, at the end of the 80s, to ensure regular reliable movement along the Yenisei, two small-draught nuclear icebreakers (a / l) of the Taimyr type were built with a shaft capacity of 32.5 MW. The ice there is not easy, freshwater with a dense snow cover, it reaches 2-2.3 m in thickness. Wiring along the same channel for a long time at low temperatures is impossible. The channel can be operated more or less efficiently for a month. Ice freezes. The porridge formed from the passage of ships, freezing, turns into a continuous hummock. The channel becomes impassable. It is more profitable to lay a parallel second channel than to constantly update the first one.
Experience of navigation in the 1970s-1980s. showed that for reliable year-round escort of caravans of ships, powerful icebreakers and corresponding icebreaking transport vessels are needed. A new generation of Arctic container carriers of the Norilsk Nickel type has been built. They work on the DAS double action system. Due to the use of the propeller-steering column, Azipod can also walk backwards.
A navigation system for ice reconnaissance has also been set up. Satellite images of the Arctic route are received by a special ship terminal and combined with maps. For the offshore section, this is a great help for captains. And in the Yenisei, the canal is still heavy. Without icebreakers in this section, container ships will not be able to operate efficiently. Now MMC Norilsk Nickel leases shallow-draft nuclear-powered ships and is going to build its own diesel-electric icebreaker of the LK-25 type with a capacity of 25 MW on shafts, having the same icebreaking capacity as the Taimyr a/l, equal to 2 m.
The Arctic is the Arctic. The weather is extremely changeable. At any moment you can expect the most unpredictable surprises. The route of the NSR is quite long, about 3 thousand miles. And, as a rule, the principle of superposition acts on it: it is difficult in the east - easy in the west, and vice versa. A passage can be found in the sea, and the straits, if clogged with ice, block the wiring. Of course, nuclear-powered icebreakers, which have unlimited autonomy and high mobility, come to the rescue. They can be quickly redeployed from one area to another, depending on the need for their assistance.
Navigation 1983 in the Eastern Arctic
During that navigation, the ship "Nina Sagaydak" was lost, which was crushed by ice. This is a motor ship of the Pioneer type of the lower Arctic class L1 (according to the modern classification - Arc4). Vessels of this type successfully operated under icebreaker escort during summer navigation.
As a rule, Arctic navigation begins in July. The delivery of goods from the east is carried out to Pevek, and already from it there is a delivery to Tiksi and other destinations. And in that navigation everything started as usual. The icebreaking fleet of the Far Eastern Shipping Company coped well with the task. The two most powerful (26.5 MW each) diesel-electric icebreakers: Yermak and Admiral Makarov, as well as the Kapitan Khlebnikov icebreaker (of the Kapitan Sorokin type) and the Leningrad and Vladivostok type icebreakers "Moskva" with a capacity of 16.2 MW on shafts, built in Finland. The last two of the first icebreaking series of the 1960s. Dry-cargo vessels of the Belomorskles and Pioner type with a deadweight of about 5 thousand tons, tankers for the delivery of oil products of the UL class (Arc5) of the Samotlor type with a deadweight of 17 thousand tons of Finnish construction, as well as new vessels of the ULA class ( Arc7) of the Norilsk type (SA-15) with a deadweight of 15 thousand tons, commissioned in 1982-1983. and diesel-electric ship "Amguema" with a deadweight of 5 thousand tons of domestic construction.
In September, the first troubles began. Steady northwest winds blew, which began to shift the Ayon ice mass (in the northern part of the East Siberian Sea) from the pole to the coast. Ice blocked the Long Strait, the approaches to Cape Schmidt and Aion Island. This ice mass consists mainly of hilly two-year-old ice 2.5-3 m thick, the so-called "Siberian pack". Ice in hummocks, frosts, reaches the very bottom of the icebreaker, which has a draft of 11 m. When interacting with such ice, the propellers and rudders experience very heavy loads.
Extract from a report on the analysis of navigation conditions in 1983
The conditions in which the ship "Nina Sagaydak" found itself before its death.
Navigation in 1983 in the Eastern region of the Arctic was anomalous. The most difficult situation developed in early September. Northwest winds caused the pressure of the drifting ice of the Ayon massif. The route of the Northern Sea Route was blocked by the ice of this massif from the Milker Bank to the Kolyuchenskaya Bay. This position was maintained until September 17. At the same time, a period of stable ice formation began. Ice compression was 2-3 points. In October, the situation deteriorated significantly. There was a record low temperature background with a general anomalous hydrometeorological processes that have never been observed over the past decades.
The ship "Nina Sagaydak" was lost on October 9, 1983 in the Long Strait. In early October, the ship sailed as part of a caravan under the escort of the Leningrad and Kapitan Sorokin icebreakers. Due to the consolidation of the ice due to the strengthening of the north-west wind, the ship was jammed with coarse old drifting ice. Screw and steering wheel jammed. When the ice moved, the rudder arbitrarily shifted from side to side by 90 degrees. As a result, the rudder stock limiters were broken off. The icebreakers could not approach the vessel due to the movement of the ice and the general drift of the massif to the southeast with the pressure of the ice on the vessel, which had leaned on the strong fast ice as a stern. (A similar situation at one time happened with the Chelyuskin, which also caused the death of the ship). Between the ships of the caravan formed a pillow of compressed ice. The motor ship "Kamensk-Uralsky", which was drifting in an uncontrollable state, piled on the port side of the "Nina Sagaydak" as a stern. The roll of the ship "Nina Sagaydak" reached 13o. The situation became more complicated when the Urengoy tanker piled sideways on the Kamensk-Uralsky motor ship. For some time, all three ships drifted together. The hummocking of the ice reached such a level that the ice rose above the bulwark. On October 8, on the Nina Sagaydak, the port side framing from the bow bulkhead to the stern was deformed by 15 spacings at the level of the zygomatic belt of the outer skin, which was broken in 6 places at once - cracks formed along the framing.
The main reason for the destruction of the hull of this ship is drift after losing its course along a strong ice barrier with a strong bulk of other ships on it. A field of multi-year ice approached the starboard side, which increased the compression. In the area of 35-37 frames, a skin rupture occurred with deformation of the frames inward and aft. The mechanisms began to collapse and fall into the engine room. (These ships do not have a double hull in the engine room area). There was a rupture of pipelines of irrigation, drainage, oil, air systems. The cable supplying the electric motors of the pumps is broken. The ship was left without drainage facilities. Water began to flow into the engine room. The roll reached 30o to starboard. The deck entered the water and the ship sank. The crew left the ship before the tragedy and was taken by helicopter to the icebreaker.
A vessel of the same type, the Kolya Myagotin, fell into a similar situation. But he was saved. He also got a roll up to 30o. The propeller and steering wheel were jammed. But, fortunately, a hole formed in his first hold. Drainage means were in good order and managed to pump out water. The performance of regular pumps was enough to save the ship. Managed to get a patch. Helicopters delivered sand and cement from Yermak. "Kolya Myagotin" managed to be saved.
Navigational damage 1983
From October 1 to December 4, 1983 (when the last ships were taken out of ice captivity), 17 ships of the Far Eastern Shipping Company were damaged, including 5 icebreakers (Kapitan Khlebnikov, Leningrad, Vladivostok, Admiral Makarov ”, “Ermak”), two icebreaker-transport vessels “Amguema” and “Nizhnyeyansk” (SA-15) of the ULA class, 12 vessels of the Pioneer and Belomorskles type of category L1.
Massive damage to the underwater part of transport ships took place. The icebreakers towed the ships close, and the propellers of the icebreakers threw the ice floes onto the hull of the towed vessel. The design of the bilge area of the hull of the ships was not strong enough. Based on the results of this navigation, the Register Rules were subsequently adjusted and the structure of ships below the ice belt was strengthened.
The epic of the withdrawal of the last caravan
Everything possible was done to rescue ships with cargo for the northern delivery from ice captivity. The nuclear icebreakers Arktika (in connection with the death of L.I. Brezhnev, renamed Leonid Brezhnev, until 1986) and Sibir, as well as the diesel-electric icebreaker Krasin of the Ermak class, were urgently sent to the east. ". In Pevek, an armada of icebreakers and ships gathered in the roadstead, which needed to be withdrawn from the Arctic (most of the ships to the east). In the Western region of the Arctic, the Lenin nuclear icebreaker was connected to the operation. In the port of Pevek, two more ships were unloading: Pioneer of Russia and Monchegorsk.
The captain of the flagship icebreaker "Ermak" Yu.P. Filichev reported to the Far Eastern Shipping Company and the Administration of the Northern Sea Route that the situation was critical, hopeless, nature was invincible. Piloting of ships under these conditions is impossible. Vessels must be left for the winter in Pevek. But it was decided to withdraw the fleet from the Arctic.
Of the three nuclear-powered icebreakers, only Leonid Brezhnev was truly operational, which underwent dock repairs in the summer. The underwater part of its hull was cleaned, puttied and covered with Inerta-160 ice-resistant paint. We did not have our own ice-resistant paints then. And our icebreakers up to this point were not covered by Inerta. Strong corrosion-erosion erosion of the hull with a roughness depth of up to 2 mm led to a significant increase in the friction coefficient of ice on the hull skin. Thanks to the resulting “grater”, an increase in the ice resistance of nuclear icebreakers turned out to be equivalent to a 2-fold loss in power.
The icebreaker "Siberia", in addition to the fact that it was not covered by "Inerta", was not yet equipped with a heeling system. After the delivery of the a/l "Arktika" in 1975, a rational proposal was introduced to abandon the heeling system on the rest of the icebreakers of the series. As it turned out later, they got excited. In addition, on the average propulsion engine of the Siberian, the second anchor was out of order. Therefore, its power was less by 1/6.
At the Lenin nuclear-powered icebreaker, also corroded, the icebreaking capacity decreased from the design 1.6 m to 1-1.2 m. But the Lenin a/l worked in the western direction from Pevek, where conditions were easier.
The operation to withdraw ships from Pevek began on 18 November. In the caravan, the a/l Leonid Brezhnev was in the lead, followed by the icebreaker Admiral Makarov with the Samotlor towed, the Krasin with the Pioneer of Russia and the Ermak with the Amguema and Urengoy (changing in turn with "Siberia").
Diesel-electric icebreakers led the ships back to back in tow. He led, laid and leveled the canal, pierced, carried out the direct wiring of the entire caravan a / l "Leonid Brezhnev".
The polar night was approaching. The flag was hoisted at 8 o'clock in the morning, and lowered at sunset at 1 o'clock in the afternoon. When the flight ended, the sun did not appear over the horizon at all. With the help of an airborne helicopter, tactical ice reconnaissance was carried out, and strategic aircraft reconnaissance (there was no satellite reconnaissance then) - from Pevek. Maps of ice fields directly from the pennant were dropped onto the icebreaker.
The ice was very heavy, 3-4 meter thick frosts formed. When laying the channel, the icebreaker kept throwing to the sides. The channel was extremely uneven. On turns, icebreakers often got stuck along with ships. Steel towing slings ("mustache") with a diameter of 60-65 mm (20-25 m long) were torn endlessly. Especially often the slings were torn on the icebreaker "Admiral Makarov". They were missing. I had to use anchor chains from Samotlor. Anchor chains also broke easily. The ships in the caravan were constantly stretched. The icebreaker-leader had to lay a channel, then return to round the stuck ships.
Vessels of the SA-15 type ("Okha" to the east, "Monchegorsk" to the west) went independently in caravans. For the red color of the court of this type was nicknamed "carrots". These vessels have a stern towing cutout. When they got stuck, the leading icebreaker came into their stern, rested with the stem against the towing cutout and pushed the vessel through the cofferdam, working with it in tandem.
This experience has shown that it is expedient to equip all promising large-capacity vessels for the Arctic (tankers, gas carriers) in the stern with a crinoline with a towing cutout to enable them to be pushed by icebreakers. The towing of ships with a mass significantly greater than the icebreaker is excluded in tow. The composition becomes unmanageable.
So we moved east for 8 days. When they approached the Long Strait, at Cape Blossom, about. Wrangel, the happy ones went out to a stretch covered with young ice.
But happiness was short-lived. After o. Wrangel, heavy pack ice began again. In the Chukchi Sea, we were “pleased” with unusual ice only 40-50 cm thick, very viscous, crumpled, frozen. It did not classically break into sectors, did not break, but stuck to the icebreaker's hull along the waterline. The icebreaker literally stuck into a viscous ice mass and dragged it along with it. Departing, blows on the ice had to beat this sticky ice "cotton wool". But such a technique could only be used in small sections of lintels. When they entered the vast field, the situation became literally hopeless.
Only Okha and Yermak had pneumatic washing of the hull. The icebreaker "Ermak" was asked to stand at the head of the caravan in the hope that in this way it would be possible to cope with this unusual ice. But the power of the pneumatic washing was not enough. A way out of the stalemate was suggested by captain-mentor Yuri Sergeevich Kuchiev (under his command in 1977 the a/l "Arktika" reached the North Pole for the first time).
The captain of the Leonid Brezhnev was then Anatoly Alekseevich Lamekhov. The nuclear-powered ship turned propellers forward and began to lay a channel due to the eroding effect of the propellers. That is, the principle of double action (DAS system) has long been used by Russian navigators, and the Finns subsequently picked up this initiative and patented it. In reverse, the icebreaker "Leonid Brezhnev" managed to lay a good clean channel. In this way, the entire armada of icebreakers with ships on the "mustache" managed to pass through these ice, leading in reverse.
This case once again showed how diverse and unpredictable the conditions for escorting ships in the Arctic are. Such situations must be taken into account when designing icebreaking transports and icebreakers, developing means for increasing and maintaining icebreaking during the operation of ships.
After 8 days and 5 hours, the caravan approached the Bering Strait. Here, the heavy ice ended, there were streaks. We sent a caravan with diesel icebreakers to Vladivostok. And they themselves with the a / l "Siberia" and the icebreaker "Krasin" returned to the west, where the nuclear icebreaker "Lenin" led the ships "Kamensk-Uralsky" and "Monchegorsk". On the way we caught up with them, as it was easier to go in the western direction, although there was enough work there. We ran back to Pevek 2.5 times faster, with an average speed of 9.7 knots.
Based on the results of this navigation, we prepared proposals for the Ministry of Shipbuilding Industry. Designers need to work on improving new icebreakers. It is necessary to think over the design of the hull not only from the point of view of the perception of ice loads, but also to take into account vibration during icebreaker reverses, work out the arrangement of the foundations of mechanisms, work on the superstructure (wheelhouses, masts), communication and navigation equipment, and its fastening. During this trip, the loads on fasteners during the operation of the icebreaker were measured. Linear accelerations on the masts reached 10g. On the a / l "Leonid Brezhnev" in this navigation fell off the topmast on the foremast.
But more serious troubles are associated with the breakage of the propeller blade, however, through the fault of ship industry scientists who studied the interaction of ice with the blade and installed strain gauges for this, which required milling a groove at the base of the blade. It was on her that a breakdown occurred. "Leonid Brezhnev" was forced to go to Pevek to change the propeller blade.
The whole operation to remove the ships stuck in Pevek was saved by the fact that the a / l "Leonid Brezhnev" was covered in time by "Inerta". And after 8 years of operation, the icebreaker fully restored its icebreaking capability.
Recently, in the Central Design Bureau "Iceberg" a discussion arose again about the use of clad steel with an outer stainless layer for the ice belt of a promising nuclear two-draft icebreaker. The designers are not very supportive of this idea, citing the high cost of two-layer steel and undeveloped electrochemical protection. But clad steel is needed, since today the most resistant organic coating of the Inerta type on icebreakers is quickly erased. After 6 months, the icebreakability starts to fall again, which was confirmed by the example of the Leonid Brezhnev in navigation in 1983, which initially had an icebreakability of 2.3 m according to the specification. 13 months after the application of the protective coating, the icebreakability value returned to the values 7 m, corresponding to the state of the icebreaker before painting. When using Inerta, nuclear-powered icebreakers must be docked every year and painted. The costs of decommissioning the icebreaker, docking, and painting are very high. The painting technology itself is complex, it requires compliance with the temperature regime.
Despite the fact that clad steel is an order of magnitude more expensive than ordinary steel, if the bow and ice belt are made from it, with reliable electrochemical protection, the economic effect will be the same and even somewhat higher than when using Inerta. In terms of economics, clad steel will not lose, and such a solution will be much more convenient and easier to operate.
Conclusions from the results of navigation in 1983
For 8 days 5 hours of passage from Pevek to the Bering Strait, 770 miles were covered. The average speed was 3.9 knots. On the leads, the speed reached 17-18 knots, and on separate watches (4 hours), when laying channels, it was possible to pass no more than 2-3 miles. A / l "Leonid Brezhnev" almost constantly worked at maximum power. The average power utilization factor was 95.3%. Immediately after leaving Pevek, trouble began due to the polar night. There was no permanent ice information. At the disposal of the captains of the caravan were only searchlights and a helicopter during daylight hours. In total, we lost a whole day in anticipation of daylight hours, so as not to climb into the ice jungle, from which you can’t get out later.
Most of the towing straps broke on the icebreaker Admiral Makarov. The total number of breaks on all icebreakers was 26. Sometimes 2-3 breaks occurred in one shift.
For the entire time of the escort, the Leonid Brezhnev icebreaker, working with blows, made 2405 reverses, that is, an average of 12 reverses per hour. The maximum number of reverses per hour reached 52. When laying the canal in raids, the icebreaker kept dropping. He rolled, leaning his cheekbone against the unbreakable pieces of pack ice, he was pulled to the side. Then he was forced to level the canal so that ships could pass behind it. The number of jams and okoloks of ships was 87, that is, an average of 10-11 okoloks per day. The icebreaker itself, thanks to the experience of the captain and the smoothness of the hull, was in wedging for only 1 hour 22 minutes, not much for such difficult conditions. A moderate acceleration speed of 6-8 knots and an advance of 0.2-0.3 hulls made it possible to avoid frequent wedges.
The nuclear icebreaker Sibir, of the same type as the a/l Arktika (Leonid Brezhnev), was not even heard in the press. "Siberia" was not covered by "Inerta" and did not have a roll system. Due to the lack of coverage, its icebreaking ability was significantly less. In wedges "Siberia" spent 58 hours, that is, 31% of the marching time. She herself had to be constantly pierced. Sometimes this operation to rescue the a / l "Siberia" from ice captivity was carried out, being in autonomous navigation, the ship "Okha". Due to the corroded hull, the mighty nuclear-powered icebreaker could not work efficiently.
To overcome difficult ice conditions, icebreakers need to be equipped with various means to increase icebreaking: pneumatic washing, heeling and trim systems, etc. Instead of the liquidated heeling system, the a / l "Siberia" was often forced to use a trim system, but technologically it is more difficult and longer, since large volumes of water have to be pumped. The trim system is used if the heeling system cannot cope with severe jamming. The standard roll system works automatically. Its pumps switch already at a roll of 2-3 degrees, or in conditions of jamming after a predetermined period of time.
What should be the new icebreakers
Promising linear icebreakers designed and built for the Arctic must be more powerful and necessarily nuclear-powered. In navigation in 1983, diesel icebreakers had problems with fuel: they had to pour from tankers, help each other out with fuel. Such problems interfere with the normal wiring of ships. For year-round transit along the NSR (taking into account severe ice conditions), a heavy-duty nuclear icebreaker-leader with a shaft capacity of at least 110 MW is needed. During the warming of the Arctic, perhaps 60 MW of power, for which the universal two-draft icebreaker of the LK-60Ya type, which is currently being designed, is designed.
It is imperative to take into account the requirement to maintain a smooth hull, using either stainless steel or renewable ice-resistant coatings for less powerful icebreakers. It is necessary to use all possible means of increasing ice-breaking. The experience of a / l "Siberia" showed that the elimination of the heeling system was a mistake, which subsequently had to be corrected during the construction of subsequent icebreakers of the series. Unfortunately, the roll system was not installed at the recently commissioned aircraft “50 Years of Pobedy” due to a banal reason: the Ural plant stopped production of powerful transfer pumps for the system. Although the new icebreaker uses stainless steel and has pneumatic washing.
At one time, the issue of ensuring maneuverability in ice, and especially the reversing of icebreakers, was very acute. An ordinary icebreaker with conventional rudders is uncontrollable when reversing. It was planned to install a water-jet type thruster on the bow. Relevant studies were carried out, a number of model tests were carried out on the initiative of Yu.S. Kuchiev. For medium-sized icebreakers, rudder propellers (Azipods, Aquamasters, etc.) have proven themselves well, including in reverse. There is a lot of engineering work to do in this area.
Big problems remain with the towing device. The Iceberg Central Design Bureau tried to create an automatic hitch device. A prototype was installed on the Yamal icebreaker, but the shipping company did not bother with its development. As a result, this idea died out. To work in heavy ice conditions, a coupling device with automatic winding of the tug is a must. This problem needs to be continued.
The transport vessels themselves must be of higher ice classes. "Samotlors", "Pioneers" then got into difficult ice conditions. They are, of course, suitable for summer navigation. But when it comes to winter fuel delivery, tankers of ice classes no lower than ULA (Arc7) are required, which will be able to work efficiently and safely in a caravan with powerful icebreakers. Then a certain correspondence will be achieved, both in terms of ice propulsion and strength.
All of these problems were highlighted more voluminously as a result of the difficult navigation of 1983. The conclusions on it were presented to the Ministry of the Navy. Taking into account our proposals in the mid-1980s. a draft design of a new nuclear icebreaker-leader with a capacity of 110 MW on shafts (LK-110Ya type) was completed. But the ensuing perestroika buried all these plans. And then the weather got warmer. It began to seem to everyone that swimming in the Arctic was easy and simple.
But is it really so? The Arctic remains unpredictable at all times. Therefore, designers, shipbuilders and shipowners should not relax. There is something to think about.
