WesWorld

Icebreaker Arctica arrived in Murmansk yesterday, leading several merchant ships that had been transiting Northern Sea Route, led by icebreaker Laptev Sea. Upon her arrival at 73 deg 22'N 73 deg 47'E, Arctica was able to free merchant ships, but found Laptev Sea stuck fast on pressure ridge. All non-essential members of Laptev Sea's crew were taken aboard Arctica, leaving only her captain, executive officer, two pilots, and minimal engine room and flight crew. It is expected that Laptev Sea will be free by June, and her extensive underwater protection ensures that she is in no danger of sinking as ice melts.

Perhaps the next generation of icebreakers should have some kind of apparatus where you draw in water from the lowest point on the hull, have it heated by the boilers, then pumped out along the waterline to melt the ice?

Admiral Rodzhestvenskiy class, Russian Fleet Icebreakers laid down 1931

Displacement:
30,313 t light; 31,355 t standard; 49,936 t normal; 64,801 t full load

Dimensions: Length overall / water x beam x draught
721.78 ft / 721.78 ft x 124.67 ft x 26.25 ft (normal load)
220.00 m / 220.00 m x 38.00 m x 8.00 m

Armament:
4 - 5.12" / 130 mm guns (2x2 guns), 77.16lbs / 35.00kg shells, 1931 Model
Breech loading guns in deck mounts with hoists
on centreline ends, evenly spread
4 - 3.94" / 100 mm guns (2x2 guns), 37.48lbs / 17.00kg shells, 1931 Model
Breech loading guns in deck mounts with hoists
on centreline ends, evenly spread, all raised mounts
8 - 1.46" / 37.0 mm guns in single mounts, 1.55lbs / 0.70kg shells, 1931 Model
Breech loading guns in deck mounts with hoists
on side, evenly spread
4 - 0.50" / 12.7 mm guns in single mounts, 0.06lbs / 0.03kg shells, 1931 Model
Breech loading guns in deck mounts
on side, evenly spread
Weight of broadside 471 lbs / 214 kg
Shells per gun, main battery: 150

Armour:
- Belts: Width (max) Length (avg) Height (avg)
Main: 1.97" / 50 mm 426.51 ft / 130.00 m 13.12 ft / 4.00 m
Ends: 3.94" / 100 mm 295.28 ft / 90.00 m 13.12 ft / 4.00 m
Main Belt covers 91 % of normal length

- Torpedo Bulkhead:
3.94" / 100 mm 721.78 ft / 220.00 m 26.25 ft / 8.00 m

- Gun armour: Face (max) Other gunhouse (avg) Barbette/hoist (max)
Main: 0.98" / 25 mm 0.20" / 5 mm -
2nd: 0.98" / 25 mm 0.20" / 5 mm -
3rd: 0.98" / 25 mm - -


Aviation:
4 Sea/Skiplanes, 1 Catapult

Machinery:
Oil fired boilers, steam turbines,
Geared drive, 4 shafts, 82,429 shp / 61,492 Kw = 20.00 kts
Range 26,200nm at 20.00 kts (Bunkerage = 33,447 tons)

Complement:
1,669 - 2,171

Cost:
£6.320 million / $25.280 million

Distribution of weights at normal displacement:
Armament: 50 tons, 0.1 %
Armour: 3,844 tons, 7.7 %
- Belts: 1,069 tons, 2.1 %
- Torpedo bulkhead: 2,760 tons, 5.5 %
- Armament: 16 tons, 0.0 %
- Armour Deck: 0 tons, 0.0 %
- Conning Tower: 0 tons, 0.0 %
Machinery: 2,465 tons, 4.9 %
Hull, fittings & equipment: 18,853 tons, 37.8 %
Fuel, ammunition & stores: 19,623 tons, 39.3 %
Miscellaneous weights: 5,100 tons, 10.2 %

Overall survivability and seakeeping ability:
Survivability (Non-critical penetrating hits needed to sink ship):
185,344 lbs / 84,070 Kg = 2,764.9 x 5.1 " / 130 mm shells or 53.2 torpedoes
Stability (Unstable if below 1.00): 1.71
Metacentric height 16.8 ft / 5.1 m
Roll period: 12.8 seconds
Steadiness - As gun platform (Average = 50 %): 70 %
- Recoil effect (Restricted arc if above 1.00): 0.01
Seaboat quality (Average = 1.00): 1.51

Hull form characteristics:
Hull has rise forward of midbreak
Block coefficient: 0.740
Length to Beam Ratio: 5.79 : 1
'Natural speed' for length: 26.87 kts
Power going to wave formation at top speed: 48 %
Trim (Max stability = 0, Max steadiness = 100): 46
Bow angle (Positive = bow angles forward): 0.00 degrees
Stern overhang: 0.00 ft / 0.00 m
Freeboard (% = measuring location as a percentage of overall length):
- Stem: 39.37 ft / 12.00 m
- Forecastle (20 %): 29.53 ft / 9.00 m
- Mid (50 %): 29.53 ft / 9.00 m (19.69 ft / 6.00 m aft of break)
- Quarterdeck (15 %): 16.40 ft / 5.00 m
- Stern: 16.40 ft / 5.00 m
- Average freeboard: 24.33 ft / 7.42 m

Ship space, strength and comments:
Space - Hull below water (magazines/engines, low = better): 35.2 %
- Above water (accommodation/working, high = better): 199.1 %
Waterplane Area: 74,714 Square feet or 6,941 Square metres
Displacement factor (Displacement / loading): 350 %
Structure weight / hull surface area: 202 lbs/sq ft or 988 Kg/sq metre
Hull strength (Relative):
- Cross-sectional: 1.50
- Longitudinal: 1.52
- Overall: 1.50
Hull space for machinery, storage, compartmentation is excellent
Room for accommodation and workspaces is excellent
Ship has slow, easy roll, a good, steady gun platform
Excellent seaboat, comfortable, can fire her guns in the heaviest weather

Brute force has worked well for the Russians in the past, so I have no doubt this will do the job nicely.

There's a problem with her. She counts as a capital ship because she has 8 guns larger than 3". Maximum allowed is 4. I think the Russian government will reconsider.

I was thinking the same thing. Swapping the 100mm guns for 75s would fix the problem nicely.

...and reduce the brute force and ignorance?...Blasphemy!!

This baby ought to get through 10 meters or so!

The 25,000 ton Russian nuke icebreakers with 75,000 SHP are good for 9.