Story Highlights
- Historical event:
- 17 August 1977
- Arktika class icebreakers are the largest and most powerful in history. They are equipped with two nuclear reactors, and can break through ice up three meters in thickness. The Russian Federation still possesses four such ships.
This day in 1977 marked the first time in history that human beings reached the North Pole by ship.
This endeavor was undertaken by Soviet icebreaker Arktika. Namely, Arktika class icebreakers are the largest and most powerful in history.
They are nuclear-powered, being equipped with 171 MW two nuclear reactors, giving the entire system 75,000 hp.
The USSR and Russia produced as many as six Arktika class icebreakers.
Four of them are still in use as the property of the Atomflot company (the Russian Federation owns 100% of that company’s shares). The ships are quite large, being around 150 meters in length.
They can break through ice up three meters in thickness. Their steel double hull is 50 centimeters thick at its strongest point.
