‘Soviet Union’ to replace ‘Russia’ by the end of the year.

Nuclear Icebreaker Yamal.

‘Soviet Union’ to replace ‘Russia’ by the end of the year. (RBTH).

Before the end of the year, the Soviet Union will replace Russia. This is not an announcement of an impending coup or change of political line, although the move does involve giants, albeit not geopolitical but marine ones: Soviet-era nuclear-powered icebreakers of the Arktika-class. Arktika-class nuclear icebreakers are auxiliary vessels with two nuclear reactors onboard and a displacement of half an aircraft carrier. 

A unique ship with an ordinary story The icebreaker Sovetsky Soyuz came into service just two years before the country that gave it life and its name ceased to exist. It was the third ship in the series. 

Unlike its illustrious predecessors, which became the first ships to reach the North Pole, the Sovetsky Soyuz led a quiet life, carrying wealthy foreigners on their tourist voyages to the Arctic. 

Icehunters: Russian conquerors of the North Pole In the early 2000s, it was used as a floating power plant, with its reactors generating electricity for various coastal facilities in Murmansk. Then there were several more scientific expeditions, after which the giant ship spent five years laid up. 

Now the icebreaker is in demand again. It has been announced that for at least eight more years the Sovetsky Soyuz will be used to help ships navigate along the increasingly more popular Northern Sea Route, which – due to melting ice – has over the past three years seen a 15-fold rise in cargo traffic (from 100,000 tons in 2010 to 1.5 million tons in 2013). 

Furthermore, the Northern Sea Route is shorter than routes running through southern latitudes; is safer since there are no pirates; and is therefore economically more efficient. 

Almost a cruiser The refurbishment of the Sovetsky Soyuz is due to be completed by the end of this year. It will replace the nuclear icebreaker Rossiya, which needs to have its reactor fuel refilled. Part of Rossiya’s crew have already transferred to the Sovetsky Soyuz and are busy doing repairs there. The service life of its reactor has been extended to 150,000 hours. 

Thus, out of the six Arktika-class icebreakers, soon only three will remain in service: Yamal, 50 Let Pobedy, and Sovetsky Soyuz. These gigantic ships with a length of up to 150 meters and a crew of 138 people were the most powerful ships in the world when the first of them was built in 1972. 

 These icebreakers were built as dual-purpose ships: It was envisaged that they could be quickly converted into military auxiliary cruisers. They have fire-control radars and a dedicated section for installing artillery weapons. 

Part of the relevant equipment is mothballed onboard and part is kept in shore depots. Extending the service life of the Arktika-class icebreakers will give shipbuilders more time to create icebreakers of the new, LK-60, type. St. Petersburg’s Baltiysky Zavod shipyard will build three new ships for Atomflot, due to come into service after 2020. Hmmm.....Number of Heavy US Icebreakers........ZERO.

Also critical to missions in the Arctic is America’s icebreaking capability. Regrettably, this is one capability that is more lacking than even the High Endurance Cutter fleet. The U.S. Coast Guard has two heavy-duty icebreakers, neither of which is currently operational. One is set to be revitalized, but this will be costly and add only a few years to the vessel’s service life.
A new heavy-duty icebreaker would cost nearly a billion dollars and take a decade to build. Considering that the Coast Guard’s total recapitalization budget for fiscal year 2013 is $1.2 billion, it would be difficult to afford much else if the sea service wishes to buy a new icebreaker, even over 10 years.

Related:   First Chinese Icebreaker 'Xue Long' or "Snow Dragon" crosses Northern Ice sea.

               Breaking the Ice: Russian Nuclear-Powered Ice-Breakers.

               Russian nuclear icebreakers fleet