Krassin (1916 icebreaker)
| Company type | Icebreaker ship |
|---|---|
| Industry | Maritime / Icebreaking |
| Founded | August 3, 1916 in Newcastle upon Tyne, United Kingdom |
| Founder | Yevgeny Zamyatin (designer) |
| Headquarters | Saint Petersburg , Russia |
| Products | Icebreaking, Arctic exploration, rescue missions |
| Hide header= | Header caption= | Ship class=Icebreaker | Ship type= | Ship tonnage=*Template:GRT | Ship length=99.80 m | Ship beam=21.65 m | Ship height= | Ship draught= | Ship draft=7.5 m | Ship depth= | Ship hold depth= | Ship decks= | Ship deck clearance= | Ship ramps= | Ship ice class= | Ship power= | Ship propulsion= | Ship sail plan= | Ship speed= | Ship range= | Ship endurance= | Ship armament=(during World War II) four 76mm cannons, seven 20mm anti-aircraft guns, and ten heavy machine guns | Ship boats= | Ship capacity= | Ship complement= | Ship crew= | Ship time to activate= | Ship sensors= | Ship EW= | Ship aircraft= | Ship aircraft facilities= |
The inaugural icebreaker known as Krassin, alternatively spelled Krasin, (Russian: Красин) was originally constructed for the Imperial Russian Navy under the name Svyatogor. Throughout its extensive service life, it earned recognition for numerous rescue missions and played a significant role as a pioneer and explorer along the Northern Sea Route. Today, this vessel has been meticulously restored to operational condition and serves as a museum ship based in Saint Petersburg.
History
Constructed by Armstrong Whitworth in Newcastle upon Tyne under the guidance of Yevgeny Zamyatin, the icebreaker was initially launched as the Svyatogor on 3 August 1916 and completed by February 1917. For several decades, until the early 1950s, it held the distinction of being the most powerful icebreaker worldwide.
During the Allied intervention against the Bolsheviks in Northern Russia (1918–19), Bolshevik forces deliberately sank the vessel to obstruct access to the port of Arkhangelsk. Subsequently, the Royal Navy salvaged and deployed her in the White Sea, eventually transferring her to England. She was relocated from Devonport to Scapa Flow, where she was tasked with breaking through barriers designed to prevent German submarines from entering. During this period, she also performed minesweeping operations.
In 1921, under the terms of the Krasin trade agreement, Svyatogor was returned to Soviet control. Six years later, in 1927, the Soviet government renamed her Krassin to commemorate Leonid Krasin, a prominent Bolshevik figure and diplomat who had recently passed away.
One of Krassin's most renowned missions occurred in 1928 when she rescued General Umberto Nobile and surviving crew members after their airship Italia crashed on Arctic ice following a North Pole expedition. After this rescue, Krassin assisted in repairing the German passenger liner Monte Cervantes, which had suffered severe hull damage after colliding with an iceberg while carrying 1,835 passengers.
In 1933, Krassin achieved a historic milestone by becoming the first ship to reach the previously inaccessible northern coastline of Novaya Zemlya. Five years later, in 1938, she played a critical role in rescuing the icebreaker Lenin and its convoy after they became trapped in ice at the conclusion of the prior summer.
Throughout World War II, Krassin actively participated in numerous Russian convoy operations. In 1941, negotiations took place between the US and Soviet governments regarding leasing or purchasing one or more modern Soviet icebreakers for use by the US Coast Guard along Greenland's east coast. The Krassin was offered and subsequently sailed across the Pacific to Bremerton, Washington, where inspections revealed repair needs estimated at approximately $500,000. Although funds were allocated from President Franklin D. Roosevelt's emergency budget, talks were abruptly terminated on 25 November 1941. Despite never joining Coast Guard service, insights gained from examining Krassin informed design developments for future Wind class icebreaker vessels.
Continuing onward via the Panama Canal, Krassin reached Great Britain where she was outfitted with surface and anti-aircraft weaponry before proceeding to Reykjavik, Iceland to escort convoy PQ-15. She accompanied this convoy through the treacherous North and Barents Seas, circumnavigating the Kola Peninsula en route to Murmansk. In 1942, during Operation Wunderland, both Krassin and Lenin were spotted near the Mona Islands in the Kara Sea by a German reconnaissance plane. The heavy cruiser Admiral Scheer attempted to intercept them; however, adverse weather conditions including fog and dense ice prevented any attack.
Between August 1953 and June 1960, as part of East Germany’s war reparations program, Krassin underwent significant refurbishment at VEB Mathias-Thesen-Werft in Wismar, Germany. She continued serving along the Arctic’s Northern Sea Route until 1971 before being repurposed as an Arctic scientific research vessel under the International Fund for the History of Science. On August 10, 1989, Fund president Arkady Melua participated in formalizing ownership transfer. Subsequently, she was employed for transporting used automobiles from Europe to Russia before being sold by Melua to JSC "Tehimeks." The company intended to sell her for scrapping in the United States; however, this transaction failed due to intervention by Russian authorities. Ultimately registered in St. Petersburg, she now serves as a stationary museum ship.
Today
Following World War II, the renowned icebreaker actively participated in scientific missions across the Polar Ocean and served as the lead vessel for Soviet cargo convoys navigating the Arctic waters. Unlike the icebreaker Yermak, which was dismantled to accommodate newer ships, the Krassin was spared from scrapping and underwent careful restoration. Today, it functions as a museum ship located in Saint Petersburg, representing the sole maritime museum dedicated to Arctic convoy history.[1] The vessel has been completely refurbished to operational status,[2] with intentions to sail her to various ports across Europe.
An island within the Nordenskiöld Archipelago bears the name of this historic icebreaker. Additionally, commemorative postage stamps and a coin have been produced to honor her legacy.
See also
References
- ↑ "Icebreaker Krasin". saint-petersburg.com. Retrieved 2008-07-20.
- ↑ "The Icebreaker "Krasin" Museum". Archived from the original on 2019-02-14. Retrieved 2019-03-17.
External links
- "Legendary "Krasin" departure for scrap". Rus News Journal. Archived from the original on 4 March 2016. Retrieved 22 November 2021.
- «Sankt-peterburgskie vedomosti» 13.09.91 г. «„Krasin“ is sinking down» [1]
- «Kommersant» Num. 035 dated 02-09-91 The legendary Krasin heads for scrap [2]
- Historical overview of the icebreaker «Krasin» [3]
- Federal Investigation Bureau [4]
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