Lenin (1916 icebreaker)
| Company type | Icebreaker |
|---|---|
| Industry | Maritime / Shipping |
| Founded | June 1916 |
| Founder | Armstrong Whitworth |
| Defunct | 1977 |
| Fate | Dismantled |
| Headquarters | Newcastle upon Tyne , England, United Kingdom |
| Products | Icebreaker ship |
Lenin (Russian: Ленин) was an icebreaker constructed in England for the Russian Empire. Initially launched in 1916, before entering service with Russia, the vessel was first commissioned by the Royal Navy during the Allied intervention in the Russian Civil War. Later, it was acquired by the Soviet Union, remained active throughout World War II, and was ultimately dismantled in 1977.
Construction
The ship was laid down by Armstrong Whitworth at their Low Walker yard in Newcastle upon Tyne in June 1916, designated as yard number 905, intended for the Russian Empire.<ref name=TBS> She was originally named St. Alexander Nevsky, honouring the renowned Russian leader and military figure Alexander Nevsky.<ref name="historicalrfa"> The building process was overseen by the Russian naval architect and author Yevgeny Zamyatin.<ref name=Myers> The vessel was launched on 23 December 1916 and reached completion by June 1917.
Equipped with three propellers—two located at the stern and one at the bow—each was powered by steam engines of the triple expansion type. The combined nominal horsepower output amounted to 1,038 NHP.[1]
Service history
By the time construction of the vessel was finalized, the Russian Empire had already dissolved as a consequence of the February Revolution. In September 1917, the Royal Navy requisitioned and commissioned the ship under the name HMS Alexander. She participated in the North Russia campaign and was transferred to White Russian forces upon the British withdrawal in October 1919.
The vessel was likely seized by the Bolsheviks shortly thereafter, as in 1921 the Norwegian sailor and Arctic explorer Otto Sverdrup captained her—now renamed Lenin'—at the Soviet government's request for his fourth and final expedition to Arctic Siberian regions. Sverdrup led a convoy consisting of five cargo ships on an experimental voyage through the Kara Sea toward the mouths of the Ob and Yenisei River rivers. The entire fleet successfully reached their destinations and returned without incident. This mission marked a significant advancement in developing the Kara Sea segment of the Northern Sea Route.
In 1937, Lenin became icebound along with her convoy of five vessels, compelling them to endure an overwintering in the Laptev Sea. They were ultimately freed by the icebreaker Krasin in August 1938.
During World War II, Lenin was active in Arctic convoy operations. In 1942, a convoy including Lenin was spotted near the Mona Islands in the Kara Sea by a Kriegsmarine Arado Ar 196 aircraft during Operation Wunderland. The heavy cruiser Admiral Scheer attempted to intercept her; however, adverse weather conditions, fog, and sea ice prevented interception.
In October 1943, Lenin sustained torpedo damage in the Kara Sea. Repairs were conducted between 1946 and 1947 in the United Kingdom.
Throughout the Cold War, Lenin remained operational. Following the launch of the nuclear-powered icebreaker Lenin in 1957, this earlier vessel was renamed Vladimir Ilich Lenin. She was subsequently decommissioned as a hulk in 1968 and dismantled in 1977.
In literature
In his dystopian work We, Zamyatin incorporates elements of the St. Alexander Nevsky specifications into the names of certain characters.[2]
The vessel is also featured in Dziga Vertov's 1926 cinematic piece A Sixth Part of the World.