SS Baikal
| Company type | Icebreaking train ferry |
|---|---|
| Industry | Transportation, Shipping |
| Founded | 1899 |
| Headquarters | Lake Baikal region , Russia |
| Products | Train ferry service across Lake Baikal |
SS Baikal was an icebreaking train ferry that connected the eastern and western segments of the Trans-Siberian Railroad by crossing Lake Baikal.
Ship history
The initiative to build a ferry across Lake Baikal was launched in early 1895, following a proposal from Transport Minister Mikhail Khilkov. On 30 December 1895, an agreement was finalized with Armstrong Whitworth in Newcastle upon Tyne for the delivery of the icebreaking ferry components, supplied disassembled and excluding wooden parts. Transporting these parts involved shipping approximately 7,000 crates from the United Kingdom to St Petersburg, then onward for assembly. The boilers, weighing around 20 tonnes, posed particular logistical challenges during transit. Additionally, some components were lost or stolen en route and had to be replaced. By June 1896, the ferry parts had arrived at Listvenichnoye village for assembly. After three years of construction, the vessel was launched on Template:OldStyleDate.
Prior to the inauguration of the Circum-Baikal Railway in 1905, Baikal, followed later by Angara, operated two daily crossings between piers at Baykal, Irkutsk Oblast and Mysovaya. Once the railway was completed, both ferries remained available as reserve vessels.
During the Russian Civil War, the Bolsheviks armed Baikal with machine guns and artillery. When Irkutsk fell under control of the White Army, Baikal proceeded to Mysovaya pier, which served as the Red Army’s headquarters.
On 15 August 1918, during the Battle of Lake Baikal, artillery fire from White forces of the Czechoslovak Legion inflicted damage on the icebreaker. The vessel was subsequently set ablaze at Mysovaya pier and sank alongside it.
In 1920, the damaged hull was refloated and towed to Port Baikal where it remained untouched until at least 1926 before being dismantled. It is believed that parts of its lower hull, bow propeller, and some engine components may still rest at the bottom of Lake Baikal near the mouth of the Angara River.
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