The world’s first icebreaker Ermak

October 17, 1898 in England for Russia on the project of Stepan Makov launched the world's first icebreaker "Ermak".

Why didn’t Yermak build on domestic shipyards?

According to one version, Russian shipyards at that time were very loaded with the construction of military vessels. In addition, it was assumed that it would be cheaper to build an icebreaker abroad - there is no need to import parts and other things.

It was the world’s first Arctic-class icebreaker and the grandfather of the modern Russian icebreaker fleet.

Until that time, icebreakers were mostly river or port, and Yermak could go into the Arctic basin, into the northern seas.

At that time it was equipped with a number of innovations.

The icebreaker had a special shape of the body. It was barrel-shaped with a special ice gain in the waterline - with an ice belt, as it was also called. This design provided Ermak with increased strength and the ability to withstand the effects of ice. The second important feature of the icebreaker was the shape of its nose. It allowed him to go on the edge of the ice and break it with his weight.

Steam machines with a capacity of 2500 horsepower each set in motion propellers on the body of the icebreaker. Three of them were located in the stern of the ship, and the fourth in the bow under the keel. This is quite an interesting phenomenon, now mostly screws have a different position. This arrangement of screws was to facilitate the movement of the ship in the ice. The front screw created a stream of water that threw the breakaway ice chunks aside. In addition, the presence of a screw under the nose improved the ability of the ship to reverse.

The Yermak hull was divided into 44 watertight compartments. These compartments ensured the unsinkability of the ship, which was advocated by Admiral Makarov.

As Stepan Osipovich said, Russia’s main facade goes to the Arctic Ocean. Therefore, it would be good to have such vessels that will allow you to explore this region and ensure the passage of ships to the mouths of major northern rivers. At the same time, Makarov was not only the initiator of the construction of the icebreaker. He promoted this idea directly in the government of the Russian Empire, and then oversaw the development and construction of the icebreaker. Thanks to him, in fact, "Ermak" was built.

Makarov’s idea was supported by chemist Dmitry Mendeleev, Finance Minister Sergei Yulyevich Witte. Already with his assistance, the idea of building "Ermak" was implemented.

The second icebreaker under the project "Ermak" - "Svyatogor" - will be built in England much later. This is the future Krasin. Makarov intended to name his icebreakers by the name of the river basins where they would be used. At first they thought about the names “Yenisei” and “Ob”. Then the name "Yenisei" was changed to "Dobrynya Nikitich" and just "Dobrynya". But in the spring of 1898, when the icebreaker hull was already being formed on the slipways, it was decided to call it "Yermak". It is believed that the icebreaker received this name at the request of the Irkutsk and Tomsk merchants.

On February 21, 1899, Ermak left Newcastle for Kronstadt. On March 1, he entered the ice of the Gulf of Finland, moving at a speed of seven knots, "Ermak" easily overcome the ice fields in its path. On March 4, he entered Kronstadt Harbour. The arrival of the icebreaker was met with triumph. Huge crowds of people met an unprecedented ship. Thousands of people came out onto the ice to meet the icebreaker. The service of our "grandfather" of the Russian icebreaker fleet began.

Naval expeditions, the liberation of ships from ice captivity, their wiring along the Northern Sea Route. "Ermak" has not survived to our time, unfortunately. In the 1960s, it was given to remelting.

I invite you to visit Kronstadt. On the monument to Admiral Makarov, we will find the image of the icebreaker Yermak.