Nuclear Icebreaker 'Lenin' in Murmansk
About museum
The nuclear icebreaker Lenin – the world's first surface ship with a nuclear power plant. The icebreaker was built in the USSR, primarily to service the Northern Sea Route.
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\r\nThe ship was laid down in 1956 at the A. Marti Shipyard in Leningrad. Launched on December 5, 1957.
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\r\nOn September 12, 1959, it departed from the Admiralty Shipyard for sea trials under the command of P. A. Ponomarev. On December 3, 1959, it was handed over to the Ministry of the Maritime Fleet. From 1960 it served with the Murmansk Shipping Company.
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\r\nThanks to the high power of its propulsion plant and long endurance, the icebreaker demonstrated excellent performance from its first seasons of operation. The use of a nuclear icebreaker made it possible to significantly extend the navigation season. In 1966, based on operational results, a decision was made to replace the old three-reactor steam-generating nuclear plant with a more advanced two-reactor one. In just the first six years of service the icebreaker steamed more than 82,000 nautical miles and independently escorted over 400 vessels.
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\r\nThe icebreaker 'Lenin' served for 30 years and was decommissioned in 1989 and placed in permanent mooring in Murmansk. Work is currently underway to convert it into a museum.