The U.S. has two icebreakers for polar duty. And one of those, the Polar Star, is in unbelievably bad shape.
The other is a "medium".
There are two on order, with the first, the newly named Polar Sentinel rescheduled for delivery in 2025, hopefully before the Polar Star breaks down completely.
From The Barents Observer, November 30:
This new icebreaker has major importance for Northern Sea Route, says RosatomThe "Ural," Russia's third vessel of the powerful LK-60 class, makes maiden voyage to its home port of Murmansk.The 173 meter long nuclear powered icebreaker on Tuesday this week arrived in Murmansk after a six-day voyage from the Baltic Yard in St.Petersburg. It moored at Atomflot, the nuclear icebreaker base in the Kola Bay operated by nuclear power company Rosatom.
According to Acting General Director of Atomflot Leonid Irlitsa, the construction of the Ural clearly demonstrates Russia’s self-sufficiency both in terms of technology and industry.
“More than 90 percent of the equipment onboard the icebreaker is produced by domestic companies,” Irlitsa says in a comment.
He especially highlights the vessel’s electric propulsion system with asynchronous propulsion motors....
....MUCH MORE
I'm starting to think the sanctions aren't working.
And I'm starting to wonder what the Pentagon is doing with all the money they receive.
The requested budget for 2023 was $773.0 Billion, which Congress says they want to bump up to $817 billion.
Earlier:"‘We haven’t got this figured out just yet’: Pentagon, industry struggle to arm Ukraine"
