Nuclear-powered icebreaker
On 17 August 1977, NS "Arktika" ("Arctic") became the first surface ship ever to reach the North Pole. "Arktika" was withdrawn from service in 2008 after clocking up 175,000 hours of reactor operation time and covering more than 1 million nautical miles. Rather than be scrapped, there are calls for her to be converted to a museum ship, like her predecessor "Lenin".
Sparta (ship)
Pack ice meant nearby vessels such as the Norwegian "Seljevaer" and the "Sparta's" Russian sister ship "Chiyo Maru 3" were unable to come to "Sparta's" aid. The crew of the "Sparta", made up of 16 Indonesians, 15 Russians and a Ukrainian researcher, had to wait until 26 December 2011 when the South Korean icebreaker "RV Araon" arrived. One of the "Araon's" first tasks was to pump fuel into the raised side of the "Sparta", thus lifting the damaged hull and exposing it to the air. The hole was patched with a concrete box, after which the ship was deemed seaworthy. The "Araon" cleared a path through the ice for the "Sparta" to follow into open waters, to rejoin her sister ship and sail to New Zealand for repairs.