RUSSIAN ICEBREAKER ENTERS ANTARCTIC

The Russian icebreaker Krasin has crossed latitude 60 south and entered the Antarctic. The ice-breaker is heading for Antarctica to render aid to the main base of the US National Science Foundation's Antarctic program-the polar McMurdo station on the Ross island. The Krasin is to cut an ice-channel to Mcmurdo for transport ships carrying fuel, food and medicines to the personnel threatened with evacuation.The Krasin has already passed the border of the iceberg-studded area and approached the Arctic-ice-covered zone. The Krasin is expected to ice-channel to McMurdo the first vessel, the Paul Buck tanker, to supply the station with 19,000 tons of fuel. Than it will lead a dry-cargo supplier with 10,000 tons of basic necessities on board will be made. The Krasin started from the port of Vladivostok on December 21, and it is scheduled to come back in April 2005.

The icebreaker-museum <Krasin> (the initial name <Svyatogor>) was built in 1916 in Newcastle Upon Tyne, UK. The  <Krasin> is wellknown as a rescue-ship, a ship-explorer and pathfinder on the North Maritime Route.

1920 - The <Krasin> rescued the icebreaker <Lenin> with 85 persons on board, women and children also.

1928 - The <Krasin> was the only ship which reached 82 latitude and rescued the expedition of  General Umberto Nobile on the dirigable <Italia>, which had an accident on the way to the North Pole. The pilot of the german airplane UG-1 was the first who found the expedition.

 1928 - The <Krasin> rescued the german passenger vessel <Monte Servantes> with 1835 persons on board. The
ship collided with an iceberg and had been holed.

 1933 - The <Krasin> was the first vessel in the history of navigation in the Arctic, which could reach the northern
shore of Novalja Zemlya.

 1953 - 1960 - The <Krasin> was reconstructed in Wismar, Germany. Practically all equipment what had been installed
is in good working condition now.