Polar bear

Nuclear Ninety North

Eclipse of the Midnight Sun

August 1st, 2008

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Bashing a Bergy Bit

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2008-07-28 20:53 UTC Click images for reduced size. 80°25.74'N 52°31.37'E

After leaving Ziegler Island, we came across this small iceberg, probably calved from one of the glaciers on it or one of the adjacent islands. Now sentimental chick-flicks may have made you wary of encounters with icebergs at sea, but that's not counting upon the capabilities of a nuclear powered icebreaker. Here's what happens when 75,000 horsepower of clean, abundant nuclear power meets a pesky obstacle in the polar sea.

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2008-07-28 20:55 UTC 80°25.69'N 52°31.63'E

We get closer.

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2008-07-28 20:57 UTC 80°25.65'N 52°31.89'E

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2008-07-28 20:58 UTC 80°25.62'N 52°31.93'E

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2008-07-28 21:00 UTC 80°25.60'N 52°31.91'E

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2008-07-28 21:00 UTC 80°25.59'N 52°31.94'E

really close!

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2008-07-28 21:01 UTC 80°25.59'N 52°31.94'E

It's big.

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2008-07-28 21:07 UTC

Contact—the ship shudders.

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2008-07-28 21:11 UTC 80°25.58'N 52°31.96'E

We're pushing the iceberg.

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2008-07-28 21:13 UTC 80°25.62'N 52°32.06'E

After which, it's somewhat the worse for wear. How do you say “yee-haw” in Russian?


by John Walker
August 20th, 2008
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This document is in the public domain.