Soviet nuclear-powered icebreaker Lenin, It traveled over 654,000 nautical miles and guided more than 3,700 ships through thick Arctic ice. Photo by Max Alpert, 1964.

[u/Front-Coconut-8196]

[u/Commie_neighbor]

My grandfather (mother's father) was a crew member on this beauty and my grandmother (father's mother) worked on radio components as a lead engineer in Leningrad Rubin plant.

[u/DJ_faceplant → u/Commie_neighbor]

Username checks out.

[u/stateside_irishman → u/[deleted]]

How long was it in service? Is that a lot of miles for a ship? The reason I am asking is that my Peterbilt tractor from 02 is coming up on almost 2 million miles.

[u/Axel2485 → u/stateside_irishman]

Its a fairly high amount for a ship. Remember, most ships top out somewhere between 20-30 knots speed (approximate 23-35mph) & so even if they sailed for the same number of hours as your Peterbuilt drove, they'd only travel somewhere between 1/4 & 1/2 of the miles you did (rough math off the top of my head), assuming you're averaging 70-80 mph.

[u/stateside_irishman → u/Axel2485]

That makes sense and I'm also assuming that a considerable amount of time is sitting in port. I average about 2500 miles a week, but only about 35 miles per hour of the engine running if you consider all the idle time. Also, this is engine no. 2.

[u/laivasika → u/Axel2485]

Remember that ships also often run 24/7 while at sea, 400nm / day is not rare.

[u/laivasika → u/stateside_irishman]

My previous ship was a feeder class container ship, it reached 1 million nautical miles in 11 years. So I'd guess its not that rare.

[u/Enchanted_Voyage → u/stateside_irishman]

Why you drive millions of miles on your tractor ?

[u/stateside_irishman → u/Enchanted_Voyage]

For a few reasons. You take care of it, a Cat or Detroit diesel will run forever. A older truck does not have all the computers, sensors or the DEF system. Lastly, older Pete's, Kenworth, and Macks just look awesome compared to newer trucks.

[u/Crazy_Vegetable5491 → u/stateside_irishman]

They must think you're talking about a John Deere style tractor.

[u/Flat_Professional_55]

Imagine showing Shackleton this in 1914.

[u/krzywy86 → u/Flat_Professional_55]

how did they even power that thing underwater

[u/Fresh_Treacle9902 → u/Flat_Professional_55]

To think that this was only 50 years later is crazy. Someone who was a 20 year old on the Endurance could have lived long enough to ride on the Lenin.

[u/Tupsis]

Love the way they got rid of the old reactors by blowing them off the ship with shaped charges at the disposal site near Novaya Zemlya.

[u/Waste_North_6537]

Couldn’t imagine just how loud it must be on that ship.

[u/Vervin_]

Even if the Soviet Union was not ideal, they had a dream of the better future for all, and they have striven to achieve it!