The U.S. Coast Guard Cutter Thunder Bay (WTGB-108) clears a channel for vessels to navigate the frozen Hudson River

A river icebreaker is an icebreaker specially designed to operate in shallow waters such as rivers and estuaries, and often able to pass through canals and under bridges.[1] As published by the American Society of Civil Engineers in 1916, "On some rivers, particularly where melting first takes place on the upper river, as on the Oder and Weichsel in Germany, the formation of ice jams is a frequent cause of floods."[2] River icebreakers can operate in any navigable waterway to prevent such ice jams.[3]

Various river icebreakers, from smaller vessels to the nuclear-powered shallow draft icebreakers Taymyr-class Vaygach and Taymyr,[4] are also in service in the large rivers of the Russian arctic.

The oldest river icebreaker in the world that is still in service is the Kuna.

See also

References

  1. ^ Gregory P. Tsinker (1995-02-01). Marine Structures Engineering: Specialized Applications. Springer. p. 175. ISBN 978-0-412-98571-3. Retrieved 2012-06-19. River icebreakers must satisfy some extra demands compared to harbor and lake icebreakers.
  2. ^ American Society of Civil Engineers (1916). Proceedings of the American Society of Civil Engineers. The Society. p. 598. Retrieved 2012-06-19. On some rivers, particularly where melting first takes place on the upper river, as on the Oder and Weichsel in Germany, the formation of ice jams is a frequent cause of floods.
  3. ^ S. Beltaos (1995). River Ice Jams. Water Resources Publication. p. 236. ISBN 978-0-918334-87-9. Retrieved 2012-06-19. Icebreakers can be used to prevent ice jams in any navigable waterway.
  4. ^ Russian nuclear icebreaker is working around the clock to clear vessel jam in Gulf of Finland. Helsingin Sanomat. Retrieved 2012-08-10.

Bibliography

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