PFS Polarstern
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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| Career | |
|---|---|
| Owner: | Alfred Wegener Institute |
| Laid down: | February 22, 1981 |
| Finished: | December 1, 1982 |
| Region: | Arctic and Antarctica |
| Home Port: | Bremerhaven, Germany |
| Call sign: | DBLK |
| General Characteristics | |
| Displacement: | 17,300 t |
| Length: | 117,91 m (386.84 ft) |
| Beam: | 25,07 m (82.25 ft) |
| Draught: | 11.21 m (36.77 ft) |
| Propulsion: | 4 engines, 14,000 kW (20,000 bhp) |
| Speed: | 15.5 kn (28.7 km/h) |
| Complement: | 44 at most |
PFS Polarstern (meaning pole star) is a German research icebreaker of the Alfred Wegener Institute for Polar and Marine Research in Bremerhaven. The Polarstern was put into commission in 1982 and is mainly used for research in the Arctic and Antarctica.
Polarstern was built by the Howaldtswerke/Deutsche Werft at Kiel and the Werft Nobiskrug at Rendsburg. The ship has a length of 118 metres (387 feet).
Polarstern is a double-hulled icebreaker. It is operational at temperatures as low as -50 °C. (-58°F) Polarstern can break through ice 1.5 metres thick at a speed of 5 knots. Thicker ice must be broken by ramming.
Polarstern is also the name of the first track of Eisbrecher's (German for Icebreaker) first album, Eisbrecher. Throughout the track, narrations are given specifying the dimensions and specifications of an enormous ship, blowing the measurements of a real icebreaker out of proportion (ie: length of 236 metres).
[edit] External links
- Official site
- Current position of the Polarstern
- Secrets of the seas: Jurassic shrimp, hairy crabs and giant microbes, news article featuring The Polarstern
