Eli5: How do icebreaker ships work?

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How are they different from regular ships?
What makes them be able to plow through ice where others aren’t?

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20 Answers

Anonymous 0 Comments

The front of the ship is very strong, and unlike a normal ship, it”s shaped kinda like a wedge. This means that when it hits a chunk of ice, instead of crashing straight into it like a normal ship, it climbs on top of it. But the ship is very heavy, so when it climbs on top, the ice can’t support it, so the ice breaks, and the ship continues going forward. Keep going long enough, and it’ll have broken a way through for normal ships to pass.

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