How are they different from regular ships?
What makes them be able to plow through ice where others aren’t?
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I spent 2 years on the USCGC Polar Sea. At the time one of only 2 polar icebreakers in the fleet. As somebody mentioned elsewhere in this thread, the ship was designed to ride up on top of the leading edge and then break the ice due to the forward/downward pressure. This wasn’t always the case due to ice thickness where it was more ramming than riding up on. Going by memory but I think we could make steady progress through ice up to 4’ thick and could get through ice up to 24’ thick if we used a process called “backing and ramming”.
At one point in Antarctica we spent 24 hours “backing and ramming” only to advance < .25 miles. We moved a bout 6 feet on one 4-hr watch. Somebody also mentioned engines. We had 6 main Diesel engines and 3 gas-powered turbines. I wasn’t on the mechanical side but I think the turbines provided 30,000 horsepower each.
It was a fun duty station and going to the poles and actually breaking ice was a memorable experience. What was also memorable, and what many don’t know, is how goddamned loud it was inside the ship while ice breaking was occurring. The noises you hear as the ice grinds past your only shelter is not exactly comforting.
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