View source for A. Sibiryakov (icebreaker)

{{Short description|Steamship (1909–1942)}}
{{About|the icebreaker launched in 1909|the Finnish icebreaker handed over to the Soviet Union in 1945|Jääkarhu (icebreaker)}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=February 2018}}
{|{{Infobox ship begin}}
{{ infobox ship image
|Ship image           = A Sibirykov.jpg
|Ship caption         = ''A. Sibiryakov'' on a Soviet postage stamp
}}
{{infobox ship career
|Hide header          = 
|Ship country         =
|Ship flag            =
|Ship name            = *1909: ''Bellaventure''
*1927: ''Alexander Sibiriakov''
*1939: ''Alexander Sibiryakov''
|Ship namesake        = [[Alexander Sibiryakov]]
|Ship owner           = *1909: Bellaventure SS Co Ltd
*1917: Russian Government
*1920: Byelomortran
*1922: [[Chief Directorate of the Northern Sea Route|Glavsevmorput]]
*1924: A/O Sovtorgflot
*1933: Glavsevmorput
|Ship operator        = *1909: A Harvey & Co
*1919: [[Ellerman Lines|Ellerman's Wilson Line]]
*1941: {{flagicon|Soviet Union|naval}} [[Soviet Navy]]
|Ship registry        = *1909: {{flagicon|Newfoundland}} [[St. John's, Newfoundland and Labrador|St John's]]
*1917: {{flagicon|USSR}} [[Arkhangelsk]]
|Ship route           = 
|Ship ordered         = 
|Ship builder         = [[D. and W. Henderson and Company|D&W Henderson]], [[Glasgow]]
|Ship original cost   = 
|Ship yard number     = 464 
|Ship way number      = 
|Ship laid down       = 
|Ship launched        = 23 November 1908
|Ship completed       = January 1909
|Ship christened      = 
|Ship acquired        = 1916
|Ship maiden voyage   = 
|Ship in service      = 
|Ship out of service  = 
|Ship identification  = *1909: UK [[official number]] 127684
*1909: [[code letters]] TQNL
*{{ICS|Tango}}{{ICS|Quebec}}{{ICS|November}}{{ICS|Lima}}
*1914: [[Wireless telegraphy|w/t]] [[Maritime call sign|call sign]] VOM
*1933: code letters HPFG
*{{ICS|Hotel}}{{ICS|Papa}}{{ICS|Foxtrot}}{{ICS|Golf}}
*1934: call sign RAHE
*{{ICS|Romeo}}{{ICS|Alpha}}{{ICS|Hotel}}{{ICS|Echo}}
*1939: call sign UNHE
*{{ICS|Uniform}}{{ICS|November}}{{ICS|Hotel}}{{ICS|Echo}}
*1941: [[pennant number]] LD-6
|Ship fate            = Sunk by enemy action, 24 August 1942
|Ship notes           = 
}}
{{infobox ship characteristics
|Hide header          = 
|Header caption       = 
|Ship type           = *1909: [[seal hunting]] support ship
*1917: [[icebreaker]]
|Ship tonnage         = *1910: {{GRT|1132}}, {{NRT|467}}
*1935: {{GRT|1384}}, {{NRT|471}}
|Ship displacement    = 
|Ship length          = {{cvt|241.0|ft|abbr=on}}
|Ship beam            = {{cvt|35.8|ft|abbr=on}}
|Ship height          = 
|Ship draught         = {{cvt|6|m|abbr=on|disp=flip}}
|Ship depth           = {{cvt|16.9|ft|abbr=on}}
|Ship decks           = 
|Ship ice class       = [[icebreaker]]
|Ship sail plan       = 
|Ship power           = {{cvt|2360|hp|abbr=on}}, 347 [[Horsepower#Nominal horsepower|NHP]]
|Ship propulsion= *1 × [[Marine steam engine#Triple or multiple expansion|triple expansion engine]]
*1 × [[Propeller|screw]]
|Ship speed           = {{convert|13|kn|km/h}}
|Ship capacity        = 
|Ship crew            = 104
|Ship armament        = *1941: {{convert|76|mm|in|abbr=on|0}} & {{convert|45|mm|in|abbr=on|0}} guns
*by 1942: as above plus 1 × {{convert|4|in|mm|abbr=on|0}} gun
|Ship notes           = 
}}
|}

'''''Alexander Sibiryakov''''' (Russian ''Александр Сибиряков'') was a [[steamship]] that was built in Scotland in 1909 as '''''Bellaventure''''', and was originally a [[seal hunting]] ship in [[Dominion of Newfoundland|Newfoundland]]. In 1917 the Russian government bought her to be an [[icebreaker]]. She served the [[Russian Soviet Federative Socialist Republic|RSFSR]] and [[Soviet Union]] until 1942, when she was sunk by enemy action. The ship gave notable service in the [[Russia]]n Arctic during the 1930s.

The ship was recorded as ''Bellaventure'' until at least 1920.{{sfn|Lloyd's Register|1920}} By 1927 she had been renamed{{sfn|Lloyd's Register|1927}} ''Александр Сибиряков''. In the [[Latin alphabet]] her name was rendered '''''Alexander Sibiriakov''''' until at least 1935.{{sfn|Lloyd's Register|1935}} This had been changed to ''Alexander Sibiryakov'' by 1939.{{sfn|Lloyd's Register|1939}}

==Building==
In 1908 A Harvey & Co of [[St. John's, Newfoundland and Labrador|St John's]], [[Dominion of Newfoundland|Newfoundland]] ordered a pair of ships from shipbuilders in [[Glasgow]], Scotland. [[D. and W. Henderson and Company|D&W Henderson Ltd]] built ''Bellaventure'', launching her on 23 November 1908.<ref name=Bellaventure>{{cite web |url= https://www.clydeships.co.uk/view.php?year_built=&builder=&ref=9471 |title=Bellaventure |work=Scottish Built Ships |publisher=Caledonian Maritime Research Trust |access-date=23 May 2022}}</ref> [[Napier and Miller]] built her [[sister ship]] ''Bonaventure'', launching her on 5 December 1908.<ref name=Bonaventure>{{cite web |url= https://www.clydeships.co.uk/view.php?year_built=&builder=&ref=16404 |title=Bonaventure |work=Scottish Built Ships |publisher=Caledonian Maritime Research Trust |access-date=23 May 2022}}</ref> Both ships were completed in January 1909.

''Bellaventure''{{'}}s registered length was {{cvt|241.0|ft|abbr=on}}, her beam was {{cvt|35.8|ft|abbr=on}}, her depth was {{cvt|16.9|ft|abbr=on}} and her [[tonnage]]s were {{GRT|1132}} and {{NRT|467}}. She had a single [[Propeller|screw]], driven by a three-cylinder [[Marine steam engine#Triple or multiple expansion|triple expansion engine]] that was rated at 347 [[Horsepower#Nominal horsepower|NHP]].{{sfn|Lloyd's Register|1911}}

''Bellaventure''{{'}}s United Kingdom [[official number]] was 127684 and her [[code letters]] were TQNL.{{sfn|Lloyd's Register|1911}} By 1914 she was equipped for [[wireless telegraphy]]. Her [[Maritime call sign|call sign]] was VOM.{{sfn|The Marconi Press Agency Ltd|1914|p=352}}

==1914 Newfoundland Sealing Disaster==
[[File:Dead Sealers, 4 April 1914.jpg|thumb|left|Survivors and dead bodies aboard ''Bellaventure'' from the 1914 sealing disaster]]
On 2 April 1914 ''Bellaventure'', commanded by Captain [[Isaac Randell]], was off the northern coast of [[Newfoundland (island)|Newfoundland]] taking part in a seal hunt. 132 hunters from another steamship, {{SS|Newfoundland||2}}, had become lost in a storm on an ice floe. After 54 hours ''Bellaventure'' rescued the survivors and recovered 77 dead bodies. She sailed through the Narrows of [[St. John's, Newfoundland and Labrador|St. John's, Newfoundland]], with her flags at half mast.<ref>{{cite web |url= https://www.heritage.nf.ca/articles/politics/sealing-disaster-1914.php |last=Jenny |first=Jenny |title=The 1914 Sealing Disaster |work=Newfoundland and Labrador Heritage Web Site |access-date=}}</ref>

==Bought by Russia==
In 1917 the Russian government bought both ''Bellaventure'' and ''Bonaventure''. In 1919, in the [[North Russia intervention]] in the [[Russian Civil War]], [[United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland|United Kingdom]] forces in [[Arkhangelsk]] took control of both ships, and [[Ellerman Lines|Ellerman's Wilson Line]] was appointed to manage ''Bellaventure''.<ref name=Bellaventure/><ref name=Bonaventure/>

Eventually the two ships were renamed ''[[Alexander Sibiryakov]]'' and ''[[Vladimir Rusanov]]'', after two Russian arctic explorers.<ref name=Bellaventure/><ref name=Bonaventure/>

==Between the wars==
''Alexander Sibiryakov'' made the first successful crossing of the [[Northern Sea Route]] in a single navigation without wintering. This historic voyage, which had been [[Mikhail Lomonosov]]'s dream, was organized by the All-Union Arctic Institute (now called the [[Arctic and Antarctic Research Institute]]).

''Alexander Sibiryakov'' sailed on 28 June 1932 from the Krasny (previously Sobornoy) docks in [[Arkhangelsk]], crossed the [[Kara Sea]] and chose a northern, unexplored way around [[Severnaya Zemlya]] to the [[Laptev Sea]]. In September, after calling at [[Tiksi]] and the mouth of the [[Kolyma]], the propeller shaft broke and the icebreaker drifted for 11 days. However, ''Alexander Sibiryakov'' crossed the [[Chukchi Sea]] using improvised sails and arrived in the [[Bering Strait]] in October. ''Alexander Sibiryakov'' reached the Japanese port of [[Yokohama]] after 65 days, having covered more than {{convert|2500|mi|km}} in the Arctic seas. This was regarded as a heroic feat of Soviet polar seamen and Chief of Expedition [[Otto Schmidt]] and Captain [[Vladimir Voronin (Captain)|Vladimir Voronin]] were received with many honors at their return to Russia.

On 24 November 1936 ''Alexander Sibiryakov'' was stranded near Cape Menshikov in the [[Kara Sea]]. She was refloated on 25 December 1936 and returned to service in June 1938.<ref name=Bellaventure/>

==Wartime service and sinking==
In September 1941 the [[Soviet Navy]] requisitioned ''Alexander Sibiryakov''. She was given the [[pennant number]] LD-6.<ref name=Bellaventure/> She continued in service, commanded by Captain [[Anatoli Kacharava]]. She was [[Defensively equipped merchant ship|defensively armed]], at first with several{{clarify|reason=How many of each type of gun?|date=May 2022}} {{convert|76|mm|in|abbr=on|0}} and {{convert|45|mm|in|abbr=on|0}} guns. By 1942 one {{convert|4|in|mm|abbr=on|0}} gun had been added.

On 25 August 1942 during [[Operation Wunderland]] the [[Kriegsmarine]] [[heavy cruiser]] {{ship|German cruiser|Admiral Scheer||2}} attacked her off the northwest shore of [[Russky Island (Kara Sea)|Russky Island]] in the [[Nordenskiöld Archipelago]]. Despite being heavily outgunned, ''Alexander Sibiryakov'' defended herself for an hour before ''Admiral Scheer'' sank her. ''Alexander Sibiryakov'' also sent a [[Wireless telegraphy|wireless telegraph]] signal that warned east and west bound Allied convoys of the attacks, enabling them to avoid the area.

Most members of ''Alexander Sibiryakov''{{'}}s crew were killed either in battle or when she sank. ''Admiral Scheer'' captured 22, including severely wounded Captain Kacharava. One crewman, stoker Pavel Vavilov, managed to reach Beluha Island and was rescued by a Soviet ship 34 or 35 days later. In total only 15 crew members survived the war. Soviet sources say 79 killed, 19 taken as [[Prisoner of war|prisoners of war]], and only 13 of them survived captivity.

When the Finnish icebreaker {{ship||Jääkarhu||2}} was handed over to the Soviet Union, she was renamed ''Sibiryakov''.

==References==
{{reflist}}

==Bibliography==
*{{cite book |last=Armstrong |first=Terence |year=1958 |title=The Russians in the Arctic: Aspects of Soviet exploration and exploitation of the far north, 1937–57 |place=London |publisher=Methuen}}
*{{cite book |last1=Brown |first1=Cassie |author1-link=Cassie Brown |last2=Horwood |first2=Harold |author2-link=Harold Horwood |year=1972 |title=Death on the Ice: The Great Newfoundland Sealing Disaster of 1914 |place=Toronto |publisher=[[Doubleday Canada]] |isbn=978-0385050371}}
*{{cite book |author=The Marconi Press Agency Ltd |author-link=Marconi Company |year=1914 |title=The Year Book of Wireless Telegraphy and Telephony |place=London |publisher=The Marconi Press Agency Ltd}}
*{{cite book |year=1911 |title=Lloyd's Register of British and Foreign Shipping |chapter=Steamers |place=London |publisher=[[Lloyd's Register]] of Shipping |via=[[Internet Archive]] |ref={{harvid|Lloyd's Register|1911}} |chapter-url= https://archive.org/details/HECROS1911ST/page/n154/mode/1up}}
*{{cite book |year=1918 |title=Lloyd's Register of British and Foreign Shipping |chapter=Steamers |place=London |publisher=[[Lloyd's Register]] of Shipping |via=[[Internet Archive]] |ref={{harvid|Lloyd's Register|1918}} |chapter-url= https://archive.org/details/HECROS1918ST/page/n113/mode/1up}}
*{{cite book |year=1920 |title=Lloyd's Register of British and Foreign Shipping |chapter=Steamers |place=London |publisher=[[Lloyd's Register]] of Shipping |via=[[Internet Archive]] |ref={{harvid|Lloyd's Register|1920}} |chapter-url= https://archive.org/details/HECROS1920ST/ROS1920ST%20Combined/page/n117/mode/1up}}
*{{cite book |year=1927 |title=Lloyd's Register of British and Foreign Shipping |chapter=Steamers |place=London |publisher=[[Lloyd's Register]] of Shipping |via=[[Internet Archive]] |ref={{harvid|Lloyd's Register|1927}} |chapter-url= https://archive.org/details/HECROS1927ST/page/n45/mode/1up}}
*{{cite book |year=1933 |title=Lloyd's Register of British and Foreign Shipping |chapter=Steamers |place=London |publisher=[[Lloyd's Register]] of Shipping |via=[[Southampton City Council]] |ref={{harvid|Lloyd's Register|1933}} |url= https://plimsoll.southampton.gov.uk/shipdata/pdfs/33/33b0032.pdf}}
*{{cite book |year=1934 |title=Lloyd's Register of British and Foreign Shipping |chapter=Steamers |place=London |publisher=[[Lloyd's Register]] of Shipping |via=[[Southampton City Council]] |ref={{harvid|Lloyd's Register|1934}} |url= https://plimsoll.southampton.gov.uk/shipdata/pdfs/34/34b0036.pdf}}
*{{cite book |year=1935 |title=Lloyd's Register of British and Foreign Shipping |chapter=Steamers |place=London |publisher=[[Lloyd's Register]] of Shipping |via=[[Southampton City Council]] |ref={{harvid|Lloyd's Register|1935}} |url= https://plimsoll.southampton.gov.uk/shipdata/pdfs/35/35b0032.pdf}}
*{{cite book |year=1939 |title=Lloyd's Register of British and Foreign Shipping |chapter=Steamers, Supplement |place=London |publisher=[[Lloyd's Register]] of Shipping |via=[[Southampton City Council]] |ref={{harvid|Lloyd's Register|1939}} |url= https://plimsoll.southampton.gov.uk/shipdata/pdfs/39/39b1002.pdf}}
*{{cite book |year=1942 |title=Lloyd's Register of British and Foreign Shipping |chapter=Steamers |place=London |publisher=[[Lloyd's Register]] of Shipping |via=[[Southampton City Council]] |ref={{harvid|Lloyd's Register|1942}} |url= https://plimsoll.southampton.gov.uk/shipdata/pdfs/42/42b0037.pdf}}

==External links==
*{{cite web |url= http://www.whoi.edu/beaufortgyre/history/history_soviet.html |title=Soviet Exploration |work=Beaufort Gyre Exploration Project |publisher=[[Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution]]}}
*{{cite web |url= http://www.tour-land.ru/extr/north_p/eng/hist_ark.shtml |title=The History of Arctic Exploration |work=Travel to the North Pole |publisher=Tour Land|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20061006162340/http://www.tour-land.ru/extr/north_p/eng/hist_ark.shtml |archive-date=6 October 2006 }}
*{{cite web |url= http://www.wlb-stuttgart.de/seekrieg/42-08.htm |last1=Rohwer |first1=	Jürgen |last2=Hümmelchen |first2=Gerhard |title=1942 August |work=Chronik des Seekrieges 1939-1945 |publisher=[[Württembergische Landesbibliothek]] |language=de}}
*{{cite web |url= http://www.shipsnostalgia.com/guides/Soviet_Merchant_Marine_Losses_in_WW2 |title=Soviet Merchant Marine Losses in WW2 |work=Ships Nostalgia |publisher=VerticalScope Inc}}

{{Polar exploration|state=collapsed}}
{{August 1942 shipwrecks}}
{{coord|76|00|N|91|31|E|source:kolossus-ruwiki|display=title}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Alexander Sibiriakov}}
[[Category:1909 ships]]
[[Category:Arctic exploration vessels]]
[[Category:Chukchi Sea]]
[[Category:Icebreakers of the Soviet Union]]
[[Category:Kara Sea]]
[[Category:Maritime incidents in August 1942]]
[[Category:Polar exploration by Russia and the Soviet Union]]
[[Category:Ships built on the River Clyde]]
[[Category:Shipwrecks in the Kara Sea]]
[[Category:Steamships of Canada]]
[[Category:Steamships of the Soviet Union]]
[[Category:World War II shipwrecks in the Arctic Ocean]]