RV Polarstern
| History | |
|---|---|
| Germany | |
| Name | Polarstern |
| Namesake | Pole star |
| Owner | Bundesministerium für Bildung und Forschung |
| Operator | Alfred Wegener Institute (AWI) |
| Port of registry | Bremerhaven, Germany |
| Route | Arctic and Antarctica |
| Ordered | 28 August 1980 |
| Builder | Howaldtswerke-Deutsche Werft at Kiel and the Nobiskrug at Rendsburg |
| Yard number | 707 |
| Laid down | 22 September 1981 |
| Launched | 6 January 1982 |
| Completed | 8 December 1982 |
| Identification |
|
| Status | in active service |
| General characteristics | |
| Type | Icebreaker, research vessel |
| Tonnage | 12,614 GT |
| Displacement | 17,300 tonnes |
| Length | 117.91 m (386 ft 10 in) |
| Beam | 25 m (82 ft 0 in) |
| Draught | 10.7 m (35 ft 1 in) |
| Installed power | Four diesel engines, 14,120 kW (18,940 hp) |
| Speed | 15.5 knots (28.7 km/h; 17.8 mph) |
| Capacity | 124 persons |
| Crew | 44 |
RV Polarstern (meaning pole star) is a German research icebreaker of the Alfred Wegener Institute for Polar and Marine Research (AWI) in Bremerhaven, Germany. Polarstern was built by Howaldtswerke-Deutsche Werft in Kiel and Nobiskrug in Rendsburg, was commissioned in 1982, and is mainly used for research in the Arctic and Antarctica. The ship has a length of 118 metres (387 feet) and is a double-hulled icebreaker. She is operational at temperatures as low as −50 °C (−58 °F). Polarstern can break through ice 1.5 m (4 ft 11 in) thick at a speed of 5 knots (9.3 km/h; 5.8 mph). Thicker ice of up to 3 m (9.8 ft) can be broken by ramming.