 Once Was Enough, Thank You! In 1969 the SS Manhattan set out to test a route for the shipment of Alaskan crude oil from Alaska through the Northwest Passage, and then on to east coast refineries. The hull of the 1000 foot / 305 meter long supertanker was covered with a thick protective steel belt and it had an armored bow that, like an icebreaker, was designed to ride up on the pack ice or large ice floes so the weight of the massive ship could descend to break it apart. With the help of an escort of icebreakers and scouting helicopters, the voyage was completed on September 14. However, it took months to repair the damage to the Manhattan, and plans were abandoned for using the Northwest Passage as a shipping route for Alaskan oil. However, with the effects of global warming and the ever decreasing pack ice, things could change. During World War II, the Canadian police schooner St. Roch made the first trip through the Passage from west to east. The journey took 27 months. In the summer of 2000, the St. Roch II made the same journey in just three weeks!
Click pictures for more information and credits. Library: Arctic, Boats/Ships/Subs, Ice Links: Arctic, Boats & Ships Northwest Passage, Environment Maps: Northwest Passage Arctic Maps & Weather Reports |
|
DICTIONARY: Just "double-click" any unlinked word on this page for the definition from Merriam-Webster's Student Electronic Dictionary at Word Central. |
|
ARCTIC LIBRARY & GLOSSARY: Check this section for an index of the rest of the things you really need to know about the Arctic. |
|
ARCTIC MAPS & WEATHER REPORTS: Maps of the Northwest Passage, explorers' routes, iceberg sources, Nunavut, the Arctic by treeline, temperature... |
|
ARCTIC LINKS: Even more information! Links to sites related to the Arctic and "Iceberg: the Story of the Throps and the Squallhoots". |
|
GUIDE TO ARCTIC SUNRISE & SUNSET: How much sunlight or darkness is there in the Arctic on each day of the year? |
to is the property of their respective owners, and Athropolis is not responsible for their content.