View source for Sadko (1913 icebreaker)

{{For|the later Soviet icebreaker of the same name|Sadko (1968 icebreaker)}}

{{Short description|Soviet icebreaker ship}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=July 2017}}
{|{{Infobox ship begin}}
{{ infobox ship image
| Ship image   = File:Brand Soviet icebreaker Sadko 1977.jpg
| Ship caption = 1977 Soviet stamp depicting ''Sadko''
}}
{{ infobox ship career
| Hide header         = 
| Ship country        = [[Dominion of Newfoundland|Newfoundland]]
| Ship flag           = {{shipboxflag|Dominion of Newfoundland}}
| Ship name           = SS ''Lintrose''
| Ship owner          = [[Reid Newfoundland Company]]
| Ship operator       = 
| Ship registry       = [[St. John's, Newfoundland and Labrador|St. John's]]
| Ship route          = [[Channel-Port aux Basques|Port aux Basques]]–[[North Sydney, Nova Scotia|North Sydney]]
| Ship ordered        = 
| Ship builder        = [[Swan Hunter|Swan, Hunter & Wigham Richardson Ltd.]], [[Walker, Newcastle upon Tyne|Low Walker]]
| Ship original cost  = 
| Ship yard number    = 898<ref name="TBS">{{cite web |title=Lintrose 1913 |url=http://www.tynebuiltships.co.uk/L-Ships/lintrose1913.html |access-date=17 May 2023}}</ref>
| Ship way number     = 
| Ship laid down      = 1912
| Ship launched       = 21 January 1913<ref name="TBS" />
| Ship completed      = 14 March 1913
| Ship christened     = 
| Ship acquired       = 29 March 1913
| Ship maiden voyage  = 
| Ship in service     = 
| Ship out of service = 
| Ship identification = *[[official number]] 115619<ref name="WS">{{cite web |title=SS Sadko |url=https://www.wrecksite.eu/wreck.aspx?206930 |website=wrecksite.eu |access-date=20 May 2023}}</ref>
*[[code letters]] UPCT<ref name="WS" />
*{{ICS|Uniform}}{{ICS|Papa}}{{ICS|Charlie}}{{ICS|Tango}}
| Ship fate           = Sold, 1915
| Ship notes          = 
}}
{{ infobox ship career
| Hide header         = title
| Ship country        = [[Russian Empire]]
| Ship flag           = {{shipboxflag|Russian Empire}}
| Ship name           =''Sadko''
| Ship namesake       = [[Sadko]]
| Ship owner          = [[Russian Empire]]
| Ship operator       = [[Ministry of Commerce of the Russian Empire|Russian Ministry of Commerce and Industry]]
| Ship registry       = 
| Ship route          = 
| Ship acquired       = 1915
| Ship in service     = 
| Ship out of service = 
| Ship identification = 
| Ship fate           = Sank 20 June 1916
| Ship notes          = 
}}
{{ infobox ship career
| Hide header         = title
| Ship country        = [[Soviet Union]]
| Ship flag           = {{shipboxflag|Soviet Union}}
| Ship name           = ''Sadko''
| Ship owner          = [[Soviet Union]]
| Ship operator       = 
| Ship registry       = 
| Ship route          = 
| Ship acquired       = Refloated 14 October 1933
| Ship in service     = 9 July 1934 
| Ship out of service = 
| Ship identification = 
| Ship fate           = Sank after grounding 11 September 1941
| Ship notes          = 
}}
{{ infobox ship characteristics
| Hide header         = 
| Header caption      = 
| Ship type           = [[Icebreaker]]
| Ship tonnage        = *{{GRT|1616}}<ref name="TBS" />
*{{NRT|683}}<ref name="TBS" />
| Ship displacement   = 3,800 tonnes 
| Ship length         = {{convert|77.7|m|ft|0|abbr=on}}<ref name="WS" />
| Ship beam           = {{convert|11.4|m|ft|0|abbr=on}}<ref name="WS" />
| Ship height         = {{convert|6.9|m|ft|0|abbr=on}}<ref name="WS" />
| Ship draught        = 
| Ship draft          = 
| Ship depth          = 
| Ship decks          = 
| Ship deck clearance = 
| Ship ramps          = 
| Ship ice class      = 
| Ship sail plan      = 
| Ship power          = 587 [[Nominal horsepower|nhp]]<ref name="WS" />
| Ship propulsion     = *1 x 3-cylinder triple-expansion steam engine
*1 x screw propeller
| Ship speed          =*{{convert|15|kn}}<ref name="TBS" /> or
*{{convert|13|kn}}<ref name="WS" />
| Ship capacity       = 
| Ship crew           = 
| Ship notes          = 
}}
|}

'''''Sadko''''' ([[Russian language|Russian]]: ''Садко'') was a [[Soviet Union|Soviet]] [[icebreaker]] known for its role in scientific expeditions in the [[Arctic]]. Built as '''SS ''Lintrose''''' in 1913 for ferry service in [[Dominion of Newfoundland|Newfoundland]], she was sold to the government of the [[Russian Empire]] in 1915 and renamed ''Sadko''.  In Russia, she was used as a freighter in the Arctic before sinking in 1916.

She was refloated in 1933 by the Soviet government and put back into service as an Arctic science and exploration vessel. She participated in two particularly notable expeditions: one attempting to reach [[Kvitøya]] in 1935 and another attempting to locate the mythical [[Sannikov Land]] in 1937–38. ''Sadko'' ran aground and sank for a second time in 1941 during an expedition in the [[Kara Sea]].

==Early history==
===Construction===
''Sadko'' was built by [[Swan Hunter|Swan, Hunter & Wigham Richardson Ltd.]] at the Neptune Yard in [[Walker, Newcastle upon Tyne|Low Walker]], [[England]] in 1912–13, as an icebreaking passenger and freight steamer.<ref name="TBS" /> Launched on 21 January 1913, the vessel was originally constructed for the [[Reid Newfoundland Company]], which was the main ferry operator in the [[Dominion of Newfoundland]] from 1901 to 1923. The ship was a part of the [[Alphabet Fleet]], the company's ferry fleet. The vessel was named the SS ''Lintrose'' in line with the fleet's eponymous naming convention, in which each ship was named after a location in [[Scotland]] starting with a different letter of the alphabet. The vessel was a part of the last group of ships ordered directly by the company, alongside the [[SS Kyle|SS ''Kyle'']] and the second [[Malygin (1912 icebreaker)|SS ''Bruce'']].

===Reid Newfoundland Company===
On 16 March 1913, ''Lintrose'' embarked on its journey across the Atlantic to [[Newfoundland (island)|Newfoundland]]. The transit proved to be unexpectedly long due to poor weather. The ship first sustained damage near the [[Isle of Wight]], where waves damaged woodwork on the [[Bridge (nautical)|bridge]] deck and upper bridge. The following day, another wave flooded the vessel's [[forecastle]] and destroyed the bunks of the cooks and [[Fireman (steam engine)|firemen]]. ''Lintrose'' finally arrived at its future home port of [[St. John's, Newfoundland and Labrador|St. John's]] on 29 March 1913.<ref>{{cite web |title=The "Lintrose" Has Rough Trip and Sustained Some Damage |url=http://www.newfoundlandshipbuilding.com/alphabetfleet/documents/the_lintrose.htm |publisher=The Evening Herald |access-date=17 May 2023 |date=29 March 1913}}</ref><ref name="MHA">{{cite web |title=S.S. Lintrose |url=https://mha.mun.ca/mha/alpha/lintrose.php |publisher=Maritime History Archive |access-date=17 May 2023}}</ref> While in Reid service, ''Lintrose'' plied the ferry route between [[Port aux Basques]], [[Dominion of Newfoundland|Newfoundland]] and [[North Sydney, Nova Scotia|North Sydney]], [[Canada]].<ref name="MA">{{cite web |title=Proud of our History - SS Lintrose |url=https://www.marineatlantic.ca/journey/proud-our-history-ss-lintrose |publisher=[[Marine Atlantic]] |access-date=17 May 2023 |date=23 April 2015}}</ref>

===Russian service and sinking===
In 1915, after the outbreak of [[World War I]], ''Lintrose'' was sold to the [[Russian Empire]] for use by the [[Ministry of Commerce of the Russian Empire|Ministry of Commerce and Industry]] as an icebreaker and cargo ship in the Arctic, along with her sister ship, the new [[Malygin (1912 icebreaker)|SS ''Bruce'']]. She was renamed ''Sadko'', after the hero of a Russian ''[[bylina]]''. On 20 June 1916,<ref name="TBS" /> she sank in the [[Kandalaksha Gulf]] with a payload for the construction of the [[Kandalaksha–Murmansk railroad]].

==Soviet service==
===Refloating and return to service===
In 1932–33, ''Sadko'' was salvaged by the [[EPRON]] team led by Timofey Ivanovich Bobritsky, chief engineer. Refloated on 14 October 1933, she underwent repair and a complete refit at [[Arkhangelsk]], emerging on 9 July 1934 on a trial voyage. Artur Karlovich Burke (1891–1942) was her captain. Burke also took ''Sadko'' on her first expedition to the [[Kara Sea]], which lasted from 22 July to 25 September 1934, confirming the excellent work that had been done in restoring the ship to service.

The next season, in 1935, she took part in an expedition led by [[Georgy Ushakov]] (1901–1963) with N.M. Nikolaev as captain of ''Sadko'' and Nikolay N. Zubov (1885–1960) as scientific director, engaging in deep-sea research and an attempt to reach [[Kvitøya]] in the [[Arctic Ocean]].<ref>{{Cite news|date=August 22, 1935|title=Soviet Expedition Seeks Lost Phantom Island in the Arctic|work=The Evening News|location=Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania|url=https://www.newspapers.com/image/182240210|access-date=August 13, 2020}}</ref>

===Sannikov Land expedition===
In the summer of 1937, ''Sadko'' sailed from [[Murmansk]] with Nikolay Ivanovich Khramtsov as expedition leader, N.M. Nikolaev as captain of ''Sadko'', and [[Vladimir Wiese|Vladimir Vize]] (1886-1954) as scientific director. Also taking part in this expedition was a [[Polikarpov Po-2|Polikarpov U-2SP]] floatplane capable of landing on and taking off from the ice. The original goal was to sail to Henrietta, Zhokhov and Jeanette Islands in the [[De Long Islands|De Long group]], search for [[Sannikov Land]] and carry out scientific research.<ref>{{cite news |title=U.S.S.R. Opens Far North |first=Calvin S. |last=White |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1937/05/16/archives/ussr-opens-far-north-in-siberia-the-russians-are-developng-land-and.html |newspaper=New York Times |date=16 May 1937 |access-date=4 November 2011}}</ref> The purpose of the expedition was also to find out how the [[Northern Sea Route]] could be used for regular shipping. But the Soviet naval authorities changed the plans and the ice-breaker was sent instead to help ships in distress in the [[Kara Sea|Kara]] and [[Laptev Sea]]s.

''Sadko'', however, became itself trapped in fast ice at 75°17'N and 132°28'E in the region of the [[New Siberian Islands]]. Other two Soviet icebreakers, [[Icebreaker Sedov|''Sedov'']] and [[Icebreaker Malygin (1912)|''Malygin'']], in the same area researching the ice conditions, became trapped by sea ice as well and drifted helplessly.

Owing to persistent bad weather conditions, part of the stranded crew members and some of the scientists could only be rescued in April 1938. They were evacuated using ANT-6-4M-34R ''Aviaarktika'' aircraft (a specialized Arctic variant of the Tupolev [[TB-3]] four-engine bomber) under the command of the famed Soviet Arctic aviator Anatoly Dmitrievich Alekseev (1902-1974). It was only on 28 August 1938 that the icebreaker [[Icebreaker Yermak|''Yermak'']] could free two of the three ships stuck at 83°4'N and 138°22'E, ''Sadko'' and ''Malygin''. The third ship, ''Sedov'', had to be left to drift in its icy prison and was transformed into a scientific [[Soviet and Russian manned drifting ice stations|Polar Station]].

===Second sinking===
''Sadko'' sank on 11 September 1941 in the [[Kara Sea]], after running aground on an uncharted [[reef]] near [[Franz Josef Land]].<ref name="TBS" /> Her crew were rescued by the icebreaker [[Lenin (1916 icebreaker)|''Lenin'']]. Captain A.G. Korelsky was accused of sabotage and shot. Owing to the lack of information about the vessel's loss, as late as 1949 ''Sadko'' was still pictured and described in ''Jane's Fighting Ships''.<ref>McMurtrie, Francis E., and Raymond V.B. Blackman (1949), ''Jane's Fighting Ships 1949-50'', p. 297. New York: McGraw-Hill Book Company, Inc.</ref>

==Legacy==
[[File:Stamp_Zubov_Nikolai_Nikolaevich.jpg|thumb|right|upright|2010 Russian stamp depicting ''Sadko'' next to scientist Nikolay Zubov]]

An island in the [[Nordenskiöld Archipelago]] was named after ''Sadko''.

In 1977 a Soviet postage stamp honoring ''Sadko'' was issued, with the first day of issue postmarked at [[Moscow]] on 27 July 1977. A Russian postage stamp honoring Nikolay N. Zubov in 2010 included a portrait of Zubov with an illustration of ''Sadko'' at sea.

There is a scale model of ''Sadko'' in the Museum of the [[Murmansk Shipping Company]] in [[Murmansk]].

[[File:Модель судна Садко.JPG|thumb|right|upright|Scale model of ''Sadko'']]

==See also==
* [[Alphabet Fleet]]
* [[Malygin (1912 icebreaker)]], originally SS ''Bruce'', sister ship of ''Lintrose''
* [[Fyodor Litke (1909 icebreaker)]], originally CGC ''Earl Grey'', another icebreaker sold to the Russian Empire in 1915

==References==
{{reflist}}

==External links==
* [http://www.polarpost.ru/Library/Arcticheskiy-sbornik/epron.html А. А. Киселев Работа ЭПРОНа по подъему судов в северных морях (Russian)]
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20110103212416/http://www.polarmuseum.ru/public/reports/sadko/sadko.htm К "белым пятнам" Арктики. История плаваний ледокольного парохода "САДКО" (Russian)]
* [http://www.polarpost.ru/forum/viewtopic.php?f=4&t=644 "Садко", ледокольный пароход (Russian)]
* [http://www.heritage.nf.ca/society/railway_steamers.html#ss_lintrose S.S. Lintrose]

{{Polar exploration|state=collapsed}}
{{June 1916 shipwrecks}}
{{September 1941 shipwrecks}}
{{coord missing|Russia}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Sadko (1913)}}
[[Category:1913 ships]]
[[Category:Ships built on the River Tyne]]
[[Category:Ships built by Swan Hunter]]
[[Category:Ferries of Newfoundland and Labrador]]
[[Category:Ferries of Nova Scotia]]
[[Category:Icebreakers of Russia]]
[[Category:Icebreakers of the Soviet Union]]
[[Category:Maritime incidents in 1916]]
[[Category:Maritime incidents in September 1941]]
[[Category:Shipwrecks in the Kara Sea]]