50 Years of Victory

Ship and equipment

The 50 Years of Victory is a nuclear-powered icebreaker with IMO number 9152959. Her hull was laid down in 1989 at the Baltic Shipyard in Leningrad as the Ural. The ship was launched in 1993 under the name 50 Years of Victory; after construction was suspended, work resumed in 2003. She was delivered on March 23, 2007. She sails under the Russian flag, and Murmansk has been her port of registry since April 2007. The ship is 159.6 metres long and has a gross tonnage of 23,439.

An expedition fact sheet for 2021 lists 128 guests and 140 crew members. It also gives 64 outside cabins and a cruising speed of 21 knots for this expedition configuration. During sea trials in 2007, the ship reached 21.4 knots; this figure refers to the maximum speed at the time and should be distinguished from the cruising speed reported later.

Facilities described for the expeditions included a restaurant, a bar, a library, a lecture room and sports areas. The fact sheet also lists a heated indoor seawater swimming pool and a sauna.

North Pole Expeditions

Tourist trips aboard the 50 Years of Victory to the North Pole began in 2008. In 2019, Quark Expeditions offered a 14-day trip in total. The programme included hotel stays in Helsinki before and after the ship portion, with embarkation scheduled in Murmansk. The 14 days therefore refer to the complete travel programme, not 14 days at sea.

The published day-by-day itinerary called for several days sailing north through the Arctic Ocean after embarkation in Murmansk. The North Pole was scheduled for day seven, after which the ship was to head south. Days nine and ten were set aside for visits to Franz Josef Land, followed by further days at sea on the return to Murmansk. Disembarkation there was planned for day 13, with the programme due to end in Helsinki on day 14.

For exploration in the region, the programme included helicopter and Zodiac excursions, subject to weather conditions. These activities were described as options in the itinerary and were dependent on conditions.