Sampo (1898 Icebreaker)
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''Sampo'' was a Finnish state-owned
steam-powered A steam engine is a heat engine that performs mechanical work using steam as its working fluid. The steam engine uses the force produced by steam pressure to push a piston back and forth inside a cylinder. This pushing force can be tra ...
icebreaker An icebreaker is a special-purpose ship or boat designed to move and navigate through ice-covered waters, and provide safe waterways for other boats and ships. Although the term usually refers to ice-breaking ships, it may also refer to smaller ...
. Built in 1898 by Sir W.G. Armstrong, Whitworth & Co Ltd in
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, United Kingdom and named after a magical artifact from the
Finnish mythology Finnish mythology commonly refers of the folklore of Finnish paganism, of which a Finnish Neopaganism, modern revival is practiced by a small percentage of the Finnish people. It has many shared features with Estonian mythology, Estonian and othe ...
, she was the second state-owned icebreaker of Finland and the first European icebreaker equipped with a bow propeller. When ''Sampo'' was decommissioned and broken up in 1960, she was also the second last steam-powered icebreaker in the Finnish icebreaker fleet.


Development and construction

Prior to building ''Sampo'', Finland had only one state-owned icebreaker, ''Murtaja'', which was built in 1890 and was one of the first purpose-built icebreakers in the world. However, the 930-ton single-screw vessel was not powerful enough to keep even the southernmost port of Finland, Hanko, open during severe winters and the icebreaking characteristics of its
spoon-shaped bow The bow () is the forward part of the hull of a ship or boat, the point that is usually most forward when the vessel is underway. The aft end of the boat is the stern. Prow may be used as a synonym for bow or it may mean the forward-most part ...
were not as good as was hoped for.Laurell 1992, p. 30.Laurell 1992, p. 44. A committee, appointed by the
Senate of Finland The Senate of Finland (; ) combined the functions of Cabinet (government), cabinet and supreme court in the Grand Duchy of Finland from 1816 to 1917 and in independent Finland from 1917 to 1918. The body that would become the Senate was establis ...
in 1895 to find a solution to the problem, came to a conclusion that a second state-owned icebreaker would be needed.Laurell 1992, p. 52-56. In the 1890s the Senate sent two engineers and Leonard Melán, who later became the captain of ''Sampo'', to investigate a new icebreaker design that had been developed in the United States in the 1880s and find out its icebreaking capability. Unlike the European icebreakers, the 1888-built
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''St Ignace'' had two propellers, one at both end of the ship. Convinced about the superiority of the new design, the winter navigation committee recommended that the new icebreaker should be of the so-called "American type".Laurell 1992, p. 52-56. In February 1897 the Senate sent a
request for tender An invitation to tender (ITT, also known as a call for bids or a request for tenders) is a formal, structured procedure for generating competing offers from different potential suppliers or contractors looking to obtain an award of business activ ...
to eight shipbuilders for the construction of a new icebreaker. On 6 June 1897 the contract was signed with Sir W.G. Armstrong, Whitworth & Co Ltd from Newcastle upon Tyne. While not the cheapest, the shipyard had the shortest delivery time — only seven months — for an icebreaker with a bow propeller. While the initial delivery date was 18 January 1898, ''Sampo'' was not delivered until October of the same year due to problems with material deliveries and strikes among the shipyard's workers. She was launched in the spring of 1898 and left for the first sea trials on 23 August. However, the bow propeller shaft seized shortly after leaving the dock and the icebreaker returned to the shipyard. The coal consumption was also 11% greater than what was specified in the contract, but instead of making changes the heating system the shipyard reduced the price by £700. The second sea trial on 21 September was successful and ''Sampo'' left for Finland on 25 October 1898 and arrived to Helsinki four days later.


Career


Early career

''Sampo'' was officially commissioned on 15 November 1898 and began assisting ships outside the port of Hanko while the smaller ''Murtaja'' was stationed closer to the harbour. From the first day on the new icebreaker, capable of breaking through ridges up to six metres thick by ramming, performed beyond expectations and was generally deemed the best icebreaker in Europe at that time. On 9 March 1899, her performance was demonstrated to the director of the Finnish Pilot and Lighthouse Authority when both state-owned icebreakers headed to the sea, ''Murtaja'' running in a previously opened channel and ''Sampo'' alongside in unbroken ice. However, on the way back to the port ''Sampo'', followed by ''Murtaja'', encountered a thick ice ridge and came to a halt. The smaller icebreaker could not stop in time and collided with ''Sampo'', causing damage to her stern structures but fortunately no injuries to the passengers. ''Sampo'' ended her first winter season on 16 May 1899, during which she had assisted 128 ships. The first decade of ''Sampo'' passed without major incidents. In 1907, another icebreaker with a bow propeller, ''Tarmo'', was ordered from the builders of ''Sampo''.Laurell 1992, p. 72-73.


First World War

In August 1914
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joined the First World War and navigating in the Baltic Sea became dangerous due to
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s and
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s. The Finnish icebreakers were placed under the command of the
Baltic Fleet The Baltic Fleet () is the Naval fleet, fleet of the Russian Navy in the Baltic Sea. Established 18 May 1703, under Tsar Peter the Great as part of the Imperial Russian Navy, the Baltic Fleet is the oldest Russian fleet. In 1918, the fleet w ...
of the
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and given the task of assisting naval ships and troop transportations in the Gulf of Finland. Unlike ''Tarmo'', ''Sampo'' was not armed with a deck gun. Icebreaker assistance to merchant ships was largely neglected.Laurell 1992, p. 91-93. ''Sampo'' survived the war without damage. On 6 December 1917 the
Parliament of Finland The Parliament of Finland ( ; ) is the Unicameralism, unicameral and Parliamentary sovereignty, supreme legislature of Finland, founded on 9 May 1906. In accordance with the Constitution of Finland, sovereignty belongs to the people, and that ...
accepted the declaration of independence given by the Senate and on 29 December the icebreakers ''Murtaja'' and ''Sampo'' raised the state flag of the independent Finland for the first time.Laurell 1992, p. 99. However, already in early January 1918 the ship was seized by the Russian revolutionary fleet and ordered to assist the Russian troops stationed in Finland. The White Guards in
Korpo Korpo (; ) is an island located in the Turku archipelago. It is a former municipality of Finland. On 1 January 2009, it was consolidated with Houtskär, Iniö, Nagu and Pargas to form the new town of Väståboland. As of 1 January 2012, Vä ...
and
Nagu Nagu (; ) is a List of former municipalities of Finland, former municipality and parish of Finland. On 1 January 2009, it was consolidated with Houtskär, Iniö, Korpo and Pargas (former municipality), Pargas to form the new town of Väståbol ...
attempted to retake ''Sampo'' later in January but failed.Laurell 1991, p. 100-101.


Finnish Civil War

On 27 January 1918 the
Red Guard The Red Guards () were a mass, student-led, paramilitary social movement mobilized by Chairman Mao Zedong in 1966 until their abolition in 1968, during the first phase of the Cultural Revolution, which he had instituted.Teiwes According to a ...
took over Helsinki and the
Finnish Civil War The Finnish Civil War was a civil war in Finland in 1918 fought for the leadership and control of the country between Whites (Finland), White Finland and the Finnish Socialist Workers' Republic (Red Finland) during the country's transition fr ...
began. However, on the same day ''Sampo'' managed to escape to Sweden and join the
Whites White is a racial classification of people generally used for those of predominantly European ancestry. It is also a skin color specifier, although the definition can vary depending on context, nationality, ethnicity and point of view. De ...
. The Russian
commissar Commissar (or sometimes ''Kommissar'') is an English transliteration of the Russian (''komissar''), which means ' commissary'. In English, the transliteration ''commissar'' often refers specifically to the political commissars of Soviet and ...
who was on board at the time was taken into custody and left on ice outside the port of
Pori Pori (; ; ) is a city in Finland and the regional capital of Satakunta. It is located on the west coast of the country, on the Gulf of Bothnia. The population of Pori is approximately , while the Pori sub-region, sub-region has a population of a ...
before the icebreaker headed for
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to wait for further orders.Laurell 1992, p. 103-107. ''Sampo'' had a significant impact on the outcome of the Civil War when it assisted three convoys to the White-controlled ports in northern Finland. The ships brought more than a thousand Jägers, Finnish volunteers trained in Germany, and enough weapons for the whole White Guard. The first convoy left Danzig on 11 February 1918 and was picked up by ''Sampo'' three days later outside the island of Märket. The steamships ''Mira'' and ''Poseidon'', owned by the
Finland Steamship Company Finland Steamship Company (, abbreviated ''FÅA'', , abbreviated ''SHO'') was a Finland, Finnish shipping company founded in 1883 by Captain Lars Krogius. In Finnish and Swedish, the company was usually referred to simply as FÅA. In 1976, the ...
and carrying 85 Jägers and weapons for the Finnish troops, arrived at
Vaasa Vaasa (; , ), formerly (1855-1917) known as Nikolaistad (; ),Stockholm archipelago The Stockholm Archipelago () is the largest archipelago in Sweden, and the second-largest archipelago in the Baltic Sea (the largest being the Archipelago Sea across the Baltic in Finland). Part of the archipelago has been designated as a Rams ...
. The ships, passenger steamship ''Arcturus'' and cargo steamer ''Castor'', had left Libau on 14 February with the bulk of the troops, 950 Jägers, and some 1,200 tons of coal. ''Castor'' was left outside
Gävle Gävle ( ; ) is a Urban areas in Sweden, city in Sweden, the seat of Gävle Municipality and the capital of Gävleborg County. It had 79,004 inhabitants in 2020, which makes it the List of cities in Sweden, 13th-most-populated city in Sweden. I ...
while ''Arcturus'' was escorted through difficult ice conditions to Vaasa, where it arrived on 25 February in the midst of a large crowd of cheering people. The last ship, ''Virgo'', left Neufahrwasser on 20 February with 25 soldiers and full cargo of weapons, and was assisted to Vaasa on 2 March. On 4 April, while heading out from the port of Hanko with German warships, the convoy led by ''Sampo'' encountered another Finnish icebreaker, ''Murtaja'', coming from
Utö Uto, UTO, Utö, or Utō may refer to: People Given name * Uto Ughi (born 1944), Italian violinist and conductor * Uto Wunderlich (born 1946), German sports shooter Surname * Datu Uto (died c. 1900), 18th Sultan of Buayan, Mindanao * Fumiaki ...
with the steamship ''Dragsfjärd''. Both ships were filled with Red Guard and Russian soldiers, but after several warning shots from the German naval vessels most of the enemy soldiers fled on ice and ''Murtaja'' was taken over by the Whites. ''Sampo'' arrived to Helsinki for the summer on 12 May 1918, three days before the Civil War ended to decisive White victory.


Interwar period

While ''Sampo'' had not been damaged in the war, she was docked at the
Hietalahti shipyard Hietalahti shipyard (also known as Helsinki New Shipyard, ) is a shipyard in Hietalahti, in downtown Helsinki, Finland. Since 2019, it has been operated by a company named Helsinki Shipyard. History The shipyard, first known as Helsingfors ...
for extensive maintenance and repairs — when she left to the port of Hanko in mid-February 1919, 69 bottom plates had been replaced.Laurell 1992, p. 121-122. In December 1922 ''Sampo'' struck a rock in the port of
Loviisa Loviisa (; ; formerly Degerby) is a town in Finland, located on the southern coast of the country. Loviisa is situated in the eastern part of the Uusimaa region. The population of Loviisa is approximately , while the Loviisa sub-region, sub-regi ...
and her bow propeller shaft was damaged, but there was no time for repairs and for the rest of the season she had to assist ships to the port of Helsinki without her bow propeller.Laurell 1992, p. 131-132. Another incident occurred on 24 March 1926 when the bow propeller of ''Sampo'' hit a stone bank in the port of Helsinki, came loose and dropped to the bottom. It was found after searching for a couple of days and winched on board. On 30 March, while ''Sampo'' was assisting a Finnish steamship ''Albert Kasimir'', the stern propeller shaft snapped when the engine was reversed and the propeller dropped to the bottom. While the icebreaker still had its bow propeller, it was of no use as it was waiting for installation on the foredeck. ''Murtaja'' towed the immobilized icebreaker to Hanko on the following day and to Helsinki for repairs on 20 April.Laurell 1992, p. 156-157. Between 1919 and 1922 ''Sampo'' assisted 636 ships, more than any other Finnish icebreaker during that time. In the 1920s the need for new icebreakers was recognized and two new steam-powered icebreakers were built. From 1926 on ''Sampo'' and ''Tarmo'' began their winter season from the eastern parts of the Gulf of Finland, assisting ships to Koivisto, Viipuri and
Kotka Kotka (; ) is a town in Finland, located on the southeastern coast of the country at the mouth of the Kymi River. The population of Kotka is approximately , while the Kotka-Hamina sub-region, sub-region has a population of approximately . It is th ...
, and moved to western ports as the harbours were closed for winter.Laurell 1992, p. 158-159. In 1929 the whole
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was frozen and ''Sampo'' was sent to the
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for two months.Laurell 1992, p. 176.


Winter War

Due to the worsening relations with the Soviet Union, ''Sampo'' and other state-owned icebreakers were armed and assigned to a wartime icebreaker fleet shortly before the
Winter War The Winter War was a war between the Soviet Union and Finland. It began with a Soviet invasion of Finland on 30 November 1939, three months after the outbreak of World War II, and ended three and a half months later with the Moscow Peac ...
began on 30 November 1939. The Finnish icebreakers had been equipped with gun mounts already in the 1920s and were armed with light artillery. However, a bit over month into the war ''Sampo'' ran hard aground and was out of service for more than a year.Laurell 1992, p. 259-260. On 6 January 1940 ''Sampo'' was assisting a convoy of three merchant ships towards
Pori Pori (; ; ) is a city in Finland and the regional capital of Satakunta. It is located on the west coast of the country, on the Gulf of Bothnia. The population of Pori is approximately , while the Pori sub-region, sub-region has a population of a ...
in difficult conditions — the temperature was nearly and fog reduced the visibility to zero. The icebreaker was proceeding in light ice conditions at when she collided with an underwater obstacle and suddenly stopped, throwing the
helmsman A helmsman or helm (sometimes driver or steersman) is a person who steering, steers a ship, sailboat, submarine, other type of maritime vessel, airship, or spacecraft. The rank and seniority of the helmsman may vary: on small vessels such as fis ...
through the wheelhouse windows and damaging the ship's radio antennas. The collision had damaged the forward steam engine and propeller shaft, and ''Sampo'' was resting high on the rocks with the bow propeller above the water.Laurell 1992, p. 263-265 The first rescue attempts were made on the following day when two
tugboat A tugboat or tug is a marine vessel that manoeuvres other vessels by pushing or pulling them, with direct contact or a tow line. These boats typically tug ships in circumstances where they cannot or should not move under their own power, suc ...
s tried to turn the stern of ''Sampo'' towards open water together with the icebreaker's own engine and rudder. However, the task was deemed impossible and the tugboats evacuated the pilot and the women working in the icebreaker's kitchen to
Mäntyluoto () is a district in , Finland. It is mostly industrial and harbour area, including the Harbour which is a part of the Port of Pori, Port of . is the terminus of the Tampere–Pori railway, railway. The Mäntyluoto Shipyard, Shipyard is on ...
. On 8 January ''Sampo'' was further damaged when the wind pushed a large ice floe against the side of the icebreaker and the waves began pounding her hull against the rocks. Both engine rooms flooded and the pumps stopped. In the following night ''Sampo'' slowly settled in the bottom, listing the partially submerged icebreaker approximately 20 degrees starboard. The remaining crew members were evacuated in heavy weather and freezing temperatures on the following day. The salvaging ''Sampo'' was awarded to the Finnish salvage company Neptun Oy, but the task was deemed impossible in the presence of ice. While waiting for the spring thaw, ''Sampo'' was
camouflage Camouflage is the use of any combination of materials, coloration, or illumination for concealment, either by making animals or objects hard to see, or by disguising them as something else. Examples include the leopard's spotted coat, the b ...
d with tree branches to resemble a small island. This was not very successful, because during the last weeks of the Winter War the Soviet bombers made several attempts to destroy the ship. However, despite dropping at least 250 bombs on the grounded icebreaker the enemy pilots never scored a hit. The Winter War ended on 13 March 1940 with ''Sampo'' still grounded outside Pori.Laurell 1992, p. 277.


Interim peace

Neptun began salvaging the grounded ''Sampo'' in May 1940 by emptying the coal storages and melting the ice masses inside the vessel with steam. The icebreaker was towed to
Turku Turku ( ; ; , ) is a city in Finland and the regional capital of Southwest Finland. It is located on the southwestern coast of the country at the mouth of the Aura River (Finland), River Aura. The population of Turku is approximately , while t ...
in June because the longer distance to Helsinki was deemed too risky — large stones had wedged between the mangled bottom plating, and had they fallen during the transit, ''Sampo'' would have filled with water and sunk. The icebreaker arrived in Turku on the Midsummer Eve of 1940 and after emergency repairs was towed to
Hietalahti shipyard Hietalahti shipyard (also known as Helsinki New Shipyard, ) is a shipyard in Hietalahti, in downtown Helsinki, Finland. Since 2019, it has been operated by a company named Helsinki Shipyard. History The shipyard, first known as Helsingfors ...
in Helsinki, where it remained for extensive repairs until 13 March 1941.


The Second World War


Continuation War

When the
Continuation War The Continuation War, also known as the Second Soviet–Finnish War, was a conflict fought by Finland and Nazi Germany against the Soviet Union during World War II. It began with a Finnish declaration of war on 25 June 1941 and ended on 19 ...
began on 25 June 1941, the Finnish icebreakers were re-armed and their anti-aircraft armament was improved. The winter of 1942 was the worst since the 1740s and ''Sampo'' was sent to assist ships stuck in ice all the way to the
Gulf of Riga The Gulf of Riga, Bay of Riga, or Gulf of Livonia (, , ) is a bay of the Baltic Sea between Latvia and Estonia. The island of Saaremaa (Estonia) partially separates it from the rest of the Baltic Sea. The main connection between the gulf and t ...
. The following winters were much milder and ''Sampo'' survived the war without major incidents.Laurell 1992, p. 282-291. In 1946, after the war had ended to the
Moscow Armistice The Moscow Armistice was signed between Finland on one side and the Soviet Union and United Kingdom on the other side on 19 September 1944, ending the Continuation War. The Armistice restored the Moscow Peace Treaty of 1940, with a number of modi ...
, the
Allied Control Commission Following the termination of hostilities in World War II, the Allies were in control of the defeated Axis countries. Anticipating the defeat of Germany, Italy and Japan, they had already set up the European Advisory Commission and a proposed Far ...
ordered ''Sampo'' to assist ships in the Soviet port of
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.Kaukiainen 1992, p. 226.


Post-war years

After the newest and most powerful state-owned icebreakers, ''Voima'' and ''Jääkarhu'', were handed over to Soviet Union as
war reparations War reparations are compensation payments made after a war by one side to the other. They are intended to cover damage or injury inflicted during a war. War reparations can take the form of hard currency, precious metals, natural resources, in ...
, Finland was left with four old steam-powered icebreakers and the small diesel-electric ''Sisu'', which had been rejected due to the extensive damage it had sustained in the war.Kaukiainen 1992, p. 165. The newest steam-powered icebreaker, ''Tarmo'', was almost 40 years old and along with the others long overdue for replacement — even the largest Finnish icebreakers were not wide and powerful enough to assist the biggest post-war cargo ships. There was also a severe shortage of coal and occasionally the Finnish icebreakers had to rely on firewood.Laurell 1992, p. 304. The steam-powered icebreakers were completely overhauled for the last time in 1951–1952 when they finally received modern navigation equipment — even as late as 1952 some had neither
gyrocompass A gyrocompass is a type of non-magnetic compass which is based on a fast-spinning disc and the rotation of the Earth (or another planetary body if used elsewhere in the universe) to find geographical Direction (geometry), direction automaticall ...
,
sonar Sonar (sound navigation and ranging or sonic navigation and ranging) is a technique that uses sound propagation (usually underwater, as in submarine navigation) to navigate, measure distances ( ranging), communicate with or detect objects o ...
nor
radar Radar is a system that uses radio waves to determine the distance ('' ranging''), direction ( azimuth and elevation angles), and radial velocity of objects relative to the site. It is a radiodetermination method used to detect and track ...
— and their crew spaces were rebuilt to modern standards.Laurell 1992, p. 315. There were talks about converting the furnaces of ''Sampo'' from coal to oil, but it was not deemed necessary as the old icebreaker was due to decommissioning in the near future. Once the war reparations to the Soviet Union had been paid in 1952, Finland started renewing its icebreaker fleet. The first state-owned icebreaker built after the Second World War, diesel-electric ''Voima'', was delivered in 1954 as a replacement for ''Jääkarhu''.Laurell 1992, p. 318. During the winter of 1956, the coldest of the decade, the new icebreaker assisted, among other ships, the old steam-powered icebreakers — ''Sampo'' had even ran out of coal while attempting to free herself after having been immobilized by the severe ice conditions.Laurell 1992, p. 320, 330


Decommissioning

When the harsh winters of the 1950s showed that more modern icebreakers were needed, a series of slightly smaller diesel-electric icebreakers were built for operations within the archipelago. ''Karhu'' replaced ''Murtaja'' in 1958, the new ''Murtaja'' replaced ''Apu'' in 1959 and the new diesel-electric ''Sampo'' replaced the old steam-powered one in 1960.Laurell 1992, p. 330-335. One of the last tasks of the old icebreaker was to tow the recently decommissioned
full-rigged A full-rigged ship or fully rigged ship is a sailing ship, sailing vessel with a sail plan of three or more mast (sailing), masts, all of them square rig, square-rigged. Such a vessel is said to have a ship rig or be ship-rigged, with each mas ...
training ship A training ship is a ship used to train students as sailors. The term is mostly used to describe ships employed by navies to train future officers. Essentially there are two types: those used for training at sea and old hulks used to house class ...
''
Suomen Joutsen ''SuomenJoutsen'' is a steel-hulled full-rigged ship with three square rigged masts. Built in 1902 by Chantiers de Penhoët in St. Nazaire, France, as ''Laënnec'', the ship served two French owners before she was sold to German interest in 192 ...
'' from
Porkkala Porkkalanniemi (), often referred to simply as Porkkala (), is a peninsula in the Gulf of Finland, located at Kirkkonummi (Kyrkslätt) in Southern Finland. The peninsula had great strategic value, as coastal artillery based there would be abl ...
to
Turku Turku ( ; ; , ) is a city in Finland and the regional capital of Southwest Finland. It is located on the southwestern coast of the country at the mouth of the Aura River (Finland), River Aura. The population of Turku is approximately , while t ...
, where the three-masted
frigate A frigate () is a type of warship. In different eras, the roles and capabilities of ships classified as frigates have varied. The name frigate in the 17th to early 18th centuries was given to any full-rigged ship built for speed and maneuvera ...
would be converted to a Seamen's School for the Finnish Merchant Navy, on 15–17 January 1960. ''Sampo'' was decommissioned shortly afterwards, on 9 May. The last Finnish steam-powered icebreaker, ''Tarmo'', remained in service until 1970. While initially there were talks about saving ''Sampo'' and turning her into a
museum ship A museum ship, also called a memorial ship, is a ship that has been preserved and converted into a museum open to the public for educational or memorial purposes. Some are also used for training and recruitment purposes, mostly for the small numb ...
, the cultural and historical importance of the old steam-powered icebreaker was not recognized at that time and the 62-year-old ship was sold for scrap. She was broken up on a small shipyard in Mathildedal in
Southwest Finland Southwest Finland (, ; ) is a Regions of Finland, region ('','' ) of Finland. It borders the regions of Satakunta, Pirkanmaa, Tavastia Proper, Tavastia Proper (Kanta-Häme), Uusimaa, and Åland. The regional capital and most populous city is Tu ...
.Sipilä, P. Romutuksia ja uudisrakenteita Teijon telakalla. Laiva 1/2001. Her wooden
wheel A wheel is a rotating component (typically circular in shape) that is intended to turn on an axle Bearing (mechanical), bearing. The wheel is one of the key components of the wheel and axle which is one of the Simple machine, six simple machin ...
was salvaged and put on display in the main office of the Finnish Maritime Administration, and the wooden paneling and furniture of the salon was bought by the Finnish yacht club Suomalainen Pursiseura for their club restaurant in Sirpalesaari,
Helsinki Helsinki () is the Capital city, capital and most populous List of cities and towns in Finland, city in Finland. It is on the shore of the Gulf of Finland and is the seat of southern Finland's Uusimaa region. About people live in the municipali ...
. In addition the bow propeller shaft of ''Sampo'' serves the Finnish winter navigation to this day as part of a sea mark on a small skerry southeast from the island of
Utö Uto, UTO, Utö, or Utō may refer to: People Given name * Uto Ughi (born 1944), Italian violinist and conductor * Uto Wunderlich (born 1946), German sports shooter Surname * Datu Uto (died c. 1900), 18th Sultan of Buayan, Mindanao * Fumiaki ...
.


Technical details

''Sampo'' was long overall and at the waterline. Her moulded breadth was and breadth at the waterline slightly smaller, . The draught of the icebreaker at maximum displacement, 2,050 tons, was defined in the contract as in the bow and in the stern. She was initially operated by a crew of 36, but this was later increased by two divers and additional stokers.Laurell 1992, p. 291. The hull of ''Sampo'' was built of Siemens-Martin steel and divided into watertight compartments by eight transverse bulkheads. The bow was reinforced with a wide ice belt up to one inch () thick and all steel structures were dimensioned beyond
Lloyd's Register Lloyd's Register Group Limited, trading as Lloyd's Register (LR), is a technical and professional services organisation and a maritime classification society, wholly owned by the Lloyd’s Register Foundation, a UK charity dedicated to research ...
requirements. The angle of the stem, the first part of the icebreaker to encounter ice and bend it under the weight of the ship, was 24 degrees. Other innovative features included propeller blades that could be replaced underwater by the icebreaker's divers. ''Sampo'' was powered by two triple-expansion steam engines, one driving a propeller in the stern and the other a second propeller in the bow. The main function of the bow propeller was to reduce friction between the hull and the ice, although the exact details of the icebreaking process were not known at that time. The stern engine produced 1,600 ihp at 110 rpm and the bow engine 1,400 ihp at 115 rpm. During the sea trials the maximum indicated output of the two steam engines was 3,052 ihp and when the engines were producing 2,500 ihp, the icebreaker could maintain a speed of 12.4 knots in open water. ''Sampo'' had five coal-fired boilers for the main engines in two boiler rooms and a small auxiliary boiler for heating, deck equipment and light generator in the foremost boiler room. The fuel stores could hold 350 tons of coal that was fed to the fireboxes at a rate of 2.4–3.2 tons per hour. Like all icebreakers of her age, ''Sampo'' was also equipped with sails although they were rarely, if ever, used.Laurell 1992, p. 77. ''Sampo'' was equipped for escort icebreaker duties with a towing winch, a cable and a stern notch. In difficult ice conditions the ship being assisted was taken into tow, and in extremely difficult compressive ice it was pulled to the icebreaker's stern notch.Laurell 1992, p. 198-200. For salvage operations ''Sampo'' had a powerful
centrifugal pump Centrifugal pumps are used to transport fluids by the Energy transformation, conversion of rotational kinetic energy to the hydrodynamic energy of the fluid flow. The rotational energy typically comes from an engine or electric motor. They are ...
capable of pumping 700 tons of water per hour.


Notes


References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Sampo (1898) Icebreakers of Finland Ships built by Armstrong Whitworth 1898 ships World War I naval ships of Russia World War II naval ships of Finland