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On its official maiden voyage, the nuclear powered Russian icebreaker Yamal made an unexpected rendezvous with the Canadian icebreaker CCGS Louis S. St. Laurent and the US Coast Guard Cutter Polar Sea near the North Pole on 23 August 1994. Since then the Yamal has made 47 trips to the North Pole. Named after the Yamal Peninsula, the 23,000 ton Yamal is one of the Russian “Arktika” class nuclear icebreakers, the most powerful icebreakers in the World. The USCGC Polar Sea has been out of service since 2010. Photo courtesy of the US Coast Guard/ LCDR Steve Wheeler