“Lenin” is the name of this ship, which was launched in 1957. It was the first nuclear powered surface ship and the first nuclear powered civilian vessel in the world.
So what kind of ship is it? An icebreaker. Icebreakers can literally cut through permanent and seasonal ice in the water — they are specially shaped for this and are actually rather clumsy in open water.
This 134-meter long, 19 ton ship was decommissioned in 1989, and on May 5th, it sailed into Murmansk, where it is now being converted into a luxury hotel and museum.
It makes sense — the ship was quite like a hotel, complete with cabins, a library, a cinema, a club, and several dining rooms.
Vyacheslav Ruksha, head of nuclear icebreaker operator Atomflot, told Ekho Moscow that there is no radiation risk. All aboard!
[via The Rich Times]