Russian icebreaker fleet is the pride of the Arctic [Video]
The US Navy is widely known in the world as the largest and finest in the world. However, aside from submarines, the Navy cannot do much in the Arctic. The Arctic has, of course, icecaps, and any ship that would sail the Arctic Ocean must be able to negotiate pack ice up to and exceeding 6.4 meters (21 feet) thick at times. If it cannot do this, its path must be opened by an icebreaker, a ship capable of breaking through such ice.
