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Soya (icebreaker)
Encyclopedia
The is a Japan
ese museum ship
that previously served as an icebreaker and patrol boat, and was the first Japanese ship to take part in an Antarctic research expedition.
Sōya, was originally named Volochaevets. It was ordered from the Matsuo shipyard Koyagi Island, Nagasaki, Japan in 1936, by the Soviet Union
as one of three ice-strengthened cargo ships (as part payment for the purchase of part of the South Manchuria Railway
(also known as the Chinese Eastern Railway
). Two other ice-breakers were Bolshevik and Komsomolets. She was launched from the shipyard now renamed as the Kawaminami Shipyard in February 1938. But as result of the growing tension between Japan and the USSR she was never handed over but rather was completed as an ice-breaking cargo freighter for the Tatsunan Kisen Co. She was now renamed the Chiryō Maru.
requisitioned her and in February 1940 she was given her current name (the same name had previously been used for the ex-Russian armoured cruiser Varyag) and assigned duties as an auxiliary ammunition ship/survey vessel. She had an eventful wartime career being attacked with torpedoes in January 1943 by the and in February 1944 near Truk being attacked by aircraft from TF58
. Ten crew were killed and the Soya temporarily grounded.
In 1956 she was overhauled and modified to make her ready for Antarctic
research. This involved re-engining with diesel engines and the installation of a helicopter deck and helicopters. Over the period 1956 to 1962 she made trips to the Antarctic. On the second trip, in 1958, she rescued the explorers from the first expedition who had become stranded at the Syowa research station. Unfortunately they had to leave the expedition's dogs behind. On Soyas return a year later, two of the dogs, Taro and Jiro (who are now famous in Japan) were found alive. The fame of these events was extended by the film of the events Nankyoku Monogatari
(lit. "South Pole Story"; released in the U.S. as "Antarctica") and by Disney's adaption and Americanization in its film Eight Below
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, Tokyo
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Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
ese museum ship
Museum ship
A museum ship, or sometimes memorial ship, is a ship that has been preserved and converted into a museum open to the public, for educational or memorial purposes...
that previously served as an icebreaker and patrol boat, and was the first Japanese ship to take part in an Antarctic research expedition.
Construction
The vessel that eventually became the Japanese icebreakerIcebreaker
An icebreaker is a special-purpose ship or boat designed to move and navigate through ice-covered waters. Although the term usually refers to ice-breaking ships, it may also refer to smaller vessels .For a ship to be considered an icebreaker, it requires three traits most...
Sōya, was originally named Volochaevets. It was ordered from the Matsuo shipyard Koyagi Island, Nagasaki, Japan in 1936, by the Soviet Union
Soviet Union
The Soviet Union , officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics , was a constitutionally socialist state that existed in Eurasia between 1922 and 1991....
as one of three ice-strengthened cargo ships (as part payment for the purchase of part of the South Manchuria Railway
South Manchuria Railway
The , and operated within China in the Japanese-controlled South Manchuria Railway Zone. The railway itself ran from Lüshun Port at the southern tip of the Liaodong Peninsula to Harbin, where it connected to the Chinese Eastern Railway.-History:...
(also known as the Chinese Eastern Railway
Chinese Eastern Railway
The Chinese Eastern Railway or was a railway in northeastern China . It connected Chita and the Russian Far East. English-speakers have sometimes referred to this line as the Manchurian Railway...
). Two other ice-breakers were Bolshevik and Komsomolets. She was launched from the shipyard now renamed as the Kawaminami Shipyard in February 1938. But as result of the growing tension between Japan and the USSR she was never handed over but rather was completed as an ice-breaking cargo freighter for the Tatsunan Kisen Co. She was now renamed the Chiryō Maru.
War time role
In November 1939 the Imperial Japanese NavyImperial Japanese Navy
The Imperial Japanese Navy was the navy of the Empire of Japan from 1869 until 1947, when it was dissolved following Japan's constitutional renunciation of the use of force as a means of settling international disputes...
requisitioned her and in February 1940 she was given her current name (the same name had previously been used for the ex-Russian armoured cruiser Varyag) and assigned duties as an auxiliary ammunition ship/survey vessel. She had an eventful wartime career being attacked with torpedoes in January 1943 by the and in February 1944 near Truk being attacked by aircraft from TF58
Fast Carrier Task Force
The Fast Carrier Task Force was the main striking force of the United States Navy in the Pacific Ocean theatre of World War II.The Fast Carrier Task Force was known under two designations. The Navy made use of two sets of upper command structures for planning the upcoming operations...
. Ten crew were killed and the Soya temporarily grounded.
As a supply vessel
After the war she served as a repatriation ship and then as a lighthouse supply ship. It was in this later role that she acquired the nickname the 'Santa Claus of the Sea'.As an Antarctic research vessel
Antarctic
The Antarctic is the region around the Earth's South Pole, opposite the Arctic region around the North Pole. The Antarctic comprises the continent of Antarctica and the ice shelves, waters and island territories in the Southern Ocean situated south of the Antarctic Convergence...
research. This involved re-engining with diesel engines and the installation of a helicopter deck and helicopters. Over the period 1956 to 1962 she made trips to the Antarctic. On the second trip, in 1958, she rescued the explorers from the first expedition who had become stranded at the Syowa research station. Unfortunately they had to leave the expedition's dogs behind. On Soyas return a year later, two of the dogs, Taro and Jiro (who are now famous in Japan) were found alive. The fame of these events was extended by the film of the events Nankyoku Monogatari
Nankyoku Monogatari
is a 1983 Japanese film directed by Koreyoshi Kurahara and starring Ken Takakura. Its plot centers on the 1958 ill-fated Japanese scientific expedition to the South Pole, its dramatic rescue from the impossible weather conditions on the return journey, the relationship between the scientists and...
(lit. "South Pole Story"; released in the U.S. as "Antarctica") and by Disney's adaption and Americanization in its film Eight Below
Eight Below
Eight Below is a 2006 American adventure film directed by Frank Marshall and written by David DiGilio. It stars Paul Walker, Jason Biggs, Bruce Greenwood and Moon Bloodgood...
.
As an ice breaking rescue vessel
She then became an ice breaking rescue ship for the Maritime Safety Agency, based in HokkaidoHokkaido
, formerly known as Ezo, Yezo, Yeso, or Yesso, is Japan's second largest island; it is also the largest and northernmost of Japan's 47 prefectural-level subdivisions. The Tsugaru Strait separates Hokkaido from Honshu, although the two islands are connected by the underwater railway Seikan Tunnel...
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As a museum ship
She was decommissioned in 1978, and in 1979 became a permanent exhibition at the Museum of Maritime ScienceMuseum of Maritime Science
The Museum of Maritime Science is a marine science museum located in Odaiba, Tokyo, Japan.-External links:*...
, Tokyo
Tokyo
, ; officially , is one of the 47 prefectures of Japan. Tokyo is the capital of Japan, the center of the Greater Tokyo Area, and the largest metropolitan area of Japan. It is the seat of the Japanese government and the Imperial Palace, and the home of the Japanese Imperial Family...
.