In my yesterday's tweet, I made a somewhat obscure reference to a key event in the history of Finnish winter navigation. Where, when and why did the Finnish author and poet Karl August Tavaststjerna (1860-1898) utter those very words to describe a damaged propeller? (1/9) https://twitter.com/AkerArctic/status/1337407467597262849

Until the late 19th century, there was no winter navigation as we know it as the annual "ice blockade" stopped all shipping activity to and from Finnish ports. However, strongly-built ships called (and often named) #icebreakers had already begun to appear in European ports. (2/9)

In April 1889, two steam ships were spotted approaching the icebound port of Hanko: Det Forenede Dampskibs-Selskab ( @DFDSGroup) had sent Europe's strongest #icebreaker, the 1,000-horsepower Bryderen, to break a path through the ice for the 912-tonne cargo ship Vesuv. (3/9)

After hearing the news, K. A. Tavaststjerna walked several miles across the ice field in the middle of the night together with a friend, introduced himself as a Finnish reporter to the surprised crew, and was invited onboard the #icebreaker to interview the captain. (4/9)

While Tavaststjerna was holding onto his ink bottles and getting his first taste of #icebreaking, Bryderen's steam engine suddenly ran wild after the propeller lost first one and shortly afterwards the remaining three blades.

"There we laid with a featherless tail!"

(5/9)

It took three days for Bryderen's crew to trim the stern up and replace the damaged blades. On 20 April 1889, the Danish #icebreaker finally brought Vesuv to the port of Hanko together with a Swedish mail steamer that had also joined to convoy. (6/9)

Afterwards there was no longer need to tell stories of these " #icebreakers" operating in foreign countries: one of them had just broken through the previously impenetrable ice blockade and was moored in a Finnish port. The "winter navigation problem" had been solved! (7/9)

The first Finnish #icebreaker, Murtaja, was ordered shortly afterwards and entered service in 1890. Bigger and more powerful icebreakers followed while at the same time new #icebreaking technology was developed with every icebreaker generation. (8/9)

Today a fully-developed winter navigation system ensures year-round access to all Finnish and Swedish ports with a fleet of powerful escort #icebreakers designed to efficiently overcome any and all ice found in the Northern Baltic Sea. (9/9)