Murtaja was a Finnish state-owned steam-powered icebreaker. Built in 1890 by Bergsunds Mekaniska Verkstads AB in Stockholm, Sweden, she was the first state-owned icebreaker of Finland and one of the first purpose-built icebreakers in the world. Murtaja remained in service for 68 years until she was decommissioned and broken up in 1958 after having been replaced by the diesel-electric Karhu.
Background
The history of winter navigation in Finland dates back to the 17th century when mail was carried year-round between Turku, Finland and Grisslehamn, Sweden, over the Sea of Åland. During the winter season, the postmen used ice boats, strengthened sleigh-boats that were pushed over the ice until it gave in under the weight of the boat. Once in water, the men began rocking the boat back and forth until it slowly began to break the ice and proceed towards open water. The mail route was often called the most dangerous in Europe.
In the 1860s there were plans to start year-round traffic from the Hanko, the southernmost tip of the continental Finland, but even people in the Finnish Pilot and Lighthouse Authority were doubtful about the project – the director's aide was quoted saying that this close to the 60th parallel north winter traffic to Hanko would forever be a distant dream. Despite the opposition, a harbour and railway connection were built in 1872–73. Several domestic and foreign shipping companies attempted year-round traffic with varying commercial success, but the port of Hanko remained closed for several months nearly every year.
In 1889, the Finnish factory owners encouraged the Danish shipping company Det Forenede Dampskibs-Selskab to send their icebreaker, Bryderen, to the northern Baltic Sea and try to open a path to the icebound port of Hanko. Bryderen, the most powerful icebreaker in Europe at that time, had steam engine and could easily break ice up to thick. As word got around, people in the Senate of Finland became interested in the experiment as its result would affect the general opinions regarding icebreakers and winter navigation.
On 16 April 1889, two steamships were spotted approaching the lighthouse of Russarö from the south and news about unidentified vessels coming through the ice field began spreading immediately. The ships were the icebreaker Bryderen and a 912-ton cargo steamer Vesuv, owned by the Danish shipping company, that was following on the channel broken by the icebreaker. During the following night, the icebreaker lost all four propeller blades, but once the replacement blades had been installed, the convoy arrived at the port of Hanko on 20 April 1889 at 13:00. Large headlines in the major Finnish newspapers reported how the ice blockade had finally been broken – a foreign icebreaker had come through the ice and was now moored at a Finnish port. The successful arrival of Bryderen was seen as the definite answer to the question whether or not an icebreaker would be needed in Finland.
Development and construction
Shortly after the visit of Bryderen, the Senate sent a call for bids for several Finnish and foreign shipyards for the construction of a steam-powered icebreaker capable of breaking a channel. Bids for a single-screw "European-type" icebreaker similar to the German icebreaker Eisbrecher I were received from German shipbuilder AG Vulcan Stettin, Danish Burmeister & Wain and Swedish shipyards Kockums AB and Bergsunds Mekaniska Verkstads AB. An expert committee appointed by the Senate recommended the second Swedish design, which was the second cheapest at 445,000 Swedish kronor, and the contract was signed with Bergsundet on 25 May 1889.
The construction of the icebreaker began on 18 August 1889 and she was launched on 23 December. On the same day she was given the name Murtaja after her German, Swedish and Danish counterparts – each country had named their first icebreaker simply Icebreaker in their own language.