List of icebreaker classes of the Navy of Burgundie
Icebreakers (Burg: arieglacies, from the Latin meaning ice ram) have been purpose built ships in Burgundie dating back to the 13th century. Their mission primarily falls under the Kilikas Sea and Omnium Ocean Commands of the Revenue Guard, but the Navy operates a number of vessels with icebreaking capabilities. The Revenue Guard maintains 12 icebreakers and the Navy has 4 ships with icebreaking capabilities.
History
The Royal Icebreaker Squadrons emerged in the late 19th century, not merely as a response to a unified Burgundie's expanding maritime interests, but as a testament to the burgeoning technological advancements that allowed for navigation in the challenging waters of Kiro-Borealis and Australis. While the [[Navy of Burgundie]] recognized the strategic necessity of such a capability, the initial development of these specialized vessels was a private venture between the Crown, a coalition of explorer societies, and influential merchant guilds to finance this nascent fleet. This early period saw a motley collection of icebreakers, often repurposed merchant vessels fortified for polar conditions, as they learned the technology through trial and error and industrial sabotage of the Kiravian icebreakers in the 1860s. These pioneering vessels, with their reinforced hulls and rudimentary ice-breaking bows, were often commanded by captains who were as much explorers as naval officers. These early voyages yielded invaluable knowledge, charting previously unknown coastlines, gathering meteorological data, and establishing tentative supply routes through the frozen wilderness. The "Race for the North Pole" further fueled this collaborative spirit, with organizations like the Royal Geographical Society investing heavily in vessels capable of supporting daring expeditions and groundbreaking scientific research. Ambitious individuals, driven by a thirst for discovery and national pride, their exploits capturing the public imagination. This drive for exploration culminated in the dramatic events of the War of Faskano Strait. Maintaining naval operations and vital supply lines amidst freezing conditions proved decisive in securing victory. The war's conclusion brought about a significant shift. The previously disparate vessels and funding sources were formally integrated into the established Navy of Burgundie, marking the official birth of the Royal Icebreaker Squadrons as a distinct naval unit. With dedicated naval funding and oversight, icebreaker design and construction underwent a transformation. Standardized procedures and a focus on technological advancement led to a more capable and cohesive fleet. Powerful engines, fueled by coal and later oil, propelled these behemoths through the ice. Reinforced hulls, clad in thick steel plates, could withstand the crushing pressure of ever greater frozen floes. The Squadrons quickly proved their worth, not only in maintaining naval access to Nauta Normand and Argaea, but also allowed fleets to hide in the ice floes and then break out and attack unsuspecting adversaries. They also escorted convoys through treacherous ice fields, ensuring the safe passage of vital supplies and reinforcements. They played a crucial role in early hydrographic surveys of the Arctic, mapping the seabed and gathering data on currents and ice formations. Their crews developed specialized skills in ice navigation, cold-weather survival, and even rudimentary polar exploration techniques. Many of them we taught at the Burgundine-Fhainnin Naval Academy which became renowned for graduating excellent Polar officers. They learned to read the subtle signs of shifting ice, to interpret the language of the wind and snow, and to endure the psychological challenges of prolonged darkness and isolation. The First Great War saw the Squadrons thrust into the crucible of conflict. Deployed to the Kilikas Sea, they braved perilous conditions to escort convoys supplying Nauta Normand and thwarting Caphirian attempts to access key ports. These operations came at a cost, with the Squadrons enduring losses and damage from the unforgiving environment, accidents, and enemy action. The interwar period brought new challenges. Budgetary constraints within the Navy of Burgundie led to a downsizing of the Squadrons. Simultaneously, rapid technological advancements by other nations, particularly Kiravia, saw the emergence of more powerful icebreakers, rendering some of Burgundie's aging fleet obsolete. The focus shifted from wartime operations to peacetime duties. The Squadrons assisted in scientific research, supported expeditions to Australis, and played a vital role in search and rescue operations, rescuing stranded explorers, fishermen, and even the occasional airship crew forced down in the frozen wastes. By the 1930s, the strategic landscape had shifted. The concept of a fleet of combat icebreakers that could hide in the ice floes north of Nauta Normand and then quickly steam to the defense of Nauta Normand and Wintergen became a popular one in naval circles. A fleet of combat icebreakers was established in 1931, which included nationalizing the icebreakers of Royal Icebreaker Squadrons. The combination of the existing icebreakers, and icebreaker destroyers, and icebreaker cruisers remains the largest collection of icebreakers in history and was considered a flop as it was never used and each ship was over engineered and unfathomably expensive. The fleet of 15 ships: 2 avisos, 6 destroyers, 3 light cruisers, and 4 battle cruisers cost two and a half times their contemporaries because of the hull redesigns and the adjustments to the interior compartments. The fleet, except for the avisos, were mothballed at the end of the war and eventually scrapped in 1962. The Fulmarus class, the Le Fulmarus and Le Audoboni, served the Australis Research Facility and the Borealis Research Facility from 1955 through 1967 when both of the ships were replaced by the [[Wikipedia:Lenin (1957 icebreaker)}Grebe class nuclear icebreakers|Lenin (1957 icebreaker)}Grebe class nuclear icebreakers]]: Le Grebe, Le Cornu, and Le Oreillard. Despite a number of setbacks and accidents in the early project development phase the Grebe class icebreakers were some of the most fabled icebreakers in the service of Burgundie. When the last of the fleet, Le Oreillard, was retired in 1992, the Grebes had become the symbol of the will of Burgundie to reach every corner of the world with its economic and technological prowess.
In 1986, Le Grebe’s reactor suffered a leak that contaminated the ship beyond salvagability and a new class of nuclear icebreakers, the Crecerelle class, was commissioned. Le Crecerelle had three sister ships, Le Malgache, Le Renard, and Le Alopex. These shallow draft ships were for use in both the high Arctic, the Antarctic, as well as rivers in the extremes poles of Punth. Many cited this as a plan for future invasion plans, but these were dismissed as conspiracies by the government and no invasion occurred. Le Renard suffered a minor radiation leak in the summer of 2011 and was towed back to Nauta Normand where O’Shea has its HAZMAT shipyard repair facilities for the northern hemisphere and was reconstituted in early 2012.
Classes
| Class Name | In Service | Image | Type | Ships | Comments |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bergente | 1879 | 
|
Icebreaker | * Le Bergente | |
| Plectrophane | 1898-1926 | 
|
Icebreaker | * La Plectrophane
*La Nivalis *La Insulæ |
|
| Fulmarus | 1923-1945 | .jpg)
|
Icebreaker | ||
| Grebe | 2001-present | 
|
Icebreaker/Offshore Patrol Vessel | 25 | |
| Crecerelle | 2021-present | .jpg)
|
Icebreaker/Offshore Patrol Vessel | 10 |