Have you ever seen a nuclear submarine burst through the polar ice? The US Navy performs exercises in the Arctic region called ICEX, where nuclear-powered submarines break through the ice to test the skills of the submarine’s crews and evaluate the performance of submarines in the most challenging conditions.
An average nuclear submarine can smash about 3 feet of ice, and some submarines can even go through around 9 feet of ice.
However, this is a risky exercise and it can severely damage a $1.59 billion submarine if the crew tries to surface through ice in the wrong location. It is very dangerous for sailors too because the chances of rescuing the crew of a sunken submarine alive in remote areas of the Arctic are quite low.
Fortunately, sensors enable the crew to find the right spots to surface and help research the Arctic in a safe way.
