Image

Cover Your Back

While the icebreaker Oden was smashing ice and trying to push it away from the bow, the ship’s officers also kept an eye on Oden’s aft, 107.7 meters (353 feet) behind them. Even when there is room to move in the front, the stern must also be in an ice-free area especially when trying to turn or the ship will get wedged against ice. “You really have to think about what you’re doing with your tail all the time,” second officer Thomas Strömsnäs said. (Photo by Chris Linder, Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution)