At the helm of Yamal: how a teacher became the first female captain of a nuclear icebreaker

Marina Starovoitova became the first female captain of the Yamal nuclear icebreaker in history. She used to teach Russian at a rural school, but at some point she decided to radically change her life by connecting it with the sea. She worked her way up from a day job on the nuclear-powered container ship Soviet Union to the captain of one of Russia's most powerful icebreakers. About the biography of the new captain and her emotions after the appointment — in the material of Izvestia.

For the first time in the world, a woman became the captain of the Yamal nuclear icebreaker

Marina Starovoitova became the first female captain of the Yamal nuclear icebreaker in history. This significant event became known on August 20. Previously, Starovoitova held the position of senior assistant captain on this icebreaker.

"This is a very significant event for me. Both for me and for the history of the icebreaking fleet," the captain shared her emotions.

Starovoitova also expressed her joy and pride for the trust shown, while emphasizing her great responsibility to the crew. The captain admitted that she had always admired the power of the nuclear icebreaker and the hard work of its crew.

"Captains of nuclear icebreakers are professionals who are seasoned by the Arctic," she noted.

To applause, the Starovoitova captain's badge was presented on stage by Alexander Barinov, a veteran of the nuclear icebreaking fleet, the legendary captain of the Arctic nuclear icebreaker (Project 10520), a pioneer of the North Pole and captain of the Lenin and Rossiya icebreakers, long-range captain.

How a Russian language teacher became the captain of a nuclear ship

Marina Starovoitova was born in Unech, Bryansk region. And she began her career far from the sea — she graduated from Bryansk State University and became a teacher of Russian language and literature in the middle classes of a rural school.

However, in 2005, she quit school and decided to move to Murmansk. She was 23 years old when the future captain decided to radically change her life. She joined the navy, starting from a day job on the atomic container ship Soviet Union.

And after the fleet reform, she switched to transport vessels, while simultaneously studying by correspondence at the Admiral Makarov State University of the Marine and River Fleet, where she received a diploma in engineering in 2014.

She went all the way from a first class sailor to a senior mate in the Merchant Marine, becoming an example of successful professional transformation and a model of perseverance.

The captain has been working at sea for more than 20 years. For her service, she was awarded a certificate of honor from the Rosatom State Corporation, the President's commendation and other professional awards.

According to information from open sources, the woman has a son. She loves the poetry of Mikhail Lermontov and writes the "Cool Magazine" column in the Russian Pioneer edition.