# What kind of damage would a ship sustain sitting in the Arctic for years? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [July 1, 2014, 7:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-kind-of-damage-would-a-ship-sustain-sitting-in-the-arctic-for-years/692074 "2014-07-01T07:24:52Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 2\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![NoriMori](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/norimori/32/13254_2.png) [@NoriMori](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/NoriMori)\ **Post date:** [August 31, 2014, 11:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-kind-of-damage-would-a-ship-sustain-sitting-in-the-arctic-for-years/692074/21 "2014-08-31T11:48:13Z")
> [@Habeed](#): > > The ship is supposed to be a conventional icebreaker that Aperture science has purchased. From the screenshots, it appears to be almost identical to a specific real world icebreaker. …And? Also, as far as I know Aperture Science _created_ the ship. In any case, they did in my fan fiction. > [@Habeed](#): > > You wouldn’t put a nuclear reactor onboard if you didn’t need one. That would be crazy. Where are you getting the idea that they don’t need one? The reactor is how the ship _runs_, so I’d say it’s rather necessary. > [@Habeed](#): > > And, you definitely don’t keep inert nuclear fuel lying around. It wasn’t supposed to be “lying around”; they were going to be using it in short order, but were prevented from doing so. > [@Habeed](#): > > As far as I know, no naval nuclear reactor ever built has been capable of at sea refueling. They weren’t planning on fueling it (not refueling) at sea. Not sure if or how a ship’s first time being fueled might differ from a refueling, but there you go. If it ends up being a big problem, I can always cheat. I may just pretend that some kind of easier method exists in the _Half-Life_ universe. I do that with a lot of details (seeing as the setting is already established as being far more advanced than we in several areas of science), and for that matter so does the canon. > [@Habeed](#): > > Finally, all this is irrelevant. See here : [http://half-life.wikia.com/wiki/File:Borealis\_Advisors.jpg](http://half-life.wikia.com/wiki/File:Borealis_Advisors.jpg) > > That ship isn’t going anywhere. First of all, that isn’t canon. That is concept art for a game that has yet to be released, or even have any concrete details about it revealed. And the canon that has been revealed so far — i.e. the photos Judith sent to White Forest — does not depict it encased in ice. Second of all, even if it were canon, fan fiction doesn’t have to conform to canon — mine already deviates from canon on some points, for the sake of storytelling. Third of all, considering the setting we’re discussing, I think someone would be able to figure out a way to free the ship. Hell, a few well-aimed Strider warp cannon blasts would do the trick. > [@Habeed](#): > > And you aren’t going to be able to fire up the reactor, either - shipboard reactors without exception are cooled with water, and you need a constant flow of many gallons per minute in order to not melt down. I’m not seeing how the need for water would prevent them from firing up the reactor. They do have water. > [@Ranchoth](#): > > If you really need/want to “cheat” it, for the sake of the story, perhaps you could actually work the Portal devices in as a way of refueling the reactor. Like that part of the original (planned) test was to use a Portal in a modified naval reactor to service and refuel it without a major refit, possibly even while in operation. > > Actually, you’d have to make that scheme _more_ dryly insane to feel more in-character as an Aperture operation. Maybe bouncing the Portal “signal” off the moon to open a portal on a target two feet _behind_ the mounted Portal “gun”—The industrial portal device used being unable to traverse, as it was built very long and narrow to fit in through a series of hatchways originally used for installing the [ship’s lounge’s couch](http://i2.wp.com/www.baltimorefotos.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/01/pursers-lobby-ns-savannah.jpg). Putting it on a pivoting base once installed with vetoed, as then there wouldn’t have been enough room for the couch in the same room. _Obviously_—or using the remains of an [artificial ring of moon dust in Earth orbit](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Project_West_Ford) for the same purpose; or using the Portals and a Material Emancipation Grill to produce and insert coolant and fuel solution into an [exceedingly exotic](http://bbs.stardestroyer.net/viewtopic.php?p=2814942&sid=ae841fb777074caaf3aae7eebcb4b050#p2814942) reactor design. > > Maybe through in a few bits of [“unused content,”](http://theportalwiki.com/wiki/Unused_content) or variants on them, to freshen the schtick up. “Fissile Reprivileging Matrix,” maybe? That’s brilliant! I’m always looking for new and interesting ways to incorporate unused content into my fan fiction. Thanks for these ideas, even if I don’t use them verbatim they are definitely good fodder for brainstorming! Don’t let me forget to credit you if I ever get around to publishing the damn thing. \>.\> ---
**Author:** ![Ethilrist](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ethilrist/32/4604_2.png) [@Ethilrist](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ethilrist)\ **Post date:** [August 31, 2014, 12:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-kind-of-damage-would-a-ship-sustain-sitting-in-the-arctic-for-years/692074/22 "2014-08-31T12:20:28Z")
Rather than moving it, why not just teleport it back? [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-kind-of-damage-would-a-ship-sustain-sitting-in-the-arctic-for-years/692074.md?page=1)