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Howdy ya’ll. We’ve previously discussed the Mini/Little Ice Age. In the Old World, especially in the most northern reaches, we find myths and legends of Ice Palaces, including the world famous, and highly advanced 1739 Ice House in Russia. The Russian Ice House was said to be built to commemorate Russia’s victory over the Ottoman Empire, but as we focus on the ancient history of the Russian landscape, we find that certain kingdoms were often associated with castles and palaces made of ice. To dive into this further, we have a seldom discussed plan of the British during WWII, which aimed to construct the largest ship ever conceived. The catch? This ship, an aircraft carrier (or floating island as it was sometimes called) was to be constructed nearly entirely out of ice. Known as Project Habakkuk, the brainchild of Geoffrey Pyke, the entire structure was to be built of Pykrete, a material made simply of frozen water and wood pulp. Pykrete was tested multiple times, including in front of distinguished world leaders, where the project was declared an achievable possibility, and put into motion. We will discuss the concept of a 2000 foot long ship made of ice, the lost history of this project, and the implications of surviving in the Old World after the Little Ice Age. Enjoy! Links for further reading; ()
