Thanks for that. I am envisioning an emergency surfacing through a foot of new ice which is considerably different from multi-year ice in terms of hardness and irregularities. The season is late summer and early fall so there are still bits of pack ice a 1 to 2 feet thick though the open water prevails. But by September there is new ice forming. So I am imagining very basic mods not to make it an icebreaker but to enhance the boats survivability within obvious limits should it hit of these bits; e.g. outer torpedo doors welded shut with maybe some plating over the nose section. And for surfacing through new ice no guns on top and most electronic equipment removed (there are no allied air or naval threats in the operating area so stealth is the strategy). So it comes down to could the boat survive with some top damage and still have an intact hull and power and a live crew to carry on essentially. Yeah it is fiction but still trying to keep it believable. That is why I asked about capability (onboard expertise and materials) on the type 14 boats to help with some of this work at sea prior to the mission. Again that would be part of the story.

Thanks again.

Larry