Russian vessels will salute the historic icebreaker Krasin on August 31, the TASS news agency reports. This nationwide project will involve 264 vessels and 270 sea-going and river boats from the Baltic Sea to the Pacific Ocean. They will sound their horns to salute the Krasin.

"The salute will commemorate the dramatic events that took place in the Russian Arctic region from 1941 through 1945, and the Allied convoy ships, which helped achieve victory in the Great Patriotic War. Sailors from the Leningrad Naval Base will stand in a ceremonious formation aboard the icebreaker, and several passenger vessels on the Neva will change their routes to drop anchor near the icebreaker on Lieutenant Schmidt Embankment in order to tell their passengers about the history of the icebreaker and its part on the Northern Sea Route during and after the war," said Alexander Petrov, director of the Krasin Icebreaker Branch of the Museum of the World Ocean.

Each vessel taking part in the project will salute the Krasin and the other ships and people from the Arctic convoys that were bound for Russia during WWII by sounding its horn for 10 to 20 seconds.

The salute will begin at 1 pm MSK in Arkhangelsk, where a celebration meeting will be held to mark the 75th anniversary of Operation Dervish, the first of the Arctic convoys to arrive at the port with a load of military equipment. White Sea Naval Base warships, part of Russia's Northern Fleet, in parade formation, will sound their horns to salute the Krasin.