Expedition took place in 1937 1938. The North Pole was stormed by all of the USSR

79 years ago, the drift of the world's first polar research station began in the Arctic and “ North Pole - one". Four polar explorers - head of the expedition Ivan Dmitrievich Papanin, hydrobiologist and oceanologist Pyotr Petrovich Shirshov, astronomer and magnetologist Yevgeny Konstantinovich Fedorov, and radio operator Ernst Teodorovich Krenkel spent 274 days on the expedition - from the end of May 1937 to February 19, 1938. During this time, the ice floe with the researchers passed more than 2000 km from the pole to the shores of Greenland. At the end of the campaign, the now famous four polar explorers were admitted to the State Geographical Society (as the Russian Geographical Society was then called) as honorary members.

The main task of the expedition, the organization of which took exactly one year - from spring 1936 to spring 1937, was to study meteorological conditions, sea currents and ice in the very center of the Arctic. In addition to the four polar explorers, whose names were recognized by the whole world during and after the expedition, the expedition was provided by employees of the Northern Sea Route (its chief, the Chelyuskin hero Otto Yulievich Schmidt, was the initiator of SP-1) and polar aviation pilots, including Heroes Soviet Union Mikhail Vodopyanov and Vasily Molokov. Attention to the SP-1 drift was universal and global - therefore it is not surprising that the expedition was carefully controlled by the first persons of the USSR.

The main burden of training, however, lay on the four polar explorers. Papanin personally supervised the construction of a polar tent insulated with eider down at the Kauchuk plant, and Krenkel oversaw the assembly of radio stations - the main one and the reserve one. Shirshov mastered medicine - it was he who got the additional role of a doctor on the expedition.

The base of the expedition was the northernmost of the Soviet Arctic islands - Rudolf Island, part of the Franz Josef Land archipelago. In the summer of 1936, an expedition camp with a capacity of about 60 people was built on the island, with an airfield, telephone, radio beacon and other necessary elements.

They flew to the Pole, guided by the radio beacon about. Rudolph. Arrangement of four polar explorers on a huge ice floe with an area of \u200b\u200babout 4 sq. km took about 16 days. On June 6, the planes left the expedition, "North Pole - 1" went into autonomous drift mode.

Almost immediately after the start of the drift, "SP-1" completed a responsible task - provided meteorological data for the record transarctic flights of Valery Chkalov and Mikhail Gromov from the USSR to North America.

“Never before have scientific observations in the Central Polar Basin been conducted according to such a broad program, with such intensity and the greatest care,” O. Yu. Schmidt noted in the final article “Expedition to the Pole”.

The glory of the Papanin quartet was deafening and instantaneous - after the expedition, all four were awarded the title of Hero of the Soviet Union, in March 1938, Papanin, Krenkel, Fedorov and Shirshov were awarded the titles of doctors of geographical sciences.

The concept of drifting polar stations in the Arctic was recognized as successful: the SP-1 station was followed in 1950 by the SP-2 station under the leadership of Mikhail Mikhailovich Somov, who later founded the first Soviet stations in Antarctica. By the end of the 1950s, the North Pole drifting expeditions became almost permanent. The longest expedition in the series was the SP-22, which began work in September 1973 and ended on April 8, 1982. From 1991 to 2003, the Arctic drifting stations "North Pole" did not operate, the first station after the break, "SP-32" was launched on April 25, 2003.

Ivan Dmitrievich Papanin belonged to the category of those people who are called nuggets. Russian polar explorer, Doctor of Geographical Sciences, Rear Admiral, twice Hero of the Soviet Union in 1937-1938 headed the first Soviet drifting station "SP-1" (North Pole), work on which marked the beginning of a systematic study of high-latitude regions of the polar basin in the interests of navigation, meteorology and hydrology.

The station drift, which began on May 21, 1937, lasted 274 days and ended on February 16, 1938 in the Greenland Sea. During this time, the ice floe covered 2,100 kilometers. In incredibly difficult conditions, the members of the expedition managed to collect unique material about the nature of the high latitudes of the Arctic Ocean.

Perhaps no event - from the First to the Second World War - has attracted as much attention to itself as drift of the "papanin four" in the Arctic... Initially, it was a huge ice floe, reaching several square kilometers, but by the time the Papanin people were removed from it, it had already become the size of a volleyball court. The whole world followed the fate of the polar explorers, wanting only one thing - the salvation of people!

After this feat Ivan Papanin, Ernst Krenkel, Evgeny Fedorov and Pyotr Shirshovwere considered national heroes, becoming a symbol of everything Soviet, heroic and progressive.

Ivan Dmitrievich Papanin was born in Sevastopol on November 26, 1894 in the family of a sailor. Much later, he would write in his memoirs: “My father, the son of a sailor, learned early how much a pound is dashing, from childhood he saw only need. He was proud and suffered greatly because he, Dmitry Papanin, was distinguished by his good health - his father lived ninety-six years old, - who knew a lot, in fact turned out to be almost the poorest of all. "

From the age of 14, Vanya began to work at the Sevastopol plant for the manufacture of navigation devices. On this occasion, he will say in Chekhov's words: "As a child, I had no childhood." In 1912, as one of the best workers, he was transferred to the shipyard in Revel (present-day Tallinn). During the First World War he served as a sailor in Black Sea Fleet, and in the Civil War, as part of a special detachment, he was sent to the rear of Wrangel's army to organize partisan movement in Crimea. A few years later, he moved to the People's Commissariat of Communications and already in 1931, as a representative of this People's Commissariat, participated in the Arctic expedition of the icebreaker "Malygin" to Franz Josef Land. A year later, Ivan Papanin himself headed a polar expedition in Tikhaya Bay on Franz Josef Land, and then - polar station at Cape Chelyuskin. After the drifting station "North Pole" ("SP-1"), in 1939 - 1946, Papanin served as chief of the Glavsevmorput. During his first years in this post, he focused on the construction of powerful icebreakers, the development of Arctic navigationand in In 1940 he headed an expedition to recover from the ice captivity after the 812-day drift of the icebreaker Georgy Sedov.

During the Great Patriotic War Ivan Dmitrievich occupied the place of the authorized representative of the State Defense Committee for transportation in the North, responsible for the work of the ports of Arkhangelskand Murmansk.

After the war, Papanin again began to work at Glavsevmorput, and then created the scientific fleet of the USSR Academy of Sciences. In 1951, he was appointed head of the Department of Marine Expeditionary Work under the apparatus of the Presidium of the USSR Academy of Sciences.

From 1948 to 1951, he was deputy director of the Institute of Oceanology of the USSR Academy of Sciences for expeditions and at the same time (1952-1972) - director of the Institute of Biology inland waters Academy of Sciences of the USSR. Deputy of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR of the 1st and 2nd convocations. Doctor of Geographical Sciences (1938).

Died Ivan Dmitrievich Papanin January 30, 1986... His name is immortalized three times on the map. The waters of the polar seas are plowed by ships named after him. He is an honorary citizen of Sevastopol, his hometown, in which one of the streets bears his name ...

Ivan Dmitrievich Papanin was buried in Moscow at the Novodevichy cemetery.

It is curious that it was Ivan Dmitrievich Papanin who became the prototype of the daring revolutionary sailor Shvandi in the play of his friend, the playwright Konstantin Trenev, Lyubov Yarovaya. Moreover, as you can see, the "ice admiral" himself had the makings of an actor: it is no coincidence that the film director Mikhail Chiaureli took him off in the feature film "The Oath", where he played himself!

Mikhailov Andrey 06/13/2019 at 16:00

There are many glorious pages in the history of the discovery and study of the Russian Arctic. But there is a special chapter in it, with which the heroic polar epic began. On May 21, 1937, the polar air expedition of the USSR Academy of Sciences reached the North Pole and landed the North Pole-1 scientific station on the drifting ice for nine long months.

This expedition began the systematic development of all Arctic basin, thanks to which navigation along the Northern Sea Route has become regular. Its members were to collect data in the field of atmospheric phenomena, meteorology, geophysics, hydrobiology. The station was headed by Ivan Dmitrievich Papanin, hydrologist Petr Petrovich Shirshov, geophysicist-astronomer Yevgeny Konstantinovich Fedorov and radio operator Ernst Teodorovich Krenkel became its employees. The expedition was led by Otto Yulievich Schmidt, the pilot of the flagship aircraft N-170 was the hero of the Soviet Union Mikhail Vasilyevich Vodopyanov.

And it all started like that. On February 13, 1936, at a meeting in the Kremlin on the organization of transport flights, Otto Schmidt outlined a plan for an air expedition to the North Pole and the establishment of a station there. Stalin and Voroshilov, on the basis of the plan, instructed the Main Directorate of the Northern Sea Route (Glavsevmorput) to organize an expedition to the North Pole region in 1937 and deliver equipment for the scientific station and winter keepers there by plane.

An air expedition squadron was formed from four four-engine aircraft ANT-6-4M-34R "Aviaarktika" and a twin-engine reconnaissance aircraft R-6. In the spring of 1936 pilots Vodopyanov and Makhotkin went on reconnaissance to select the location of the intermediate base for the assault on the pole on Rudolf Island (Franz Josef Land). In August, the icebreaking steamer Rusanov headed there with cargo for the construction of a new polar station and airfield equipment.

The whole country was preparing the expedition. For example, a tent for a residential camp was created by the Moscow plant "Kauchuk". Its frame was made of easily disassembled aluminum tubes, the canvas walls were paved with two layers of eiderdown, and the rubber inflatable floor was also supposed to keep warm.

The Central Radio Laboratory in Leningrad produced two radio stations - a powerful 80-watt and a 20-watt emergency one. The main power source was two sets of alkaline batteries charged from a small wind turbine or from a dynamo - a light gasoline engine (there was also a hand-operated engine). All equipment, from the antenna to the smallest spare parts, was made under Krenkel's personal supervision, the weight of the radio equipment was half a ton.

According to special drawings, the Leningrad Shipyard named after Karakozov built ash sleds that weighed only 20 kilograms. The Institute of Catering Engineers prepared dinners for the drifting station for a whole year and a half, weighing about 5 tons.

On May 21, 1937, at about five in the morning, Mikhail Vodopyanov's car took off from Rudolf Island. Throughout the flight, radio communication was maintained, the weather and the nature of the ice cover were clarified. During the flight, an accident occurred: in the upper part of the radiator of the third engine, a leak formed in the flange, and antifreeze began to evaporate. The flight mechanics had to cut the wing skin in order to put a rag that absorbed the liquid, squeeze it into a bucket, and from it pump the coolant back into the engine reservoir with a pump.

The mechanics had to carry out this operation until the very landing, sticking out their bare hands from the wing in -20 and a fast wind. At 10:50 we reached the pole. And on May 25, the rest of the group of aircraft was launched.

After landing at the North Pole, the researchers made many discoveries. Every day they took soil samples, measured the depth and drift speed, determined the coordinates, conducted magnetic measurements, hydrological and meteorological observations. Soon after the landing, an ice floe drifting was discovered, on which the researchers' camp was located. Her wanderings began in the North Pole area, after 274 days the ice floe turned into a piece of 200 by 300 meters.

Rescue expedition to evacuate Papanin residents

The government of the USSR was seriously concerned about the alarming situation at the station "SP-1". Already on January 10, 1938, the icebreaking steamer "Taimyr" with the P-5 aircraft on board and the motorboat "Murmanets" came out to the Papaninites. Spirin flew two TsKB-30 aircraft to Murmansk, so that from there, if necessary, fly to the ice camp. The repair of the Ermak icebreaker was urgently completed in Leningrad.

Making its way to Papanin's camp, "Murmanets" fought desperately against the ice, and in clear water, "Taimyr" fought a fierce storm. The deck superstructures of the vessel were seriously damaged, the deck and gear were iced up, and hydrogen balloons for balloon-probes were washed overboard.

The campaign turned out to be difficult for the three submarines allocated by the Northern Fleet command. These were D-3, Shch-402, Shch-404, who had just returned from exercises. They were sent to help the Taimyr and to support the flight of the USSR V-6 airship.

On February 2, the commander of the airship squadron N.S. Gudovantsev turned to the Main Directorate of the Civil Air Fleet with a proposal to use an airship to save the Papanin people. On the same day, at an emergency meeting in the Central Committee of the CPSU (b), a positive decision was made on this issue. Preparation of the USSR V-6 airship begins immediately, for which only three days are allotted.

"USSR V-6" was the largest airship in the country and corresponded to the type of semi-rigid airships "Norway" and "Italy". It was also designed by the Italian designer Umberto Nobile and built in 1933 at the Dirizhablestroy enterprise in Dolgoprudny, Moscow Region. Its shell had a volume of 18.5 thousand cubic meters, a length of 104.5, a diameter of 19.5 meters. Three 265 hp engines provided speed with a load of 8.5 tons up to 110 km / h. The flight range reached 4.5 thousand km. In 1937, a world record for the duration of a flight without refueling was set on this device - 130.5 hours. The "USSR V-6" has repeatedly made non-stop flights from Moscow to Leningrad, Petrozavodsk, Kazan, Sverdlovsk.

The airship crew was reinforced with the best specialists. A.A. was approved as the first navigator. Ritsland, a participant in the landing of the Papanins in Molokov's crew. For many rank-and-file positions of assistant helmsmen and mechanics, they took commanders from other airships, which turned out to be a mistake - they lost their practical experience.

The material part was carefully checked, fuel, food, equipment were loaded on board. An electric winch was installed for lowering and lifting a two-seater cabin, with the help of which it was expected to evacuate the Papanin people from the ice floe. Preparation went around the clock

"USSR V-6" with a crew of 19 took off from Moscow late in the evening February 5, 1938. Politburo member A.I. Mikoyan. The official press reported that the airship went on a training flight on the route Moscow - Murmansk. In the light of the searchlights, the gigantic torso of the airship lifted off the ground and disappeared into the darkness of the night. In the afternoon of February 6, having safely passed Petrozavodsk and Kem, the ship moved to Kandalaksha, where it fell into a zone of heavy snowfall. About 20 hours from local residents there were alarming reports of a strong hum and explosion. From the memoirs of the airship flight engineer V.A. Ustinovich:

“I was resting in a hammock above the crew gondola in front of my watch when I was awakened by a terrible blow and crackling of trees. I felt the smoke, I realized we were on fire ... I broke through the keel skin and fell out. Almost 20 thousand "cubes" of hydrogen is a sea of \u200b\u200bfire! Burning debris broke in the trees and fell down. The snow was deep, not less than a meter, and that saved ...

There were six of us nine out of nineteen - all who survived. In addition to me, the mechanics Konstantin Novikov, Aleksey Burmakin and Dmitry Matyunin, who were on watch in the motor gondolas, the fourth assistant commander Viktor Pochekin and the radio engineer Ariy Vorobyov, survived. " (Kaminsky, 2006).

The survivors recalled that the altimeter readings along the route did not correspond to the heights of the hills over which the airship flew. Navigator Myachkov was the first to see a large mountain along the course and raised the alarm. The helmsmen worked feverishly at the controls, trying to lift the nose of the airship and increase the altitude. But the mountain was inevitably advancing. After hitting the slope, the structure could not stand it and began to fall apart. The broken phosphoric lighting bombs caused a fire.

The fatal obstacle was Neblo-Gora, 18 km from the White Sea railway station. The cause of the disaster can be considered schematic maps drawn up at the beginning of the century, and the commander's decision to move at a dangerously low altitude in bad weather. Why not immediately go up, behind the clouds? In Moscow, at the Novodevichy cemetery, urns with the ashes of 13 dead astronauts rest in the wall of an old monastery. Everything is arranged according to the highest standard, but for whom is it easier?

... Now only sailors could act as rescuers. On February 15, the icebreaking steamers Murman and Taimyr were 50-60 km from the Papanin ice floe. A kind of rivalry arose between the ships: who would be the first to reach the goal. On February 12, Krenkel saw lights on the horizon that differed from the stars in their immobility. Fedorov brought the theodolite and became convinced of their "earthly" origin. Having agreed on the radio with "Taimyr" about the exchange of signals, Papanin lit a magnesium rocket. She was noticed on the ship.

At this time, the ice floe with the remnants of the camp was near Greenland, the harsh mountainous coast was clearly visible. The Taimyr could not come closer because of the hummocks, and flat young fields were needed for onboard aircraft.

On February 14, the ice began to break, and the Taimyr moved closer to the camp. On the same day, the second icebreaking steamer "Murman", on board of which was the Sh-2 Cherevichny plane, came here. This pilot flew twice in search of, but did not return from the second flight. To find him, Vlasov was sent from the Taimyr, who accidentally stumbled upon the SP-1 airfield and landed. Papanin, who met him, advised the pilot not to waste time on them and to continue searching for Cherevichny, who could be in a critical situation.

While combing the surroundings, Vlasov discovered the missing plane and took the pilots to a steamer on two flights. Later, the Taimyr approached this place and lifted the car aboard. It turned out that the onset of darkness and thick fog forced the pilots to land. To save fuel, the engine was turned off. We spent a long polar night in a cramped cockpit, while daylight hours were carried with a worn out engine. It was never launched, after which another difficult overnight stay followed.

On the night of February 19, the Murman approached the SP-1 camp, and later the Taimyr. It was the 274th day on the ice. Nearby, shining with numerous lights, were two ships. The people of Papanin tied notebooks with valuable notes into packs, carefully packed them and films into backpacks. The meteorological instruments were not removed in order to make the last observations in the morning. No one slept. Papanin and Krenkel silently bent over the chess. In the morning a large group of sailors came to camp. Following the order of the leadership of the expedition, they collected the equipment scattered on the surface of the ice floe, dug a tent that was brought in from the snow, and transferred it all to the steamer. Thanks to this foresight, the SP-1 tent is currently on display at the Museum of the Arctic and Antarctic in St. Petersburg.

When the winterers and the greeters approached the ships, a dispute arose: who would take whom. Seduced by stocks of beer, fruits and vegetables, frightened by the abundance of bedbugs from rivals. As a result, they drew lots. It fell to Papanin and Krenkel to go on the Murman, and Fedorov and Shirshov on the Taimyr. They were escorted to the wardroom and immediately poured a glass of alcohol under the herring and pickled cucumber. The first hot bath in nine months was followed by a real banquet.

Soon the ships met with the icebreaker "Ermak" headed by O.Yu. Schmidt. Papanin's men went on board. In the North Sea, the icebreaker was caught in a violent storm, during which it was laid at 45 degrees. It was impossible not only to walk and stand, but even to sleep. Having replenished coal reserves in Tallinn, "Ermak" went to Leningrad. The wives and journalists met them in advance, coming out to meet them on the port icebreaker Truvor.

After the rally in the port, the Papanin residents together with their wives were taken to the city in cars. With difficulty squeezing through the human sea, we got to the hotel "Evropeyskaya". But the polar explorers practically did not need it, since at midnight, after the concert, they boarded the Moscow train. At the Oktyabrsky (now Leningradsky) station they were met by the People's Commissar for Foreign Affairs M.M. Litvinov, Chief of the Civil Air Fleet V.S. Molokov, hero pilots A.V. Belyakov, M.M. Gromov, V.P. Chkalov, A.B. Yumashev. Komsomolskaya Square, despite a cloudy and damp day, was crowded with people. After a short meeting with a speech by Papanin, we moved to the Kremlin.

About 800 people were waiting for the heroes in the St. George Hall; members of the Politburo, led by I.V. Stalin. All were seated at the set tables; Papanin's people, naturally, are at a separate table together with the country's leadership. The official part ended with a concert. Everyone got home only in the morning.

From the memoirs of I.D. Papanin:

“We arrived in Leningrad on Tuesday, March 15th. The newspapers then wrote that the meeting turned into a popular celebration. And how worried our four was ...

At 3:50 am, when the mighty icebreaker, decorated with flags, appeared in the port, all ships greeted him with honking. Orchestras thundered on the shore, drowning them out, a squadron of aircraft swept over the port in the sky.

On March 17, the expedition members arrived in Moscow. A road strewn with flowers awaited them. Kremlin, Georgievsky Hall. Polyarnikov was greeted by the entire Politburo headed by Stalin ...

Stalin sat me down next to him.

“Now let's drink, comrade Papanin, to victory,” he said, raising his glass. - The work was difficult, but we were all sure that your four will do it with honor! (Papanin, 1977).

Drift participants received high government awards. After the completion of the air expedition "North" in June 1937, I.D. Papanin was awarded the title of Hero of the Soviet Union, and Krenkel, Fedorov and Shirshov were awarded the Orders of Lenin. After the end of the drift, the title of Hero was awarded to Krenkel, Fedorov and Shirshov, and Papanin received the Order of Lenin. The Higher Attestation Commission awarded all four the titles of doctors of geographical sciences without defending dissertations, and the Academy of Sciences soon approved Fedorov and Shirshov as Corresponding Members. Even the dog Merry, who brought a lot of joy and concern to the expedition members, did not pass high honors.

“When we took the dog with us, we somehow did not think about its future fate. We talked about his tricks in print, which made the Merry world famous.

At a reception in the Kremlin, Stalin asked:

- And where is Merry?

I explained to him that he was still at Ermak.

- I think he will be fine at my dacha.

Then, when I was undergoing treatment in Barvikh, I often saw Merry on a walk - he accompanied Alliluyev, IV's father-in-law. Stalin. Merry did not forget me, wagged his tail affably, but did not leave the new owner. That's right: a new musher is a new affection. " (Papanin, 1977).

The achievements of Soviet polar explorers found a wide response in many countries of the world. In the central square of Spanish Barcelona, \u200b\u200bfor example, a large semi-globe of the northern half of the globe was installed. On its top was a red banner indicating the location of the North Pole drifting station, and the drift line was marked with a red stripe.

Assessing the scientific significance of the work carried out at the SP-1 station, Professor V.Yu. Wiese wrote:

“The observations of the first Soviet drifting station made a major contribution to the treasury of world science. They opened the scientist's eyes to a part of the Earth that had remained unexplored before. " (Wiese, 1948).

Oceanographic observations gave much new knowledge of the nature of the Arctic basin. Even F. Nansen, during the drift of the Fram, discovered penetration into high latitudes of Atlantic waters with positive temperatures. But how far north they went, no one knew. Research by "SP-1" showed that these waters reach the Pole and make up a thick layer there - up to 500 meters.

During the drift, Shirshov took 38 complete hydrological stations between the pole and 76 degrees north latitude. An important achievement was the confirmation of Nansen's hypothesis about the existence of an underwater ridge between Greenland and Svalbard, the so-called "Nansen's threshold". The Norwegian discovered its eastern slope from Svalbard, and Shirshov - western, from Greenland. The depth of the ridge top was only 1300-1400 meters there.

Interesting materials were collected to study the drift of the ice floe on which the station was located. In 274 days, she covered 1134 miles, or 2100 km, in the general direction to the southwest.

Shirshov, Krenkel, Papanin and Fedorov on board the icebreaker

This text is an introductory fragment. From the book Secrets of the Lost Expeditions author Kovalev Sergey Alekseevich

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Drift of the Papaninites In May 1937, 4 Soviet planes landed on the ice near the North Pole, bringing here four researchers and about 10 tons of cargo to organize the world's first drifting scientific station "North Pole". The planes unloaded on June 6

It just so happened historically that in Russia they often do things that are recognized by the rest of the world as unattainable and impossible. Great traveler James Cook proclaimed that there is no continent at the South Pole, and if there is, then it is impossible to penetrate to it because of the continuous eternal ice.

Everyone, except the Russians, believed in Cook. In 1820 ships Thaddeus Bellingshausen and Mikhail Lazarevdisobeying Cook, went further and discovered Antarctica.

Great traveler Roald Amundsen, the discoverer of the South Pole, flying over the North Pole in the airship Norway, said: “We have not seen a single place suitable for descent during the entire long journey from Svalbard to Alaska. Not a single one! And here is our opinion: do not fly deep into these ice fields until the airplanes become so perfect that you can not be afraid of a forced descent! "

By the mid-1930s, aviation technology in the world was still very far from being perfect. But there were people who decided that Amundsen's warning, who, by the way, himself disappeared in the Arctic, did not apply to them. Needless to say, these brave men were from Russia?

In February 1936, one of the main enthusiasts and organizers of Soviet Arctic research Otto Yulievich Schmidtat a meeting in the Kremlin, he outlined a plan for an air expedition to the North Pole and the establishment of a station in its area.

Nobody else has done anything like this in the world. Moreover, Amundsen's words directly indicated that this was impossible.

But the Soviet leaders believed Otto Yulievich Schmidt, even though the steamer Chelyuskin had died a few years earlier, and many associate its death with Schmidt's erroneous decisions.

Schmidt's new project was adopted, and a government decree ordered to organize in 1937 an expedition to the North Pole region and deliver the equipment of the scientific station and winterers by air.

Hydrologist, member of the expedition of the drifting station "North Pole-1" Pyotr Shirshov works with a hydrological winch. 1937 year. Photo: RIA Novosti

Polar explorers were trained the way cosmonauts were later trained

The expedition was necessary to obtain data that would make it possible to continue the development of the Northern Sea Route and the Arctic as a whole. In addition, the Soviet station itself at the North Pole asserted the priority of the USSR in the exploration and development of this region. In addition, we again did what no one else in the world did - such things always strengthen the prestige of the state.

True, the failure of the expedition or, even worse, the death of its members could result in serious losses for the same prestige. But he who does not take risks does not become a pioneer.

An intermediate base for the assault on the pole in the summer of 1936 was laid on Rudolf Island in the Franz Josef Land archipelago. Building materials, supplies and equipment for the future station were brought here by ships.

Polar explorers Pyotr Shirshov and Ivan Papanin lay the property of a dwelling house on the sleds at the SP-1 drifting station. 1937 year. Photo: RIA Novosti The expedition was prepared no less carefully than the cosmonauts were trained a quarter of a century later. The tent for the residential camp was built by the Moscow plant "Kauchuk". Its frame is made of easily disassembled aluminum tubes; the walls are tarpaulin, between them two layers of eider down were laid, the floor is rubber, inflatable. Two radio stations - the main one and the emergency one - were specially created at the Central Radio Laboratory in Leningrad. The Narts built a shipyard, and the Institute of Catering Engineers prepared food.

The squadron of aircraft that was to land the expedition at the North Pole included four four-engine aircraft ANT-6-4M-34R "Aviaarktika" and a twin-engine reconnaissance aircraft R-6 (ANT-7).

A Hero of the Soviet Union was appointed as the commander of the flight unit Mikhail Vodopyanov, one of those who saved the Chelyuskin expedition. The overall leadership was entrusted to Otto Schmidt.

Disembarkation

In the general composition of the expedition there were four polar explorers, who had the main mission - to stay on the ice floe as personnel of the North Pole-1 station. The head of "SP-1" was Ivan Papanin, radio operator - experienced Ernst Krenkel, duties of a hydrologist performed Peter Shirshov, and geophysics - Evgeny Fedorov.

In February 1937, Schmidt reported to the Kremlin about his readiness for the expedition and received the go-ahead for the project.

On April 19, a squadron of aircraft reached the base on Rudolf Island. After that, attempts began to break through to the pole. But severe weather conditions tore them down one by one.

On May 21, 1937, Mikhail Vodopyanov's plane, despite not having technical difficulties, landed on an ice floe in the North Pole region, having “flown” its geographical point by about 20 kilometers. This very day became the day when the North Pole-1 station was founded.

Mikhail Vodopyanov recalled a funny episode: when the head of the station, Ivan Papanin, stepped on the ice, he instinctively stamped his foot on it: will he survive? At the same time, a multi-ton aircraft standing on the ice seemed to hint: perhaps yes!

By June 5, the planes delivered everything necessary for the operation of the station to the ice floe. The last to arrive on SP-1 was the “fifth Papaninets” - a polar husky named Vesely.

On June 6, a rally was held on the ice floe and the flag of the USSR was raised, after which the planes flew away. Four members of the expedition and a dog remained on the ice.

Photo fact "AiF"

At the station, only Merry was rioting

By the beginning of the expedition, the ice floe was an ice field of three by five kilometers with an ice thickness of about three meters. However, gradually the ice floe began to decrease, and this process did not stop until the very end of the expedition.

The expedition of the station "North Pole-1" worked in conditions that did not differ much from space. There is no one to rely on but yourself, help in an emergency will not come immediately, and you can survive by relying only on your comrades.

Psychological compatibility in such an environment is the most important thing. The smallest conflict can turn into complete disaster.

Not everyone knows, but the leaders of Arctic expeditions, working in isolation from the outside world, have special powers. If one of the members of the expedition, unable to withstand the overload, begins to behave inadequately, the head has the right to the most extreme measures in order to save the rest. In slang, this is called "go into hummocks."

Ivan Dmitrievich Papanin, participant Civil WarIn the past, the Chekist, who had been in charge of various scientific stations in the Arctic since 1932, was a tough and determined man. His lack of education was compensated for by natural observation, practical acumen and talent for leadership. The established camp on the ice withstood the most difficult conditions, and the members of the expedition performed their duties even when the situation became truly threatening. Neither Ernst Krenkel, nor Pyotr Shirshov, nor Evgeny Fyodorov let their boss down.

Perhaps the only one who got out of the hands of Papanin was his fourth subordinate - the dog Vesely, who perceived the expedition's food warehouse as his personal dog paradise, visiting it regularly. Nevertheless, these tricks were forgiven Vesely, since he, living up to his name, replaced the polar explorers with the "room for psychological relief."

Members of the expedition at the drifting station "North Pole-1". 1937 year. Photo: RIA Novosti

On the edge of the possible

June 18, 1937 happened historical event: ANT-25 aircraft flew over the world's first drifting station in the Arctic under control Valeria Chkalova, who made the world's first non-stop flight across the North Pole to America. The world was shocked: these "Soviet Russians" are doing things that no one can even imagine!

Photo fact "AiF"

At the end of June 1937, a celebration was held in Moscow for Otto Schmidt, Mikhail Vodopyanov and other members of the expedition who made the work of the North Pole-1 station possible. For obvious reasons, only four brave polar explorers working on an ice floe could not receive state awards at that time.

But there was no alarm about their fate at that moment - the work of the expedition was going on in a normal mode, the connection with the "SP-1" was stable, scientific data went practically continuous flow... In short, there is no cause for concern.

But the further the ice floe drifted towards Greenland, the more difficult it became for the Papanin people to work. In January 1938, the decrease in the ice field became threatening. And on the morning of February 1, Papanin reported: the storm tore up the ice floe, leaving the expedition a fragment of 300 by 200 meters, depriving the SP-1 of two bases and a technical warehouse. In addition, a crack has formed under the living tent.

It became clear: it was time to evacuate the expedition. Icebreaking steamers Murmanets, Murman and Taimyr urgently set out to help Papanin's residents. The race against time has begun. The ice floe continued to shrink and crack. IN last days the width of the ice field on which the station was located did not exceed 30 meters. Much later, the expedition members said that at that moment they began to mentally prepare for the worst.

But on February 19, 1938, the icebreakers Taimyr and Murman approached the SP-1. The emotions of the rescuers went off scale no less than those of the rescuers. Up to 80 people poured onto the ice floe, but, thank God, she withstood this last test too. In a matter of hours, the camp was closed. The radio operator Ernst Krenkel transmitted the last radiogram from SP-1: “At this hour we are leaving the ice floe at coordinates 70 degrees 54 minutes Nordic, 19 degrees 48 minutes by messenger, and having drifted over 2500 km in 274 days. Our radio station was the first to report the news of the conquest of the North Pole, ensured reliable communication with the Motherland and this telegram ends its work ”.

Awards and income

On March 15, 1938, the members of the expedition arrived in Leningrad, where a solemn welcome awaited them. All four polar explorers who worked on the SP-1 were awarded the title of Hero of the Soviet Union.

Meeting of the staff of the Soviet polar drifting scientific station "North Pole-1" Ivan Papanin, Pyotr Shirshov, Ernest Krenkel, Yevgeny Fedorov on the streets of Moscow. The year is 1938. Photo: RIA Novosti / Troshkin

The history of Soviet and Russian drifting polar stations began with "SP-1" and continues to this day.

The dog Vesely also received his award - which became a favorite not only of polar explorers, but also of all the children of the Soviet Union, the shaggy pole conqueror was presented to his comrade Stalin and lived his remaining canine life in honor and respect at the leader's dacha.

Photo fact "AiF"

And the last thing I would like to say about the history of the North Pole-1 station is that the state not only covered all the costs for it, but even made good money on this project. The fact is that director Mark Troyanovsky, who was a member of the expedition, during the days while the base camp of the station was being erected on the ice floe, shot a whole film called "At the North Pole". The tape was sold for foreign currency to many countries of the world, where it caused an unprecedented excitement, bringing great profits to the Soviet treasury.

Members of the expedition at the drifting station "North Pole-1": Ivan Papanin, radio operator Ernst Krenkel (in the foreground), geophysicist Yevgeny Fedorov and hydrologist Pyotr Shirshov (standing). 1939 year. Photo: RIA Novosti / Ivan Shagin