SS ''Chelyuskin'' ( rus, «Челю́скин», p=tɕɪˈlʲuskʲɪn) was a
Soviet
The Soviet Union,. officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. (USSR),. was a List of former transcontinental countries#Since 1700, transcontinental country that spanned much of Eurasia from 1922 to 1991. A flagship communist state, ...
steamship
A steamship, often referred to as a steamer, is a type of steam-powered vessel, typically ocean-faring and seaworthy, that is propelled by one or more steam engines that typically move (turn) propellers or paddlewheels. The first steamships ...
, reinforced to navigate through polar ice, that became ice-bound in
Arctic
The Arctic ( or ) is a polar regions of Earth, polar region located at the northernmost part of Earth. The Arctic consists of the Arctic Ocean, adjacent seas, and parts of Canada (Yukon, Northwest Territories, Nunavut), Danish Realm (Greenla ...
waters during navigation along the
Northern Maritime Route from
Murmansk
Murmansk (Russian: ''Мурманск'' lit. "Norwegian coast"; Finnish: ''Murmansk'', sometimes ''Muurmanski'', previously ''Muurmanni''; Norwegian: ''Norskekysten;'' Northern Sámi: ''Murmánska;'' Kildin Sámi: ''Мурман ланнҍ'') i ...
to
Vladivostok
Vladivostok ( rus, Владивосто́к, a=Владивосток.ogg, p=vɫədʲɪvɐˈstok) is the largest city and the administrative center of Primorsky Krai, Russia. The city is located around the Zolotoy Rog, Golden Horn Bay on the Sea ...
, and sank. 111 people were on board the Chelyuskin, and all but one were rescued by air. The expedition's task was to determine the possibility to travel by non-icebreaker through the
Northern Maritime Route in a single navigation season.
It was built in
Denmark
)
, song = ( en, "King Christian stood by the lofty mast")
, song_type = National and royal anthem
, image_map = EU-Denmark.svg
, map_caption =
, subdivision_type = Sovereign state
, subdivision_name = Danish Realm, Kingdom of Denmark
...
in 1933 by Burmeister and Wain (B&W, Copenhagen) and named after the 18th century
Russia
Russia (, , ), or the Russian Federation, is a List of transcontinental countries, transcontinental country spanning Eastern Europe and North Asia, Northern Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by area, largest country in the ...
n
polar
Polar may refer to:
Geography
Polar may refer to:
* Geographical pole, either of two fixed points on the surface of a rotating body or planet, at 90 degrees from the equator, based on the axis around which a body rotates
* Polar climate, the c ...
explorer
Semion Ivanovich Chelyuskin. The head of the expedition was
Otto Yuliyevich Shmidt and the ship's
captain
Captain is a title, an appellative for the commanding officer of a military unit; the supreme leader of a navy ship, merchant ship, aeroplane, spacecraft, or other vessel; or the commander of a port, fire or police department, election precinct, e ...
was
V. I. Voronin. There were 111 people on board the steamship, including Soviet cinematographers
Mark Troyanovsky and
Arkadii Shafran who documented on film the entire voyage, including the rescue. The crew members were known as ''Chelyuskintsy'', with the singular form "Chelyuskinets".
Mission
After leaving
Murmansk
Murmansk (Russian: ''Мурманск'' lit. "Norwegian coast"; Finnish: ''Murmansk'', sometimes ''Muurmanski'', previously ''Muurmanni''; Norwegian: ''Norskekysten;'' Northern Sámi: ''Murmánska;'' Kildin Sámi: ''Мурман ланнҍ'') i ...
on 2 August 1933, the steamship managed to get through most of the Northern Route before it was caught in the
ice field
An ice field (also spelled icefield) is a mass of interconnected valley glaciers (also called mountain glaciers or alpine glaciers) on a mountain mass with protruding rock ridges or summits. They are often found in the colder climates and highe ...
s in September. Eight members of the crew had been dropped off at Kolyuchin Island, so there were 104 people on board including 10 women and two small children. One of the children was only 6 months old: geodesicist Vasily Vasiliev's daughter Karina, born on August 31, 1933 during the voyage in the Kara Sea. After becoming icebound, the ship
drifted in the ice pack before sinking on 13 February 1934, crushed by the
icepacks near
Kolyuchin Island
Kolyuchin Island or Koliuchin Island (russian: Остров Колючин, ) is a small island in the Chukchi Sea. It is not far from the coast, being only from the northern shore of the Chukotka Peninsula. Its latitude is 67° 28' N and its long ...
in the
Chukchi Sea
Chukchi Sea ( rus, Чуко́тское мо́ре, r=Chukotskoye more, p=tɕʊˈkotskəjə ˈmorʲɪ), sometimes referred to as the Chuuk Sea, Chukotsk Sea or the Sea of Chukotsk, is a marginal sea of the Arctic Ocean. It is bounded on the west b ...
. During the wreck one crew member, B. G. Mogilevich, was killed by deck cargo. The survivors made a camp on the ice floe. The women and children were airlifted out by
Anatoly Liapidevsky
Anatoly Vasilyevich Lyapidevsky (russian: link=no, Анатолий Васильевич Ляпидевский; 23 March 1908 – 29 April 1983) was a Soviet aircraft pilot and one of first people to be awarded the title of Hero of the Soviet Un ...
on March 5 after 29 rescue flight attempts, but the men in the crew were not rescued until April after over two months on the ice. The crew managed to escape onto the ice and built a makeshift airstrip using only a few spades, ice shovels and two crowbars. They had to rebuild the airstrip thirteen times, until they were rescued in April of the same year and flown to the village of
Vankarem
Vankarem (russian: Ванкарем; Chukchi: , ''Vanḳarèman'') is a village ('' selo'') in Iultinsky District of Chukotka Autonomous Okrug, in the Far Eastern Federal District of Russia, situated on Cape Vankarem on the coast of the Chukchi ...
on the coast of the sea. From there, some of the Chelyuskinites were flown further to the village of
Uelen
Uelen (russian: Уэлéн; Chukchi: , ''Uvèlèn''; Siberian Yupik: Улыӄ, ''Ulyḳ''; Naukan Yupik: Олыӄ, ''Oleq''; also known as Whalen in older English-language sources and Ugelen on USCGS charts) is a rural locality (a '' selo'') ...
, while fifty-three men walked over 300 miles to get there.
The aircraft pilots who took part in
search and rescue
Search and rescue (SAR) is the search for and provision of aid to people who are in distress or imminent danger. The general field of search and rescue includes many specialty sub-fields, typically determined by the type of terrain the search ...
operations were the first people to receive the newly established highest title of
Hero of the Soviet Union
The title Hero of the Soviet Union (russian: Герой Советского Союза, translit=Geroy Sovietskogo Soyuza) was the highest distinction in the Soviet Union, awarded together with the Order of Lenin personally or collectively for ...
. Those pilots were
Anatoly Liapidevsky
Anatoly Vasilyevich Lyapidevsky (russian: link=no, Анатолий Васильевич Ляпидевский; 23 March 1908 – 29 April 1983) was a Soviet aircraft pilot and one of first people to be awarded the title of Hero of the Soviet Un ...
,
Sigizmund Levanevsky
pl, Zygmunt Lewoniewski
, birth_date =
, death_date =
, birth_place = St. Petersburg, Russian empire
, death_place = Arctic Ocean
, image_size =
, allegiance =
, branch = Soviet Army before 1925Soviet Air Force s ...
(who crashed en route to the camp, but survived),
Vasily Molokov
, birth_date =
, death_date =
, birth_place = Irininskoye, Moscow Governorate, Russian Empire
, death_place = Moscow, USSR
, placeofburial =
, placeofburial_label =
, placeofburial_coordinates =
, allegiance =
, branch ...
,
Mavriky Slepnyov
Mavriky Trofimovich Slepnyov (russian: Маврикий Трофимович Слепнёв; – 19 December 1965) was a Soviet polar aviator who was awarded Hero of the Soviet Union.
Early life
Slepnyov was born at June 15 (27), 1896 in Yams ...
,
Mikhail Vodopianov,
Nikolai Kamanin
Nikolai Petrovich Kamanin (russian: Никола́й Петро́вич Кама́нин; 18 October 1908 – 11 March 1982) was a Soviet aviator, awarded the title of Hero of the Soviet Union in 1934 for the rescue of SS ''Chelyuskin'' crew fro ...
and
Ivan Doronin
Colonel Ivan Vasilyevich Doronin (; – 2 February 1951, Moscow) was a Soviet pilot and Hero of the Soviet Union (April 20, 1934).
Biography
Doronin was born on in Kamenka, Nikolayevsky Uezd, Samara Governorate (now Pugachyovsky District, S ...
. Liapidevsky flew an ANT-4, the civilian version of the
TB-1
The QW-series () are man-portable air-defense systems (MANPADS) developed by the People's Republic of China.
QW-1
The QW-1 is the initial version. It is likely a copy or derivative of the Soviet 9K38 Igla, 9K38 Igla-1 MANPAD.''Chinese Tactics' ...
heavy bomber, while Slepnev and Levanevsky flew a
Consolidated Fleetster
The Consolidated Model 17 Fleetster was a 1920s American light transport monoplane aircraft built by the Consolidated Aircraft Corporation.
Design and development
The Fleetster received Approved Type Certificate Number 369 on 29 September 1930. ...
specially brought in from the US for the mission, and the other pilots flew the
Polikarpov R-5
The Polikarpov R-5 (russian: Р-5) was a Soviet reconnaissance bomber aircraft of the 1930s. It was the standard light bomber and reconnaissance aircraft of the Soviet Air Force for much of the 1930s, while also being used heavily as a civilian l ...
. Two
American
American(s) may refer to:
* American, something of, from, or related to the United States of America, commonly known as the "United States" or "America"
** Americans, citizens and nationals of the United States of America
** American ancestry, pe ...
air mechanics, Clyde Goodwin Armitstead, and William Latimer Lavery, also helped in the
search and rescue
Search and rescue (SAR) is the search for and provision of aid to people who are in distress or imminent danger. The general field of search and rescue includes many specialty sub-fields, typically determined by the type of terrain the search ...
of the ''Chelyuskintsy'', on 10 September 1934, and were awarded the
Order of Lenin
The Order of Lenin (russian: Орден Ленина, Orden Lenina, ), named after the leader of the Russian October Revolution, was established by the Central Executive Committee on April 6, 1930. The order was the highest civilian decoration b ...
.
As the steamship became trapped at the entrance to the
Bering Strait, the
USSR
The Soviet Union,. officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. (USSR),. was a transcontinental country that spanned much of Eurasia from 1922 to 1991. A flagship communist state, it was nominally a federal union of fifteen nationa ...
considered the expedition mainly successful, as it had proven that a regular steamship had a chance to navigate the whole Northern Maritime Route in a single season. After a few additional trial runs in 1933 and 1934, the Northern Sea Route was officially opened and commercial exploitation began in 1935. The following year part of the Soviet
Baltic Fleet
, image = Great emblem of the Baltic fleet.svg
, image_size = 150
, caption = Baltic Fleet Great ensign
, dates = 18 May 1703 – present
, country =
, allegiance = (1703–1721) (1721–1917) (1917–1922) (1922–1991)(1991–present)
...
made the passage to the Pacific where an armed conflict with
Japan
Japan ( ja, 日本, or , and formally , ''Nihonkoku'') is an island country in East Asia. It is situated in the northwest Pacific Ocean, and is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan, while extending from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north ...
was looming.
File:Chelyuskin slowly sinking.png, Sinking of the ''Chelyuskin''
File:Cheliuskin P Novitsky 1933.jpg, Chelyuskin, 1933, photo by Novitsky
File:Chelyuskin survivors drift - Building the airstrip.png, Chelyuskin survivors building the airstrip
File:Chelyuskin survivors drift - Greeting the first rescue airplane.png, Greeting the first rescue airplane
File:Chelyuskin survivors drift - Scientific observations never ceased.png, Photo titled as "Scientific observations never ceased"
Chukchi Sea5KOI.png, Location of Kolyuchin Island
Kolyuchin Island or Koliuchin Island (russian: Остров Колючин, ) is a small island in the Chukchi Sea. It is not far from the coast, being only from the northern shore of the Chukotka Peninsula. Its latitude is 67° 28' N and its long ...
Леваневский Ушаков Слепнев на Аляске.jpg, From left to right: Joe Crosson, Mavriky Slepnyov
Mavriky Trofimovich Slepnyov (russian: Маврикий Трофимович Слепнёв; – 19 December 1965) was a Soviet polar aviator who was awarded Hero of the Soviet Union.
Early life
Slepnyov was born at June 15 (27), 1896 in Yams ...
, Georgy Ushakov
Georgy Alexeyevich Ushakov (russian: Георгий Алексеевич Ушаков) (17 (30) January 1901 – 3 December 1963) was a Soviet explorer of the Arctic.
Ushakov broke new ground when he surveyed and explored Severnaya Zemlya, togeth ...
, Sigizmund Levanevsky
pl, Zygmunt Lewoniewski
, birth_date =
, death_date =
, birth_place = St. Petersburg, Russian empire
, death_place = Arctic Ocean
, image_size =
, allegiance =
, branch = Soviet Army before 1925Soviet Air Force s ...
, radio operator of Ladd Army Airfield
Ladd Army Airfield is the military airfield located at Fort Wainwright in Fairbanks, Alaska. It was originally called Fairbanks Air Base, but was renamed Ladd Field on 1 December 1939, in honor of Major Arthur K. Ladd, a pilot in the U.S. A ...
in Alaska
Alaska ( ; russian: Аляска, Alyaska; ale, Alax̂sxax̂; ; ems, Alas'kaaq; Yup'ik: ''Alaskaq''; tli, Anáaski) is a state located in the Western United States on the northwest extremity of North America. A semi-exclave of the U.S., ...
during the expedition to rescue the crew of SS ''Chelyuskin''.
Legacy
In the wake of the catastrophe, a central square in
Yaroslavl
Yaroslavl ( rus, Ярослáвль, p=jɪrɐˈsɫavlʲ) is a city and the administrative center of Yaroslavl Oblast, Russia, located northeast of Moscow. The historic part of the city is a World Heritage Site, and is located at the confluence ...
was renamed after the ''Chelyuskintsy'', as was
Chelyuskinites Park
Chelyuskinetes Park or Park Čaliuskincaŭ ( be, Парк Чалюскiнцаў, russian: Парк Челюскинцев) is an urban forest park in Minsk, Belarus. The park's area is 78 hectares.
The park contains an amusement park. Other at ...
in
Minsk
Minsk ( be, Мінск ; russian: Минск) is the capital and the largest city of Belarus, located on the Svislach and the now subterranean Niamiha rivers. As the capital, Minsk has a special administrative status in Belarus and is the admi ...
.
Marina Tsvetayeva
Marina Ivanovna Tsvetaeva (russian: Марина Ивановна Цветаева, p=mɐˈrʲinə ɪˈvanəvnə tsvʲɪˈtaɪvə; 31 August 1941) was a Russian poet. Her work is considered among some of the greatest in twentieth century Russia ...
wrote a poem applauding the rescue team. Nine days after the two Soviet cameramen aboard reached Moscow, their footage was developed, edited and released as a feature documentary motion picture. In 1970,
East German
East Germany, officially the German Democratic Republic (GDR; german: Deutsche Demokratische Republik, , DDR, ), was a country that existed from its creation on 7 October 1949 until its dissolution on 3 October 1990. In these years the state ...
television produced ''Tscheljuskin'', a film about the ship's voyage, directed by Rainer Hausdorf and featuring Eberhard Mellies as Prof. Schmidt,
Dieter Mann
Dieter Mann (20 June 1941 – 3 February 2022) was a German actor, director, university professor, and radio personality. In his career he acted in several theater productions and in over 140 film and television productions. Between 1984 and 199 ...
as the surveyor Vasiliev and
Fritz Diez
Fritz Diez (27 February 1901 – 19 October 1979) was a German actor, producer, director and theater manager.
Biography
Early life
Diez's mother was a servant, and raised her three children alone. To support his family, the child began working a ...
as
Valerian Kuybyshev
Valerian Vladimirovich Kuybyshev (russian: Валериа́н Влади́мирович Ку́йбышев; – 25 January 1935) was a Russian revolutionary, Red Army officer, and prominent Soviet politician.
Biography
Early years
Bo ...
.
Tscheljuskin
on the IMDb
IMDb (an abbreviation of Internet Movie Database) is an online database of information related to films, television series, home videos, video games, and streaming content online – including cast, production crew and personal biographies, ...
.
Efforts to find the wreck of the ship were made by at least four different expeditions, and it was finally discovered in September 2006, at a depth of about 50 metres in the Chukchi Sea
Chukchi Sea ( rus, Чуко́тское мо́ре, r=Chukotskoye more, p=tɕʊˈkotskəjə ˈmorʲɪ), sometimes referred to as the Chuuk Sea, Chukotsk Sea or the Sea of Chukotsk, is a marginal sea of the Arctic Ocean. It is bounded on the west b ...
.[В Чукотском море найдены фрагменты «Челюскина»](_blank)
— in Russian The polar explorer Artur Chilingarov
Artur Nikolayevich Chilingarov (russian: Артур Николаевич Чилингаров; born 25 September 1939) is an Armenian-Russian polar explorer. He is a corresponding member of the Russian Academy of Sciences, he was awarded the t ...
argued that the ship should be raised and converted into a museum.
Michael Roberts, an English poet, wrote a poem "Chelyuskin", which was included in his collection ''Poems,'' published by Jonathan Cape in 1936.
See also
*Cape Serdtse-Kamen
Cape Serdtse-Kamen (russian: мыс Сердце-Камень, literally translated as "Cape Heart-Stone") is a headland on the northeastern coast of Chukotka, Russian Federation. It is about 140 km west of Cape Dezhnev, 120 km east of K ...
* SS ''Dzhurma''
Further reading
* (bilingual edition)
References
External links
*
Chelyuskin-70
- Official site of the underwater archeological expedition
*
The Chelyuskin and the Dzhurma in 1933
{{DEFAULTSORT:Chelyuskin
Icebreakers of the Soviet Union
Shipwrecks in the Arctic Ocean
Chukchi Sea
Arctic exploration vessels
Polar exploration by Russia and the Soviet Union
1933 ships
Maritime incidents in 1934
1934 in the Soviet Union
Ships built in Copenhagen