Georgy Yakovlevich Sedov (russian: Гео́ргий Я́ковлевич Седо́в; – ) was a Russian

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 ...

explorer. Born in the village of Krivaya Kosa of Taganrog district (now Novoazovskyi Raion,

Donetsk Oblast The Donetsk Oblast ( ukr, Донецька область, Donetska oblast, ), also referred to as Donechchyna ( ukr, Донеччина, links=no), is an oblast of eastern Ukraine. It is Ukraine's most populous province, with around 4.1 mill ...

) in a fisherman's family. In 1898, Sedov finished navigation courses in

Rostov-on-Don Rostov-on-Don ( rus, Ростов-на-Дону, r=Rostov-na-Donu, p=rɐˈstof nə dɐˈnu) is a port city and the administrative centre of Rostov Oblast and the Southern Federal District of Russia. It lies in the southeastern part of the East Eu ...

and acquired the rank of long voyage

navigator A navigator is the person on board a ship or aircraft responsible for its navigation.Grierson, MikeAviation History—Demise of the Flight Navigator FrancoFlyers.org website, October 14, 2008. Retrieved August 31, 2014. The navigator's primar ...

. In 1901, he took an external degree at Naval College, passed all the exams and was promoted to the rank of

lieutenant A lieutenant ( , ; abbreviated Lt., Lt, LT, Lieut and similar) is a commissioned officer rank in the armed forces of many nations. The meaning of lieutenant differs in different militaries (see comparative military ranks), but it is often sub ...

. In 1902–1903, Sedov participated in a hydrographic expedition in the

Arctic Ocean The Arctic Ocean is the smallest and shallowest of the world's five major oceans. It spans an area of approximately and is known as the coldest of all the oceans. The International Hydrographic Organization (IHO) recognizes it as an ocean, a ...

. During the

Russo-Japanese War The Russo-Japanese War ( ja, 日露戦争, Nichiro sensō, Japanese-Russian War; russian: Ру́сско-япóнская войнá, Rússko-yapónskaya voyná) was fought between the Empire of Japan and the Russian Empire during 1904 and 1 ...

he was in charge of a torpedo boat (1905). In 1909, he led the expedition that would later describe the mouth of the

Kolyma Kolyma (russian: Колыма́, ) is a region located in the Russian Far East. It is bounded to the north by the East Siberian Sea and the Arctic Ocean, and by the Sea of Okhotsk to the south. The region gets its name from the Kolyma River an ...

river. A year later Sedov explored the Krestovaya Bay on

Novaya Zemlya Novaya Zemlya (, also , ; rus, Но́вая Земля́, p=ˈnovəjə zʲɪmˈlʲa, ) is an archipelago in northern Russia. It is situated in the Arctic Ocean, in the extreme northeast of Europe, with Cape Flissingsky, on the northern island, ...

. In 1912, he suggested a sleigh expedition for reaching the

North Pole The North Pole, also known as the Geographic North Pole or Terrestrial North Pole, is the point in the Northern Hemisphere where the Earth's axis of rotation meets its surface. It is called the True North Pole to distinguish from the Mag ...

. The

Tsarist Tsarist autocracy (russian: царское самодержавие, transcr. ''tsarskoye samoderzhaviye''), also called Tsarism, was a form of autocracy (later absolute monarchy) specific to the Grand Duchy of Moscow and its successor states ...

government refused to finance this project, and the expedition was organized with the help from independent sources. On August 14(27), 1912, Sedov's ship ''Svyatoy Muchenik Foka (

Saint Phocas the Martyr Saint Phocas, sometimes called Phocas the Gardener (Greek:Φωκᾶς), is venerated as a martyr by the Catholic and Eastern Orthodox Churches. His life and legend may have been a fusion of three men with the same name: a Phocas of Antioch, a Pho ...

)'' left Arkhangelsk and had to stay for the winter near Novaya Zemlya because of impassable ice. The expedition reached

Franz Josef Land , native_name = , image_name = Map of Franz Josef Land-en.svg , image_caption = Map of Franz Josef Land , image_size = , map_image = Franz Josef Land location-en.svg , map_caption = Location of Franz Josef ...

only in August 1913; however, it had to stay for the second winter in the Tikhaya Bay due to lack of coal. On February 2(15), 1914, Sedov (already sick with

scurvy Scurvy is a disease resulting from a lack of vitamin C (ascorbic acid). Early symptoms of deficiency include weakness, feeling tired and sore arms and legs. Without treatment, decreased red blood cells, gum disease, changes to hair, and bleeding ...

) and his accompanying seamen G.Linnik and A.Pustotniy set off for the North Pole with their draft dogs. Before reaching Rudolf Island, Sedov died at sea and was buried at Cape Auk on this island. On the way back, at Franz Josef Land, the ''Svyatoy Foka'' rescued two survivors of the Brusilov expedition, including Valerian Albanov. As part of the search for the Sedov expedition Jan Nagórski made the first airplane flights over the Arctic, gaining valuable experience for later aeronautical expeditions to the region. Two

gulfs A gulf is a large inlet from the ocean into the landmass, typically with a narrower opening than a bay, but that is not observable in all geographic areas so named. The term gulf was traditionally used for large highly-indented navigable bodie ...

and a

peak Peak or The Peak may refer to: Basic meanings Geology * Mountain peak ** Pyramidal peak, a mountaintop that has been sculpted by erosion to form a point Mathematics * Peak hour or rush hour, in traffic congestion * Peak (geometry), an (''n''-3)-di ...

on Novaya Zemlya, a

glacier A glacier (; ) is a persistent body of dense ice that is constantly moving under its own weight. A glacier forms where the accumulation of snow exceeds its Ablation#Glaciology, ablation over many years, often Century, centuries. It acquires dis ...

and a cape on Franz Josef Land, an island in the

Barents Sea The Barents Sea ( , also ; no, Barentshavet, ; russian: Баренцево море, Barentsevo More) is a marginal sea of the Arctic Ocean, located off the northern coasts of Norway and Russia and divided between Norwegian and Russian territo ...

, and a cape in

Antarctica Antarctica () is Earth's southernmost and least-populated continent. Situated almost entirely south of the Antarctic Circle and surrounded by the Southern Ocean, it contains the geographic South Pole. Antarctica is the fifth-largest contine ...

bear Sedov's name. There was also a steam icebreaker ''Georgy Sedov''. Today, the sail training barque

STS Sedov STS ''Sedov'' (russian: Седов), formerly ''Magdalene Vinnen II'' (1921–1936) and ''Kommodore Johnsen'' (–1948), is a four-masted steel barque that for almost 80 years was the largest traditional sailing ship in operation. Originally buil ...

bears his name.

Gallery

Image:Georgi Sedov (timbre soviétique).jpg, A 1952

U.S.S.R. 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 national ...

postage stamp A postage stamp is a small piece of paper issued by a post office, postal administration, or other authorized vendors to customers who pay postage (the cost involved in moving, insuring, or registering mail), who then affix the stamp to the fa ...

issued in honor of the 75th anniversary of Sedov's birth Image:1977. Георгий Седов.jpg, A 1977

issued in honor of the centennial of Sedov's birth Image:Georgiy Sedov Bust 14Aug10.JPG, Bust of Georgy Sedov in Arkhangelsk

Sources

Artykuł w ''Bolshoy Sovetskoy Enciklopedii''
(in Russian)

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Sedov, Georgy 1877 births 1914 deaths People from Donetsk Oblast Explorers of the Arctic Russian and Soviet polar explorers Explorers from the Russian Empire Ukrainian polar explorers Russian military personnel of the Russo-Japanese War Deaths from scurvy

Gallery

See also

Sources

References