“Test”, 1850
Pass on the sea route connecting the Atlantic and Pacific oceans called the Northwest passage, tried many and was going to waste. They were looking for, but rarely find. In such a risky trip went polar Explorer Robert Mak-Clour on the ship “Test.”
Coming out of London in 1850, the ship went across the Atlantic, proceeded along the entire Pacific coast of the Americas. The British spent the winter near the island’s banks, making the trip in different directions. Thus was re-discovered Northwest passage, but scored ice. At the foot of the rock, which was once the final destination of one of the expeditions, Mak-Clor left a note indicating the wintering grounds.
Advancing East beyond all predecessors, the “Tester” stuck in the ice, their height in some places reached 15 m. the Supplies were depleted, people weakened, the scurvy. But thanks left under a rock note in April 1853, salvation came. Team members Edward Belcher (second expedition that set off in the footsteps of John Franklin) went dog sledding “on the specified address”.
Here is how he described this meeting Mak-Clur: “We saw that we are on the ice is fast approaching some kind of human figure… When we saw that her face black as pitch, we have unwittingly born the question of whether we are dealing with an Earthling or an alien from another world… If collapsed the vault of heaven, and even then, I think we would have been affected less than by the words that he heard: “I’m Lieutenant PIM… with the ship “Resolute” …”
Healthy and the sick spilled out on the deck, not believing my ears and my eyes… despair gave place to the hottest pleasures…”. The black face of the rescuer, struck Mac Clure, is easily explained: on the approval of the ship’s doctor, soot protected from harsh sun rays.
Robert Mak-KLOR became the first person, who managed the sea to go around the Americas. However, in England he was first prosecuted for having left the ship, but after justified, glorified and knighted.
“Endurance”, 1914
“Endurance” was one of two ships — the participants of the Imperial TRANS-Antarctic expedition sailing in August 1914. The task led the campaign Ernest Shackleton set an ambitious — to cross the entire Antarctic continent.
Later he admitted that he was ready for heavy ice conditions, but such a powerful field, and puck didn’t expect (Pak sea ice thickness of not less than 3 m older than 2 years).
In January, the crew spotted a 30-foot ice wall that framed the shore of the Land of the cots. At the end of February 1915, the commander announced the winter living quarters on the ship began to warm, the dogs pulled on the ice and placed in kennels. In April began to slip ice and there was the fear that “endurance” can be crushed. But it happened only in October — in Board was formed hole. For three days the crew pumped water out of the holds. Finally the commander ordered to evacuate. The explorers watched as their vessel, being held down by ice, becomes a wreck and is sinking.
Now the goal changed to the more prosaic — to survive.
On a drifting ice floe was based camp. In April it was split in two (and tents and supplies were on the breakaway part), had to be loaded on to boats. The five-day voyage brought them to the uninhabited elephant island, located away from shipping routes. To survive on the island was possible: fresh water, seals, penguins… But the team passed, physically and mentally.
Shackleton with five men went on one of the boats for help at the whaling base on South Georgia island. Under favourable circumstances the journey was supposed to take about a month. On 29 April the weather deteriorated, the temperature dropped, the waves broke over the boat. Landing on the island Annenkov was extremely dangerous, but people was getting weaker every day and the commander decided. (He later admitted that this journey was one of the worst trials in his life).
Before the whaling station was still 280 km, but the boat would not survive the journey. Two of the teams were quite bad, and Shackleton with the others (Worsley and Crean) went for salvation through the mountains to the Stromness whaling base. They went 36 hours without sleep, without maps, across glaciers, mountain skirting the cliffs and finally reached the goal. On the same day, may 19, Norwegian whalers sent a motor boat to evacuate the rest. The rest on elephant island was not on the first attempt: only August 30, all participants of the wintering went on Board him to break through to a steam tug.
“Chelyuskin”, 1933
On the steamer “Chelyuskin” and his crew by the Soviet government was entrusted with an important mission: to prove that during the short summer season a regular boat can go through the Northern corridor is the shortest sea route between European Russia and the Far East. “Chelyuskin” was such a normal cargo ship, except that reinforced for navigation in ice.
The expedition, headed by the Director of the Arctic Institute, researcher Otto Schmidt, went in way too late — 12 July 1933.
The first meeting with the ice occurred in the Kara sea. The obstacle was overcome and come out to Cape Chelyuskin. On November 4, thanks to a good drift with the ice, the ship entered the Bering Strait. Before clean water was on the doorstep. But the ship drew back, caught in the ice floes and along with them was carried back in the Chukchi sea. 13 Feb 1934 “embrace” ice strengthened — cracked casing, poured the water inside. Urgent evacuation began on the ice.
Two hours later, the “Chelyuskin” sank, and 104 people were on the ice. What telegram was sent “comrade Stalin personally”. Started rescue operation. However, the main part of Chelyuskintsev spent on the ice for about two months. Settled down. Of the salvaged materials, built a barracks and a bakery. That time is not wasted, Schmidt read winterers lectures on philosophy.
Flights to the North can be difficult, especially on the aircraft at the time, not adapted to the conditions of thick fog and low temperatures. So, looking ahead, the pilots involved in the rescue, knowingly received their Stars Heroes. The first on March 5 landed on an ice floe the crew of Anatoly Lyapidevsky on the ANT-4. For two weeks the pilots made 24 flights. After which seven pilots were awarded the title of hero of the Soviet Union.
Explorers have also become national heroes. In honor of “Otto Yulyevich Schmidt on the ice”, they say, even children were named — AttachmentId (boy) and AttachmentId (girl).
“Georgy Sedov” and others, 1937
In the autumn of 1937 in the Arctic ice froze almost the entire Soviet fleet of icebreakers. Put on the winter caravan powered icebreaker “Lenin” was made by ice in the middle of the Laptev sea, hourly risk of being crushed by ice. Caravan of the ice-axe “Litke” wintered in the Vilkitsky Strait. A group of timber frozen into the ice near the island of Dixon. Several ships were in the ice near the Bay Quiet. Wounded ice “Krasin” wintered in Noordwijk.
Court went to the aid of stranded and fell into the trap themselves. So it was with “Georgy Sedov”, “Sadko” and “Malygin”. Efforts were in vain: punched icebreakers channels were immediately frozen. I had to get up for the winter. So on October 23 began the legendary drift, which lasted 812 days. Of experience that none of the 217 people on three courts, was not.
“Drifting ice and formed a town,” wrote Konstantin Badigin (second assistant on “Sadko”, in the process of drift became the captain of “Sedov”).
— Next to the Villa steamers grew up ice houses, tents hydrologists and magnetologic… were Quickly trodden trails connecting the ships.” Much depended on how to put a ship in the winter — not to get on the line of compression of the ice (so at one time died “Chelyuskin”). Best of all arose Sadko — a natural lagoon among the fields of ice, surrounded by massive ridges. But “Georgy Sedov” one of the grips damaged the rudder is a ship lost the ability to control.
All April 1938, cruising from Tiksi on the ice, the pilots Pavel Golovin Anatoly Alekseev planes took out wintering. “Sadko” from ice captivity was released in the fall of the icebreaker “Ermak”. But “Georgy Sedov” to tow has failed, the icebreaker left for a second winter. Only in January 1940, the crew had a chance to return to the mainland: to drifting the steamer approached the icebreaker “Joseph Stalin”. To speed up the release of the vessel, had to lay in 2-3 meters from the hull of the charges, the explosions shattering the five-meter ice under the stern.
Finally, on 13 January, the Savior and salvation stood side by side and “Sedov” was brought out.
“Akademik Shokalsky”, 2012
December 25, in the New — year 2013 — year, research vessel “Akademik Shokalsky” with 74 people on Board stuck in the Antarctic. “We didn’t then to just one mile,” said the ship’s captain Igor Kiselev. But podowski then strong winds led to the formation of a powerful ice field, stretching from the ship for dozens of miles.
On the call for help responded three icebreakers Chinese “Snow dragon”, the French “Astrolabe” and the Australian “Aurora Australis”.
But the raging storm — wind speed average 50 km/h gusting to 70 km/hour — has not allowed rescuers to approach the Russian vessel, they are also “stuck” in the ice. “Adventure” has not prevented Australian scientists — oceanographers, hydrologists, zoologists — and joined the expedition tourists to prepare for the New year and even, according to those on Board the correspondent Bi-bi-si Andrew Luke-Backer, to write about this song and learn the dance.
The crew, meanwhile, continued to struggle for the rescue from captivity: “Working around the clock, the situation simplifies by the fact that in Antarctica it’s summer and night light”, ” reported captain Igor Kiselev.
In the end, still it was decided to evacuate people by helicopter to the Australian icebreaker, which was held on 2 January. And after five days, thanks to the change of wind, ice field covered with cracks, and January 8, unharmed “Akademik Shokalsky” came to clean water and went further along the planned route — “the habitat of the little penguins”.
