Tsjeluskin History
 

The Tsjeluskin was produced for the Soviet Union with the purpose of sailing the Northwest Passage in order to replenish the 27 Russian polar observation stations along the north coast. These metrological stations all had radios and small airplanes and were able to inform the maritime traffic about the safest routes through the drifting ice. The Tsjeluskin was not an icebreaker but built with a flat and strengthened hull in order to cope with most arctic conditions. The first expedition was initiated in 1933 with professor Otto Schmidt as expedition leader. He was an experienced leader as he had already travelled through the North East Passage the year before onboard the Sibiriakof. The Tsjeluskin was commanded by Captain Voronin, one of Russia’s most skilful artic captains. The expedition seemed to have good odds and a skilful crew but was delayed in Arkangelsk and Murmansk why it was trapped in the pack ice in the East Siberian Sea.

From here it drifted east towards the Bering Strait and just before reaching the Bering Strait it changed direction towards northwest. The Tsjeluskin and her crew drifted on the ice for two months before the Tsjeluskin was finally crushed by the ice and sank. From Moscow three small airplanes were guided to the position of the Tsjeluskin picking up five persons and leaving provisions and batteries for the radio. From this point the entire world could follow the drama of the rescue mission and listen to the daily reports from Otto Schmidt by radio. The pilots of the small airplanes continued to lift a handful of people off the ice and back to safety in the worst kind of conditions why they afterwards received medals for their heroic rescue.

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