135 anniversary of the birth of the Russian polar Georgy Sedov

Georgy Sedov was born on 5 in May on 1877, into a poor fishing family on the Krivaya Kosa farm. From the age of eight and up to 14, he had not only to help his parents, but also to work for strangers in order to somehow make his family life easier. Only in 1891, the 14 year old George was able to enroll in a parochial school, where a capable student managed to master a three-year course program in two years. But it was only the first step on the way to the dream of the sea, and in 1894, the young man, contrary to the will of the parents, leaves his father's house and, having reached Rostov-on-Don on his own, entered the nautical school. After studying nautical classes in the fall of 1897, he was sent to the Poti Nautical School, which George Sedov graduated with the diploma of “navigator of the long voyage”. The first place of his work was the merchant ship "Trud", then he settled on the ship "Sultan" assistant captain. During one of the flights, the captain fell ill, and Sedov, taking command, managed to safely lead the ship through the storm to the port of Sukhumi. The courage and skill shown by George Sedov were appreciated, and the young navigator was appointed captain. During the next flight to Constantinople, Sedov was also lucky, but the owner sold the ship, after which not only Sedov, but the entire crew was left without work. Only after a long time he managed to move to the navy.

In 1901, Sedov, having difficulty obtaining permission, successfully passed all the exams necessary in the Maritime Corps, which enabled him to obtain the rank of lieutenant in the Admiralty. Then he was hired by the Main Hydrographic Office. In the same year, he took part in an expedition to Novaya Zemlya, and from that moment his heart was forever given to the North.

The purpose of the second expedition to the North with the participation of Sedov was to study the coast of the Kara Sea. But after his return, he was unable to proceed with the processing of scientific materials in connection with the beginning of the Russian-Japanese war. George Sedov guarded the entrance to the mouth of the Amur as the commander of the destroyer. After the end of hostilities, Sedov was recalled to his previous job, inviting him as the head of the expedition to go to r. Kolyma, to explore how her mouth is suitable for navigation.

Overcoming numerous abuses and deprivations, Sedov and his team reached the Lena River first, and then Srednekolymsk, from where all expedition crews went downstream to the mouth of the Kolyma. Here, in one summer, Sedov managed to mark on the map not only the coast, but also the depth of the sea near the mouth of the river. As a result, it was concluded that the Kolyma is quite suitable for shipping. Arriving in St. Petersburg, Sedov, in the presence of the great researchers of the time, Semenov-Tyan-Shansky, Obruchev and others, read a report on the work done. After this expedition G. Sedov was elected a full member of the Geographical and Astronomical Society, the latter awarded him a diploma of a full member of the Russian Astronomical Society for research in the field of studying geographical coordinates. Subsequently, Sedov participated in expeditions on Novaya Zemlya and the Caspian Sea.

Georgy Sedov and his wife on board the “Saint Foki”. Right Sosnovskaya, the wife of the Arkhangelsk governor

For a long time, the scientist dreamed of traveling to the North Pole, and in 1912, he passed the trip project to the public. The problem was the lack of funds for the implementation of this noble goal. The majority of domestic reputable scientists reacted critically to the announced Sedov project. The government refused to allocate money for this, Emperor Nicholas II was more supportive of the patriotic officer, giving him an icon, an expensive gun and ten thousand rubles. However, these funds were too few, as it took about a hundred thousand.

Representatives of the progressively-minded part of the Russian intelligentsia, wishing to assist in organizing the expedition, appealed to the population through the Novoye Vremya newspaper, urging everyone to provide all possible assistance in raising funds. Everyone who donated even the most modest amount was awarded a medal issued in honor of the upcoming trip.

Seeing the expedition of George Sedov (1912 year). Ahead of Sedov with the icon is the mayor, photographer Jacob Leizinger

But, despite all the efforts, the necessary amount was not collected, but this did not stop Sedov. In the summer of 1912, Sedov left Arkhangelsk on the ship “St. Great Martyr Fock”, headed for the north. However, the equipment of the expedition did not correspond to the tasks set, since the products purchased from local merchants by the expeditioners of Sedov turned out to be spoiled, and instead of the Eskimo huskies, the local mongrels were at the disposal of the Sedov team.

The severe polar night overtook the Sedov team on Novaya Zemlya near the Pankratieva peninsula. During the winter, Sedov did not waste time in vain, conducting geographical research, thanks to which the description of a part of the island was preserved. In 1913, the “Holy Great Martyr Fock” reached the shores of Franz Joseph Land. Here, the Sedov team was going to replenish supplies of coal and food for the next wintering. However, this was not possible, and the polar explorers had to be content with seal meat and fats.

For the winter, Sedov stopped in the bay, which he called Silent. Severe conditions of the North, lack of vitamins and usual foodstuffs affected the health of many members of the expedition. The disease reached George Sedov. But in spite of everything, 15 February 1914 of the year Sedov left the ship, frozen to the icy shores of Franz Josef Land, and together with two equally heavy sick sailors on dog sleds went to the pole.

Two years later. "Saint Fok" again in Arkhangelsk, but without Sedov.

This path was very short. In 1914, March 5, having traveled a little more than 100 km from the 1000-kilometer route to the pole, Sedov died near Rudolf Island, in the arms of half-dead sailors who had difficulty returning for the winter. In August, 1914, an expedition on the “Saint Fock”, which lost its leader and another team member who died from scurvy, managed to return to Arkhangelsk. This moment coincided with the outbreak of the First World War, and interest in the fate of polar explorers, for obvious reasons, was greatly extinguished ...

Sedov did not turn back and died with the words: “Who if not us, accustomed to the frosts settled north, get to the pole! And the pole will be Russian! ”The prophecy of George Sedov came true in 23 years.

Comments

[patriot2]

Only such historical figures will be an example for our youth. An article must be read in schools for children, but it’s also useful for us to recall the Heroic past.
Undisputed +

[Winter]

It used to be !!!

[Rodver]

Glory to the Russian pioneers!

[Chicot 1]

On people like Sedov, Russia has always held on ... Thanks to the author for publishing ...

[seafarer]

I bow to the courage of a brave explorer of the North!
But at the risk of incurring criticism, I will nevertheless note that the expedition of G.Ya.Sedov, as well as the expedition of Brusilov, were completely unprepared for the performance of the tasks assigned to them. Going out to the Arctic Ocean on weak wooden sailing-motor schooners .... I still can't understand - what made these brave people do this? After all, the icebreaker "Ermak" has already been built and the test voyage in the ice of the Arctic Ocean has already been completed, the "Svyatogor" was under construction in England; F. Nansen has already made an unprecedented drift on "Fram" - a vessel specially built for navigation and drifting in ice; Vilkitsky's expedition on "Taimyr" and "Vaygach" has come to an end. After all, by the time the expedition left on "St. Fock" - all these expeditions had already been completed. And Sedov could not not know about them.
And the decision to start at the pole with the ZPI is also quite controversial: on the one hand it is the land closest to the pole, which is not easier to get to, than to the northern tip of Novaya Zemlya. But after all, the remnants of the Gulf Stream, reaching the ZPI and making navigation in this area possible without icebreakers, at the same time make walking on ice almost impossible due to numerous scores, hummocks, and frequent movements of ice fields - i.e. all that accompanies young ice in an area with strong currents. And all (or - almost all) of this, too, was already known. And an experienced researcher could not know this.
I am convinced that Sedov was somehow "set up". And it's not about mongrels instead of sled dogs, not about poor-quality food supplied by Arkhangelsk businessmen. This is just understandable - our usual "throw sucker". And G.Ya. Sedov, although he was a great navigator, an experienced researcher, a military officer - in matters of supply, commerce, etc. was just such a "sucker" like most decent and honest people (what then, what now).
But it's not that. And the fact that having discovered all the flaws in the supply that are fatal for the expedition to the Pole, he does not return to Arkhangelsk or Murman (Nikolaevsk-on-Murman - it seems, then it was called Murmansk). On the contrary, he stubbornly makes his way to the goal. And as the apotheosis of the great tragedy - he goes sick on a hike to the pole on unusable dogs with a completely insufficient amount of provisions. Even if a miracle happened - and he could get to the pole, nobody would come back! And no one could ever confirm that G. Sedov had reached the pole.
It is these incomprehensible at first glance Sedov’s actions that make me believe that he could not go back without reaching the pole. And the pole was unattainable for this expedition ...
I read that Sedov had some obligations. But which ones and before whom - I do not remember. And I will be grateful to those who supplement this article and my comment.
But, no matter what happened 100 years ago, the great civic feat of the great and bright soul of the patriot Georgy Yakovlevich Sedov cannot be belittled! Eternal glory to his feat !!!!