The Rescue of the Chelyuskin Crew

On February 13, 1934, the steamship "Chelyuskin," sailing along the Northern Sea Route, was crushed by ice. The ship sank at about 150 kilometers from the Chukotka coast. But the crew and passengers of the "Chelyuskin" were ready for such a turn of events: they managed to unload supplies onto the ice floe, set up a tent camp, and prepared a landing site for airplanes. Polar explorers carried out scientific observations and believed that their country would not abandon them. The pilots sent to help were faced with the impossible. The aviators still didn’t know how to land on ice, and for most of the time the weather was not fit for flying. Nevertheless, everything worked out—the "chelyuskinets" were successfully evacuated, including women and children.

This story entered the annals of Arctic exploration as the greatest feat of Soviet people. We have every right to be proud of this heroic page from our past.