In the twentieth century of the last century Russia occupied one of the highest positions in the ranking of shipbuilders. The country had everything at its disposal: warships, tourist liners, ice drifts and so on. Many scientific expeditions were financed by the state and had their fruits: the discoveries made by Soviet sailors are still famous to this day.

But things didn't always go smoothly. Various funny situations unsettled the sailors. And the most difficult case in all shipping practice was in 1985, when ice drift "Mikhail Gromov" stood in ice for 133 days Antarctica. This is a real story, reading which you are amazed at the courage and valor of Soviet sailors.

Some historical facts
Ice drift "Mikhail Somov" named after the ice shore scientist MM. Somova. This ship is a prototype ice drift "Mikhail Gromov". It was laid down in mid-October 1974, and already in February 1975 the ship was launched. The customer was the State Committee for Hydrology and Hydrometeorology USSR.

Over the entire period of operation, more than twenty scientific expeditions were carried out on the ice drift. Scientists studied the ice and hydrometeorological regimes of the Southern Ocean, landing on the shores Antarctica. The ship was intended not only for expeditions, but also for delivering various provisions to researchers.

Icebreaker "Mikhail Gromov"

Trapped in ice
The most shocking story ice drift "Mikhail Gromov" took place in 1985. Real events that led to serious problems occurred one after another. The main task of the ice drift was to provide provisions for the researchers located at the Russkaya station, which is located by the sea Rossa.

Scientists knew very well that these ocean areas are famous for their thick ice enveloping the ocean. But the ship was station "Russkaya" at a time when the harsh winter had already begun, and the ice was becoming thicker and heavier every day. At this moment, all foreign ships had already left the station, but the Soviet sailors needed to finish the shift of winterers and deliver the necessary things.

In March 1985 real story ice drift "Mikhail Gromov" it's just beginning. The winds grew stronger, the temperature dropped, and the ship was stuck at sea for a long time. Rossa. There was no hope of rescue on our own, so we just had to wait for help from other ships.

The story of the heroic rescue of the ice drift
After unsuccessful attempts to get out on our own, it was decided to wait for help. On the radio they found out that “nearby” is ice drift "Pavel Korchagin". Unfortunately, he will not be able to come to the rescue, because by the standards of Antarctica, the distance was about five hundred kilometers between the ships.

A little later there was a statement that the ice drift remained abandoned. However, this statement is erroneous and in fact it was not at all true. But at the beginning of April it was already known that "Mikhail Gromov" remained in the ice for an indefinite period. On "Korchagina" More than seventy people were evacuated, and only volunteers who decided to fight to the end remained on the stuck ship. In total there were 53 people, the head of which was Valentin Rodchenko.

Near the ice drift in the middle May 1985 The ice gradually began to crack, giving researchers hope for salvation. However, this was not the case. The winds only grew stronger, dragging the ice drift to the south.

People from the ministry made a huge contribution to saving scientists USSR. It was thanks to their order that a rescue operation was organized on the ice drift "Vladivostok". Is it true, "Mikhail Gromov" It had already been stuck in the ice for quite some time, therefore, saving it was an almost impossible task. At the beginning of June 1985, the rescue ship set out to help her compatriots. The head of the operation was Gennady Anokhin.

With difficulty, the Vladivostok crew was able to reach the shores New Zealand, taking fuel and moving on. In mid-July the crew passed next to "Pavel Korchagin". Then he continued on his way to the stuck ice drift. A few days later, a rescue helicopter was delivered to "Gromov", bringing medical workers and supplies.

July 26, 1985 is a fateful day. It was at this time " Vladivostok" approached an ice drift stuck with researchers. Then he is taken under wiring. Three weeks later, both ships entered the open waters of the ocean, crossing the ice cap.

After a short respite in New Zealand, the ice drifts headed home: "Vladivostok", oddly enough, to Vladivostok, and “ Gromov" to Leningrad. All those who participated in the rescue were awarded orders of courage.

Still in service
During the collapse USSR The ice drift again found itself in the shackles of ice. In this case, the rescue operation did not drag on, and the ship was saved within just a few weeks.

At the moment "Mikhail Gromov" not erected as a monument. It is still used as a supplier of provisions and fuel to researchers. Antarctica. Even after all this time it functions properly. And yet, Soviet engineers knew how to make things that could last for decades.

Icebreaker "Mikhail Somov". 1985

This was the first Antarctic rescue expedition in the country's history. On February 18, 1986, immediately after the presentation of the Stars of the Hero of the Soviet Union in the Kremlin, Andrei Gromyko asked the three awardees to stay for a conversation. Well known throughout the world as the Minister of Foreign Affairs, in 1985 he was appointed Chairman of the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR. Why did the conversation take place without unnecessary witnesses? Much of what happened then was not subject to publicity - for the time being, the details of the operation were kept secret.

Ice edge on March 8

That voyage for the scientific expedition vessel “Mikhail Somov” began quite routinely: farewell to relatives, departure to sea. Everyday, except for the late arrival at the most difficult Antarctic station in terms of ice conditions, “Russkaya”. According to the schedule, this station had to be provided with cargo no later than February, while the Mikhail Somov approached the ice edge only on March 8, 1985, when the Antarctic summer had already ended. Before Russkaya, about 200 nautical miles (about 400 kilometers) of heavy ice still had to be overcome.

In the mid-1980s, despite the fact that Antarctica itself was quite well settled, every ship voyage there was far from simple because of the harsh climatic and ice conditions. Going to the "Russian", the crew under the command of Valentin Rodchenko knew about the risk. Helicopter reconnaissance showed that the ice was difficult for the ship to navigate. But there was no choice. After all, if without a change and with leftover food, the polar explorers could somehow hold out until the next navigation (delivery by plane is impossible), then without fuel, at temperatures below -50...-60°, people are doomed. It was necessary to try to get to the station at least enough distance to transfer cargo using the two helicopters on board.

The first time “Mikhail Somov” was crushed by ice at a depth difference in the Ross Sea. The young ice itself was not dangerous, but in some places it crumbled and turned into mush, and the ship could not move in it: the propeller did not spin in such conditions, the rudder did not turn.

“We see, at some distance from us, aground, an iceberg about three miles long, and we are slowly being carried towards it,” said Valentin Rodchenko. “We have been approaching the ice mountain for three days. But, finally, the ice between the ship and the iceberg was so compressed that we stopped moving towards this colossus. But then another iceberg began to advance on us: a mile, half a mile, three cables. We were already starting to list on board, and two icebergs were about to close together and crush the ship... And then a miracle happened: when we were separated from the approaching iceberg by about two hundred meters, the Mikhail Somov suddenly turned around - apparently, it fell into a strong undercurrent. In a word, this iceberg passed by the side, leaving behind a trail of clean water. We immediately took advantage of this and jumped out of the ice trap - we went fifteen miles from the area where the icebergs accumulated...

Maritime law

But then the ice carried the ship into the Ross Sea to the south - it found itself between the coast of Antarctica in front and a ridge of icebergs behind. North and northeast winds reached hurricane force. They carried entire fields of ice towards the Mikhail Somov, threatening to crush the ship. After all, this is exactly how many died in Antarctica: the ships were pressed sideways to the coastal fast ice, and on the other side there was ice driven by the winds.

That is why, having learned about the position of the Mikhail Somov, the leadership of the State Hydrometeorological Committee, as well as the Research Institute of the Arctic and Antarctic, immediately ordered the ship to move away from the place where the icebergs accumulated to the north - to the Pacific ice massif. There was a chance to get into thin ice and get out into clear water. This is how the diesel-electric ship Ob was saved from destruction in 1973.

Moving away from the accumulation of icebergs, the Mikhail Somov unloaded, delivering cargo by Mi-8 helicopters to the Russkaya. First, the most necessary things - food and fuel, then they took away the old shift of winterers and brought in a new one.

The trap slammed shut on March 15: after the compression and sticking began, “Mikhail Somov” lost speed. Repeated compression led to a complete wedge of the vessel. The drift began to the west, towards the icebergs, at a speed of seven miles per day.

The situation was getting worse. On March 17, at 10 a.m., the strongest compression began and continued until the next night.

“Honestly, it’s a very unpleasant feeling,” Rodchenko recalled. “There is a deafening crash, the ship is shaking, the ice floes, creeping on top of each other, rise to half the side. We were especially worried about the engine room and the second hold. But everything ended well: “Mikhail Somov” survived. In addition, despite everything, they continued to supply the Russkaya. This is the law of the sea: while you have the strength, the opportunity, do everything to help another...

At the beginning of April, helicopters also flew to the Pavel Korchagin motor ship, which was standing at the edge of the ice on the ocean side. Moreover, the Mi-8 could also refuel on it. But when the neighbor was at the limit of air reach, it became clear: it was no longer possible to hesitate and risk people’s lives.

On April 17, partial evacuation began on the ship "Pavel Korchagin". First of all, they transported the expedition, which overwintered at the Russkaya station, then part of the team. No one wanted to leave the ship, although everyone was aware that the main difficulties and real danger lay ahead. The captain had to send people by order.

The evacuation of 77 people was carried out on time - the very next day the Pavel Korchagin was forced to withdraw: the ice was growing, and the ship itself could have been captured.

Beyond the "primer"

53 people remained on board to continue drifting. There should have been enough food and water. And the fuel, even with a minimum consumption of five tons per day, should have run out by the end of July.

In the most difficult winter time, the ship found itself at a point on the planet about which nothing was said either in the sailing directions or in any other maritime “primer book”. Meanwhile, April passed, May came - the ice became thicker, the winds became stronger, the frosts became stronger. What other surprises awaited the sailors?

On May 26, within two days, the ship once again experienced severe compression. Two very strong characteristic sounds of metal joints being torn were heard. The situation forced us to constantly work with the machine so that the steering group screw would not jam. And this led to increased fuel consumption, which had to be conserved - it was unknown what was ahead.

Optimism was inspired by the thought that a rescue expedition had come to the rescue from Vladivostok on the icebreaker Vladivostok. For the first time in the history of Soviet Antarctic research. All that was left to do was wait.

However, ice captivity is not only a struggle for survival. Extreme conditions unexpectedly provided a unique opportunity for scientific research. In essence, "Mikhail Somov" turned into a drifting research station. This has never happened in this area of ​​the Southern Ocean at this time of year!

We observed the behavior of ice and looked into the water column. To the east of the Ross Sea, 15 hydrological stations were installed along the 150th meridian. Through a crack in a mass of ten-point ice, unique measurements of the temperature and salinity of water were carried out to a depth of 3500 meters. These were not only complex studies that required considerable experience, but they were carried out in 40-degree frost and heavy winds. The devices froze to my hands! And people went and did their job perfectly.

Sailing into the unknown

Vladivostok’s path to the rescue was also not easy. This icebreaker was not the most powerful in the icebreaker fleet of that time. Its 26 thousand horsepower was not enough to go directly through the ice. Therefore, another tactic was used: wait and select faults, cracks in the ice masses and slowly approach the target along them. A trip on the icebreaker “Vladivostok” was, in fact, also a voyage into the unknown.

On the way to the Mikhail Somov, the icebreaker was caught in ice more than once. Once “Vladivostok” was stuck for 19 hours. You could say it was a miracle that we managed to escape.

Finally, on July 22, a helicopter from the icebreaker made two flights to the Mikhail Somov, delivering vegetables, fruits, mail, and expeditionary equipment on board. This was already a success, because if necessary, it was possible to urgently deliver food, fuel, warm clothing by helicopter - everything necessary for setting up an ice camp. That is, in the worst case scenario, it was possible to drift until the onset of favorable weather conditions.

The distance between the ships gradually decreased. Finally, on July 26, the meeting took place - “Mikhail Somov” came out into the open.

The ship, having unloaded, was almost empty: the waterline and the lower part of the hull, painted with bright orange lead, were high above the ice. This means that “Mikhail Somov” now did not have the opportunity to crush the ice with its weight. It is difficult to imagine how a ship that is trying to break the ice with an empty hull will behave. Fortunately, everything worked out fine.

The Antarctic expedition of “Mikhail Somov” once again confirmed: it is difficult to defeat a person who believes in his own strength. For 133 nights in the grip of ice at 40 degrees below zero, people maintained a normal rhythm of life. This is the greatness of the spirit and loyalty to the profession. Along with the captain of the Mikhail Somov, Valentin Rodchenko, two more participants in those events became heroes of the Soviet Union: Artur Chilingarov, the head of the rescue expedition on the icebreaker Vladivostok, and Boris Lyalin, the flight commander of the Mi-8 helicopters.

In the mid-80s, when the USSR was still concerned about its status as the first Arctic power, 7 stationary and several seasonal scientific stations operated on the ice continent. Scientists conducted observations of space, weather, and the behavior of the human body in extreme conditions. Every summer, which at the pole is short and lasts only two months of December and January, ships of the Soviet Antarctic expedition approached the shores of the continent and unloaded food, fuel, construction materials and scientific equipment onto the soldered ice. Helicopters transferred cargo to the shore, and picked up polar explorers who had spent the winter from the shore. After making their rounds around coastal stations in mid-March, when winter begins in Antarctica, the icebreakers sounded their farewell horns and headed home. And a year later, everything was repeated from Murmansk, Arkhangelsk, Vladivostok and Nakhodka, Soviet Antarctic expeditions went to the south pole.

The icebreaker "Mikhail Somov" always departed from Leningrad. The management of the Arctic and Antarctic Institute did not see any big problem in the disruption of navigation schedules due to untimely funding of expeditions. Experienced polar explorers knew how to work in extreme, and often even hopeless, situations. For the time being, Antarctic navigation ended happily.

The flagship ship of the 30th Antarctic Expedition "Mikhail Somov" left the Leningrad seaport on November 21, 1984, one month late. Already in the middle of the Antarctic summer, the icebreaker approached the Sea of ​​Cosmonauts and on January 2, 1985, having broken through a many-kilometer path of soldered ice, it “moored” at the Molodezhnaya station. The opening of late navigation was partly compensated by saving time on unloading. From the ship's holds, boxes with cargo were transferred directly to the shore, and then delivered to the station on the expedition ship "Pavel Korchagin".

During one of the re-moorings, the captain of the icebreaker "Mikhail Somov" landed the ship on underwater rocks. It was hard to believe, but the fact remained a fact. The captain of the flagship Sukhorukov was drunk. He was immediately removed from control of the ship and sent home on one of the expedition ships. The divers spent a week repairing the hull. After this, the team discussed the details of the ill-fated mooring for a long time. Soon, in early February, the Antarctic summer came to an end. When the icebreaking ship was completely unloaded at the Mirny station, Valentin Radchenko climbed onto the captain’s bridge.

Next, the flagship had to move to the most dangerous area - to the Russkaya station. The captain was not new to Antarctica and did not ask unnecessary questions, however, he had no other choice - the station had run out of food and fuel. The icebreaker had to get there even at the risk of its own life. We decided to first go to Australia for fuel, and only in March, when winter was already beginning, did the icebreaker Mikhail Somov enter the Ross Sea.

The area where the Russkaya station was built is still notorious among polar explorers around the world. This point in West Antarctica is called the “pole of winds.” In 1983, a meteorologist at this station managed to register a wind gust of 77 meters per second. Calm weather is very rare here. Hurricane winds almost 300 days a year. They easily move entire fields of pack ice and make the Ross Sea unsuitable for navigation.

When the icebreaker entered the Ross Sea in 1985, it was quiet at the “pole of the winds.” Unloading has begun. In 7 helicopter flights, we transferred all the food and fuel and changed winterers. People were in a hurry, because no one believed that the calm would last long. And so it happened - the sailors did not have time to finish unloading. The wind rose with gusts of up to 50 meters per second. Visibility became zero due to snow. The hurricane lasted for three days. Over the course of three days, the heavy ice completely regrouped and did not leave a single crack on the ship’s hull through which the icebreaker could reach clear water. "Mikhail Somov" was trapped in the ice.

Hydrologists estimate that about 200 thousand icebergs float in Antarctic waters. They are distributed unevenly across the water area, some more, some less. That winter, the crew of the icebreaker, trapped in ice, thought that they were all concentrated near them. It was a real parade of icebergs.

On the “mainland” at the Institute of the Arctic and Antarctic, meetings were held every day. The situation in the Ross Sea was discussed and who knows what decision would have been made if changes had not occurred in the political life of the state. On March 10, General Secretary Chernenko died. He was replaced by Mikhail Gorbachev - a new leader with new ideas about the direction of the country. The emergency situation with the icebreaker was inappropriate, and Moscow was in no hurry to respond to radiograms from the disaster area. But Moscow’s inaction was dictated not only by attempts to hide what had happened; scientists were confident that the icebreaker would bring it to clean water. After all, the captain on the same icebreaker ship had already drifted in the Barents Sea. Then everything ended well.

However, the head of the expedition and the captain asked scientists to pay attention to the fact that perennial pack ice of the Pacific massif was drifting near the station. In response to radiograms for help, orders came from Moscow with demands not to panic, because the Mikhail Somov, a diesel-electric icebreaker of the reinforced Arctic ice class, is not afraid of compression, if you do not take into account the crack received at the Molodezhnaya station. And very soon she reminded herself of herself during one of the movements of the ice. On board the ship there were building materials intended for the Leningradskaya station: logs, sheets of metal, cement. Soon everything went in to fix the hole. The ship's crew won battle after battle, and all this was an achievement of people who were very limited in their capabilities and actions. This couldn't go on for long.

The head of the expedition, Dmitry Maksutov, sent telegram after telegram to Moscow. And those at the top finally responded. The motor ship Pavel Korchagin, standing 300 km away in clear water, received a command to evacuate the crew of the icebreaker and polar explorers using the ship's helicopter. But at the same time, a team of volunteers must remain on the icebreaker, capable of independently bringing it to the port of Leningrad if the ship is freed.

The choice is actually a difficult test and it is not easy to make. Not everyone survived. The sailors, who maintained their composure at the sight of the iceberg heading towards them, now that they had the opportunity to escape, did not even care about how they looked in the eyes of those who remained on the icebreaker.

The icebreaker "Mikhail Somov" not drifting in the Ross Sea has 53 volunteers left. They were faced with the task of saving the ship. By mid-April, the captain received a radiogram from Moscow to stop official correspondence. The order was a direct consequence of a meeting at the State Hydrometeorological Committee, at which it was announced that there would be no rescue within a month. But the crew decided that they would hold out until the last. While there was one hour of daylight left in the day, the ship's helicopter flew ice reconnaissance. But unfortunately all the cracks led to nowhere.

The polar night had arrived, constant danger and the thought that no one would come to the rescue plunged people into despair. Few people expected to return home. Discussion of the family topic stopped in the cabins; the conversation was too painful. Motionless, firmly frozen in 6-meter-thick ice, the diesel-electric ship has become part of the Antarctic landscape. It seemed that time stood still in the darkness of the polar night. In the cabins the sailors sat gloomy and detached.

But suddenly everything changed. The radio operator ran to the captain and said that they were talking about the icebreaker on the radio. Immediately after a foreign radio company broadcast a message about a Soviet ship abandoned in Antarctica, the captain immediately received a call from Moscow and was told that he was obliged to communicate with journalists. An expedition to rescue the ship was immediately formed, which included 5 journalists. It was the fourth month of the ship's drift when the first notes about the drama in the Ross Sea appeared in the Soviet press.

Options for rescuing the sailors began to be discussed. It seemed most reasonable to send a nuclear icebreaker to Antarctica. But according to the 1959 written treaty on Antarctica, it was recognized as a nuclear-free zone and only ordinary diesel icebreakers could be there. Finding someone willing to take on such a difficult task was not easy. Soon a captain was found who would not be pitied if the operation failed. He became Gennady Antokhin, who had some long-standing offenses against the party organization. Artur Chilingarov, a polar adventurer who knew how to take risks, was appointed head of the rescue expedition.

On June 12, 1985, the icebreaker Vladivostok left the port of the same name. The head of the expedition and the captain were very worried about one thing - the icebreaker "Mikhail Somov" was running out of fuel, every day the ship could be crushed by ice. The journey from the “mainland” took about 2 months due to the loss of speed during the passage through the area that sailors around the world call the roaring “forties”. The icebreaker is not suitable for sailing in clear water; even a slight swell throws it from side to side like a toy. And the Vladivostok was rocked by waves as high as a five-story building.

Soon the icebreaking ship entered Antarctic waters. Then the icebreaker moved on, changing course along the gaps and cracks. We walked around accumulations of multi-year ice. It seemed that the 36-year-old captain of the ship, Gennady Antokhin, knew the way through the ice by heart. During his watch, the expedition covered the greatest distances. But the further south you went, the heavier the ice was. And then what Chongarov feared most happened: the icebreaker “Vladivostok”, not reaching 170 km to its destination, itself fell into an ice trap. Then it was decided to send a helicopter to the damaged ship. At that time, the treacherous Pacific ice mass had been holding its spoils for the fifth month.

An unexpected hurricane unexpectedly freed the Vladivostok from ice captivity. Cracks appeared in the ice, and the icebreaker under its own power reached the emergency vessel. The sailors were saved, and “Mikhail Somov” somehow miraculously freed itself from ice captivity and safely arrived at its home port under its own power. On the “mainland” the sailors were greeted as heroes.

A special government commission was created to investigate the circumstances of the emergency off the coast of Antarctica. Its work was supervised by Andrei Gromyko. He demanded that satellite photographs be taken of the area in which the icebreaker Mikhail Somov was drifting. And I found out that in this area there were such hummocks that it was impossible to get out of there alive. All charges against Captain Rodchenko were dropped, and he was nominated for the Hero of the Soviet Union award for saving the lives of the crew entrusted to him. The head of the expedition, Chilingarov, was awarded the same title. The only participant in the Antarctic epic who received all the awards was Captain Antokhin, who made his way to the emergency ship on his icebreaker. The officials were never able to forgive their sins against the party organization.

The basis for the dramatic events was the late start of navigation. The chairman of the government commission, Andrei Gromyko, saw this as the main cause of the disaster.

And since there must be a culprit, they punished the Russkaya research station, which was closed. Now Americans are working in the Ross Sea area.

Last night I watched the movie Icebreaker, well, I think I should make a post in the morning about the real story of the rescue of the ship and crew. Before that, I heard that the plot of the film was based on real events.

I started looking for information, and then bam, a great, ready-made post. The text is from the post, and photos and some facts that seemed interesting to me were added from the Internet.

The prototype of the Mikhail Gromov, the diesel-electric ship Mikhail Somov, is still in service, continuing to supply Russian scientific expeditions. Therefore, the filmmakers could not use him in the filming. But a way out was found. In the port of Murmansk there is an icebreaker-museum nuclear-powered ship "Lenin", on which key scenes of the film were shot and a computer image of "Mikhail Gromov" was created on it.

When the attempt to open the Russkaya station during the 18th SAE failed, it turned out that ice conditions in the area were extremely difficult. A vast stretch of the Antarctic coast from the Ross Sea to the western shores of the Antarctic Peninsula, about 3,000 km long, remained a “blank spot” for a long time.

Only during the short Antarctic summer on the way from McMurdo Base to the Antarctic Peninsula from the Ross Sea did American icebreakers occasionally enter this area.

In 1980, the Soviet diesel-electric ship Gizhiga managed to make its way here. With the help of helicopters, the Russkaya station was established here. Since that time, a systematic study of this area, its meteorological and ice regimes, bottom topography, as well as the geographical features of the coastal zone began.

On March 15, 1985, while supporting the Russkaya station, with a sharp increase in wind up to 50 m/s, the ice situation worsened.

"Mikhail Somov" was pinched by heavy ice and found itself in a forced drift near the coast of Antarctica near the Hobs Coast. Using data from satellites and ice aerial reconnaissance, based on breaks in the massif of heavy compacted ice, by March 26, the ship left the danger zone, where the concentration of icebergs reached 9 points, and found itself in the center of the Pacific ice massif at a distance of about 120 km from the coast and about 300 km from the edge drifting ice.

The most dangerous were the first days of the ship's drift, when there was active removal of ice from the waters located east of Cape Burns and its accumulation near a ridge of icebergs sitting on the ground in the area of ​​Aristova Bank. The icebergs, which were dangerously close to the ship, began to move; the thickness of the packed and layered ice on the side of the Mikhail Somov reached 4 - 5 m, and it had no opportunity for active movement.

By March 15, the ship managed, taking advantage of short-term improvements in ice conditions, to get out of the danger zone. It was located at point 74"22"S. sh., 135"01"w. and, periodically experiencing strong compression, began to drift in a general west-northwest direction.

When the compression weakened, "Mikhail Somov", working with blows and moving one quarter of the hull in one "run-up-strike" cycle, tried to move in the north-east direction. Only on March 25, 1985 did conditions develop exceptionally favorably for a slight advance to the north. "Mikhail Somov" advanced north to 73"29" S. w.

Repeated ice aerial reconnaissance, carried out using a Mi-8 helicopter, showed that the ship was located on the southern periphery of the Pacific ice massif, where vast fields of frosty residual ice and young ice 60 cm thick predominated. At the end of March, the general direction of ice drift was west-south-south. western. The drift speed was 2 - 3 knots.

At that moment there was no longer any hope for the Mikhail Somov to emerge from ice captivity on its own.

Using the Mikhail Somov - Pavel Korchagin air bridge, 77 expedition members and crew members were evacuated from the drifting ship by Mi-8 helicopters.

This operation was completed on April 17, 1985. At the beginning of April, the air temperature in the area of ​​the ship dropped to - 28 "C, and the east wind speed increased to 28 m/s.

The northern edge of the drifting ice moved further and further north every day. Since the general direction of the drift ran approximately parallel to the coast, the distance between the ship and the coast - about 300 km - practically did not change.

The drift speed was insignificant - no more than 4 - 5 miles per day. The backup vessel "Pavel Korchagin" was located at the edge of the drifting ice at point 68" S, 140" W. d., at a distance of about 900 km from “Mikhail Somov”.

In the event of an accident on a drifting ship, in order to assist it, the Pavel Korchagin had to go more than 300 miles into an ice mass with a concentration of 9-10 points and find an ice floe suitable for receiving a helicopter.

Organizing a camp on an ice floe, as was done in due time after the death of the steamer Chelyuskin in the Arctic, was also considered by the participants of the drift as one of the options for rescue in the event of the death of Mikhail Somov. How long can a ship drift until it is freed from ice captivity?

Observations of the drift of icebergs in this area suggested that this could happen only at the end of 1985. Neither food supplies nor fuel reserves on the ship were designed for such a long period. Fuel consumption for heating and cooking was kept to a minimum and amounted to about 5 tons per day.

At this rate, it could only last until the end of August. In April, "Mikhail Somov" drifted about 150 miles. In May, under the influence of winds of varying directions, leads and cracks began to appear in the ice mass that blocked the ship. On May 13, the locator detected a clearing about 150 m wide, along which the ship tried to get out of the heavy multi-year ice.

By May 15, it found itself at 73"55"S, 147"W. Winter began. The ship began to drift in a general southwestern direction. At the end of May, as a result of prolonged winds of northeastern directions, reaching m/s , the ice mass began to press against the shore.

Compression and movement of the fields began, and ridges of hummocks formed at the side of the ship. The propeller and rudder of the Mikhail Somov jammed, and its hull ended up on a bed of ice porridge. The air temperature fluctuated from - 25 to - 30 "C, occasionally dropping to - 33 "C.

There was intense ice formation throughout the entire Ross Sea.

In order to remove the ship from the ice, the USSR Council of Ministers decided to organize a rescue expedition on one of the icebreakers.

In June - July, the ship's drift speed decreased to 0.12 knots. At the end of July, it found itself in a stagnant zone, where it “stomped” at 75" S latitude between 152 - 153" W. until July 26, i.e. until the icebreaker approaches.

At the end of June - beginning of July, clearings began to appear more and more often within radar visibility. However, the ship caught in the frost field could not move.

On July 26, 1985, along a clearing, the icebreaker "Vladivostok" approached the "Mikhail Somov", surrounded it, and both ships reached clear water on August 11. The Mikhail Somov drifted for 133 days, from March 15 to July 26, 1985.

For the courage and heroism shown during this operation, A. N. Chilingarov, captain of the RV "Mikhail Somov" V. F. Radchenko and Mi-8 commander B. V. Lyalin were awarded the title of Hero of the Soviet Union, and a number of our aviators - state awards.

P.S.

The prototype of the hero of the film "Icebreaker" ended up in an almshouse after the Lugansk tragedy

Valentin Filippovich Rodchenko

captain of the research vessel "Mikhail Somov" of the Arctic and Antarctic Research Institute

After the proceedings, the awards began. Captain Rodchenko, helicopter pilot Lyalin, and head of the rescue expedition Chilingarov received the Hero's Star... The icebreaker "Vladivostok" was awarded the Order of Lenin. All participants in the rescue expedition received orders and medals. Even journalists were awarded. The only person not on this winning list was captain Antokhin of the Vladivostok. It was as if everything happened there by itself, as if he wasn’t even there...

And 14 years later, in March 1999, by Decree of the President of Russia, Captain Antokhin was awarded the Order of Courage “for the rescue of the Soviet research vessel Mikhail Somov in 1985...”

It would seem that justice has triumphed, many say, better late than never... I don’t agree: late is never: the heart has already ached, all sincere or false sympathies have already been listened to, another time has come, other “coordinate systems” "...

Later, “for outstanding services in the field of study, development and use of the Arctic and frozen non-Arctic seas of the Far East, ensuring the security and development of the polar and subpolar regions of Russia...” Gennady Antokhin was awarded the rare Russian Order “For Maritime Merit”, number 7 .

P.P.S.

Well, as a bonus, the photos taken spott son of one of the crew members of "Mikhail Somov"

These shots, in addition to being a memory for me, are also notable for the fact that they were taken during one of the polar expeditions (and maybe several different ones), perhaps even during the 1985 expedition, when the icebreaker was stuck in the ice for four months.

There is no one to ask, but offhand it’s somewhere around 1985, +/-. If I'm not mistaken, they were taken with a FED camera (at least, this name emerges from childhood memories).

Once upon a time, maybe a year ago, I wrote that I found a box of my father’s slides at home. Finally got around to converting them into digital form, not all of them, of course, just a sample 17 pieces, randomly selected from the box. The quality is of course terrible, and the slides themselves are quite shabby, but I no longer have any other photographs of my father. The last time I saw him was in 1990, then he went to either Canada or America and sent a couple of letters. Somewhere in 2000, I called home, we even talked for half an hour about some nonsense, and then a month or two after this call I found out that he had died.

When talking about Evgeniy Ivanovich Tolstikov, it was no coincidence that I told how the problem of providing the Ministry of Marine Fleet ships participating in the 30th Soviet Antarctic Expedition with fuel was solved. The 30th SAE was notable not only for its round number. And if the problem with fuel had not been resolved then, this could have jeopardized not only the implementation of the scientific program of the expedition, but also the lives of people. However, such a threat actually arose even in the absence of problems with fuel... The story will not be short. Apparently not for one post. But let's start in order.

Let me remind you that “Mikhail Somov” was built at the Kherson Shipyard. Reinforced ice class vessel. Length 133 m, beam 18.8 m, draft 9.05 m, displacement more than 14 thousand tons, main engine power - 7,000 hp, speed - 15 knots, displacement - 14,150 tons, load capacity - 7,800 tons .
On June 30, 1975, the flag was raised on the ship. A group of scientists from the Arctic and Antarctic Institute, led by its director A.F. Treshnikov, arrived from Leningrad for the celebrations. The wife of the famous polar explorer Mikhail Mikhailovich Somov also arrived - Leningrad writer Elena Pavlovna Serebrovskaya. She became the “godmother” of the ship.
The R/V "Mikhail Somov" became the flagship of Antarctic research of the AARI and the State Hydrometeorological Service.
Work in Antarctic waters is difficult and dangerous... Already on the second voyage, working as part of the fleet of the 22nd SAE, “Mikhail Somov” was captured by ice. The drift turned out to be not very long: less than two months - from February 6 to March 29, 1977, 53 days. The vessel, taking advantage of improved weather conditions and ice conditions, was able to independently reach clean water.
Second drift happened in 1985 during work on the program 30th SAE.
The ship left Leningrad, as always, late (this was already a bad tradition), this time by a month: ANIII could not promptly supply the ships with the necessary equipment, materials, or resolve financing issues. The director of the AARI at that time was Chilingarov’s protégé and friend B. A. Krutskikh, a very weak organizer (judging from personal experience). It is no coincidence that he received most of the awards after leaving the post of director. Captain Anatoly Sukhorukov led the Mikhail Somov to the shores of Antarctica. This was Sukhorukov's first voyage to Antarctica.
The ship approached the shores of Antarctica in the middle of a very short Antarctic summer. The first half of it was lost. The conditions were favorable: in the sea, the Cosmonauts were able to approach the Molodezhnaya station and begin unloading directly onto the fast ice.

(photos with captions are taken from Oleg Ostaptsov’s photo essay about the 30th SAE, the author’s captions under the photos are preserved).

Together with the Mikhail Somov, another ship approached, the Pavel Korchagin.
Remoorings began. And then Captain Sukhorukov landed “Mikhail Somov” on the rocks! Not just planted. The impact was so strong that a crack formed in the body, in the area of ​​the fresh water tank, and sea water entered the tank. And the sailors continued to drink salted tea for a long time. Moreover, turning away from the underwater rock, Sukhorukov managed to hit the ship again on the rocks with its cheekbone.
The captain of the flagship "Mikhail Somov" Anatoly Sukhorukov was completely drunk!
The drunken captain pulled the engine telegraph handle all the way: from “full forward” to “full back.”
Sukhorukov, on a command from Moscow, was removed from command of the ship, V.F. Rodchenko, an experienced ice navigator, a captain who sailed on icebreakers in the Arctic and repeatedly to the Antarctic on Hydromet ships, was appointed captain.

It took divers another week of the short summer to repair the Mikhail Somov.
"Mikhail Somov" together with "Pavel Korchagin", after a short call to Wellington for replenishment, went into the Davis Sea to the Mirny station, and the motor ship "Baikal" with winterers arrived here.

Winter workers traveling to Leningradskaya and Russkaya stations switched to Somov.
Next, “Milail Somov” had to provide supplies and shifts for the winterers of the “Russkaya” station, then the “Leningradskaya” station. The Russkaya station is located in the Pacific sector of Antarctica, near the Ross Sea. In the Ross Sea, where Somov headed, there is the heaviest ice mass. No ships have operated here in winter yet. "Mikhail Somov" came here at the beginning of winter. He managed to approach the station within a helicopter's shoulder distance, change winter workers and, in part, supply the station. On March 15, 1985 (this, by the way, is the date when all foreign ships leave Antarctica), the weather worsened sharply, and hurricane winds rose. Heavy ice closed in, pinning the ship. "Mikhail Somov" found itself in a forced drift near the coast of Antarctica near the Hobs Coast. He was dragged into an area clogged with stranded icebergs. This is a very big danger: the ship can be pressed against the iceberg and crushed against it by the pressing ice. Rodchenko managed to maneuver out of the area where the icebergs were concentrated, avoiding the greatest danger. But soon the ship’s propellers and rudder became jammed with ice, and it lost the ability to move. A month later, it was decided to leave a minimum crew on the Mikhail Somov, and transfer part of the crew and expedition members by helicopter to the Pavel Korchagin, which was on duty at the edge of the ice. On April 17, the evacuation by helicopter was completed. A total of 77 people were evacuated. 53 people remained on the Mikhail Somov.

The R/V Akademik Shirshov, which interrupted its work in the Indian Ocean (again, not to be confused with the space fleet vessel Akademik Pyotr Shirshov of the USSR Academy of Sciences),

The steamship "Captain Myshevsky", which arrived in the same area, provided supply and replacement of winterers at the Leningradskaya station with the help of helicopters.

"Pavel Korchagin" remained all the time at the edge of the ice, protecting "Mikhail Somov". The distance between them increased. By June it exceeded 800 km. The situation of “Mikhail Somov” became more and more difficult. The loss of strength of the vessel as a result of the resulting crack in the hull also affected. Unloading supplies at several stations made the ship lighter; the Mikhail Somov found itself without ballast. The waterline, where the reinforced ice belt ran, rose high above sea level, exposing the less protected underwater part of the hull to ice. In addition, this practically deprived the ship of its icebreaking qualities: the bow, with which the ship pricks and crawls onto it, pressing and breaking with its mass, turned out to be above sea level, the mass of the ship decreased and did not allow crushing heavy ice... There was a real threat of being crushed by ice. The frames, unable to withstand the onslaught of ice, began to burst. The compression was so strong that huge ice floes jumped onto the deck of the ship. The crew began to prepare everything necessary for landing on the ice in the event of an emergency. The drift continued for more than three and a half months. Only on June 5, the Council of Ministers of the USSR decided to organize a rescue expedition on an icebreaker. It would be easier to send a nuclear-powered ship, but Antarctica is a nuclear-free zone and the entry of nuclear-powered ships into its waters is unacceptable. The Far Eastern Shipping Company allocated the icebreaker Vladivostok.
The Vladivostok was built in Finland and launched in 1969. Main engine power is 26 thousand hp, speed in clear water is 18.6 knots/hour, displacement is 13290 tons, maximum length is 122 m, width is 24.5 m, maximum draft is 10.5 m. The crew size is 109 people. Big thing!
A specially equipped Mi-8 helicopter was delivered from Moscow by transport plane. A scientific and operational group of hydrometeorological workers was formed, and equipment was installed to receive satellite images. The Head of the Department of Personnel and Educational Institutions of the State Skromgidromet, A. N. Chilingarov, was approved by the order of the Council of Ministers as the head of the expedition. A headquarters was created at AARI to direct the operation. It was headed by his deputy. Director of the AARI Hero of Socialist Labor N.A. Kornilov (he could be seen in the photo celebrating the 50th anniversary of SP-1; I personally know Nikolai Alexandrovich very well and deeply respect him, a very competent and intelligent person!).
The icebreaker set sail from Vladivostok on June 10 under the command of experienced ice captain Gennady Antokhin. I went to Nakhodka, where 800 barrels of fuel for helicopters and two tanks of diesel fuel for the Mikhail Somov were taken onto the deck of the ship.
The passage of an icebreaker, adapted for sailing and working in ice, with an egg-shaped underwater part (to push it out during compression) through the roaring forties and frantic fifties latitudes was a nightmare. Incessant storms, waves as high as a five-story building... Sometimes the ship was completely buried in the waves, the list reached 42 degrees. The pitching was so strong and sharp that the sailors began to fear that the main engines would be torn off their foundations. Andrei Provorkin (my classmate!), who was involved in deciphering satellite images and partially making meteorological observations, saw in the satellite images a narrow strip of relatively calm sea, the passage of the Vladivostok there allowed the ship to safely pass the dangerous area, not counting such trifles as the loss of 200 barrels of kerosene, broken railings and a metal ladder cut off by a wave, welded to two decks.
On the 20th of July 1985, the Vladivostok approached the ice bridge that separated the Mikhail Somov from clean water. I established a connection with him. On July 23, 1985, the Mi-8 helicopter (commander B.V. Lyalin) landed on the starboard side of the R/V Mikhail Somov. The helicopter delivered the head of the expedition, A.N. Chilingarov, scientific director B.A. Krutskikh, hydrologist and medical personnel.
Having entered the dam, “Vladivostok” at some point found itself trapped in ice. But the weather conditions improved, the wind changing direction somewhat cleared the ice.
The icebreaker neared the Mikhail Somov and on August 11, both vessels reached clear water.
The Mikhail Somov drifted for 133 days.
This was, however, not his last drift.
Many participants in this epic were awarded state awards, three of them became Heroes of the Soviet Union, some were also encouraged by their departments. But we will talk about this in more detail next time.

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