Steamer Pravda
Encyclopedia
Steamer Pravda was a Soviet
merchant freighter
of about 3,100 tonnes displacement, which was active in the Soviet Arctic during the 1930s. This ship had been normally used for carrying timber. It was named after Soviet newspaper Pravda
.
In 1933, the newly formed Glavsevmorput’
(Chief Administration of the Northern Sea Route) sent the Pravda, under Captain Kh. A. Belitskiy, to Nordvik
on the first oil exploration
expedition to Northern Siberia. This venture was led by N.N. Urvantsev
who travelled on the Pravda along with his wife, Dr. Yelizaveta Ivanovna who was in charge of medical care. Pravdas cargo consisted of 2,430 tonnes of equipment and supplies for this important expedition, including four experimental NATI-2 half-track vehicles
built by the Nauchnyy Avtotraktornyy Institut in Moscow. These were the first tracked vehicle
s to be used in the Russian Arctic in history. They would be used to haul the drill, buildings and supplies, from the landing site to the drilling site
. Apart from the detachable drill rig and a fully equipped drilling camp, Pravda also carried the rails, ties and rolling stock for a narrow-gauge railway.
Pravda travelled along with steamers Tovarich Stalin
and Volodarskiy
, which were on their way to the mouth of the Lena
.
By 4 September steamer Pravda was in the Khatanga Gulf
, close to Nordvik. Captain Belitskiy had decided to approach Nordvik Bay
from the east, between Poluostrov Paksa and Bolshoy Begichev Island. Despite having no knowledge of the depths in the channel Belitskiy went ahead, without taking the elementary precaution of sounding and Pravda ran aground in the centre of the channel two times.
Ice conditions in the Vilkitsky Strait
(between Severnaya Zemlya
and Cape Chelyuskin
), forced the three freighters of the convoy, the Pravda, the Volodarskiy and the Tovarich Stalin to winter at Ostrov Samuila in the Komsomolskaya Pravda Islands
. A shore station was built and a full scientific programme maintained all winter by N. N. Urvantsev and his wife, Dr. Yelizaveta Ivanovna.
These ships were released in the following year by icebreaker Feodor Litke
. Feodor Litke made such a great effort to break a channel through the thick ice that it caused damage to its hull.
Once freed, Pravda proceeded to Maria Pronchishcheva Bay
to retrieve the fuel and boats she had had to jettison there, after which she sailed to Nordvik Bay
, her initial destination.
Soviet Union
The Soviet Union , officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics , was a constitutionally socialist state that existed in Eurasia between 1922 and 1991....
merchant freighter
Cargo ship
A cargo ship or freighter is any sort of ship or vessel that carries cargo, goods, and materials from one port to another. Thousands of cargo carriers ply the world's seas and oceans each year; they handle the bulk of international trade...
of about 3,100 tonnes displacement, which was active in the Soviet Arctic during the 1930s. This ship had been normally used for carrying timber. It was named after Soviet newspaper Pravda
Pravda
Pravda was a leading newspaper of the Soviet Union and an official organ of the Central Committee of the Communist Party between 1912 and 1991....
.
In 1933, the newly formed Glavsevmorput’
Chief Directorate of the Northern Sea Route
The Chief Directorate of the Northern Sea Route , also known as Glavsevmorput, was a Soviet government organization in charge of the naval Northern Sea Route, established in January 1932 and dissolved in 1964.-History:The organization traces its roots to AO Komseveroput, a shipping company...
(Chief Administration of the Northern Sea Route) sent the Pravda, under Captain Kh. A. Belitskiy, to Nordvik
Nordvik (Laptev Sea)
Nordvik was a harbor-port in the Khatanga Gulf at the mouth of the Khatanga River. It was located on the Uryung Tumus Peninsula, west of a bay called Nordvik Bay . Formerly there was a small town and a penal colony next to the harbour, called Nordvik...
on the first oil exploration
Oil exploration
Hydrocarbon exploration is the search by petroleum geologists and geophysicists for hydrocarbon deposits beneath the Earth's surface, such as oil and natural gas...
expedition to Northern Siberia. This venture was led by N.N. Urvantsev
Nikolay Urvantsev
Nikolay Nikolayevich Urvantsev was a Soviet geologist and explorer. He was born in the town of Lukoyanov of Nizhny Novgorod Governorate, Russian Empire to the family of a merchant...
who travelled on the Pravda along with his wife, Dr. Yelizaveta Ivanovna who was in charge of medical care. Pravdas cargo consisted of 2,430 tonnes of equipment and supplies for this important expedition, including four experimental NATI-2 half-track vehicles
Half-track
A half-track is a civilian or military vehicle with regular wheels on the front for steering, and caterpillar tracks on the back to propel the vehicle and carry most of the load. The purpose of this combination is to produce a vehicle with the cross-country capabilities of a tank and the handling...
built by the Nauchnyy Avtotraktornyy Institut in Moscow. These were the first tracked vehicle
Tracked vehicle
A tracked vehicle is a vehicle that runs on continuous tracks instead of wheels...
s to be used in the Russian Arctic in history. They would be used to haul the drill, buildings and supplies, from the landing site to the drilling site
Oil exploration
Hydrocarbon exploration is the search by petroleum geologists and geophysicists for hydrocarbon deposits beneath the Earth's surface, such as oil and natural gas...
. Apart from the detachable drill rig and a fully equipped drilling camp, Pravda also carried the rails, ties and rolling stock for a narrow-gauge railway.
Pravda travelled along with steamers Tovarich Stalin
Steamer Tovarich Stalin
Steamer Tovarishch Stalin was a Soviet freighter of about 3,100 tonnes displacement, active in the Arctic during the 1930s....
and Volodarskiy
Steamer Volodarskiy
Steamer Volodarskiy was a Soviet freighter of about 3,100 tonnes displacement which was active in the Arctic during the 1930s. This ship had been normally used for carrying timber.The Volodarskiy was named after V...
, which were on their way to the mouth of the Lena
Lena River
The Lena is the easternmost of the three great Siberian rivers that flow into the Arctic Ocean . It is the 11th longest river in the world and has the 9th largest watershed...
.
By 4 September steamer Pravda was in the Khatanga Gulf
Khatanga Gulf
The Khatanga Gulf or Khatanga Bay is a large tidal estuary in the Laptev Sea. It is relatively narrow, its length being 220 km with a maximum width of 54 km....
, close to Nordvik. Captain Belitskiy had decided to approach Nordvik Bay
Nordvik Bay
Nordvik Bay is a gulf in the Laptev Sea. Lat 73° 45' and long 112°. It is located Southeast of the mouth of the Khatanga Gulf, between two small peninsulas. The landspit in the west is the Uryung Tumus Peninsula, where there was formerly a village called Nordvik and an infamous penal colony that...
from the east, between Poluostrov Paksa and Bolshoy Begichev Island. Despite having no knowledge of the depths in the channel Belitskiy went ahead, without taking the elementary precaution of sounding and Pravda ran aground in the centre of the channel two times.
Ice conditions in the Vilkitsky Strait
Vilkitsky Strait
Vilkitsky Strait is a strait between the Taimyr Peninsula and Bolshevik Island in the Severnaya Zemlya archipelago. The strait connects the Kara and Laptev Seas. The length of the Vilkitsky Strait is 104 km, the width – approx. 55 km, and the depth – between 32 and 210 m. It is...
(between Severnaya Zemlya
Severnaya Zemlya
Severnaya Zemlya is an archipelago in the Russian high Arctic at around . It is located off mainland Siberia's Taymyr Peninsula across the Vilkitsky Strait...
and Cape Chelyuskin
Cape Chelyuskin
Cape Chelyuskin is the northernmost point of the Eurasian continent , and the northernmost point of mainland Russia. It is situated at the tip of the Taymyr Peninsula, south of Severnaya Zemlya archipelago, in Krasnoyarsk Krai, Russia...
), forced the three freighters of the convoy, the Pravda, the Volodarskiy and the Tovarich Stalin to winter at Ostrov Samuila in the Komsomolskaya Pravda Islands
Komsomolskaya Pravda Islands
The Komsomolskaya Pravda Islands are a group of islands covered with tundra vegetation, shingle and ice. They were known as Ostrova Samuila before the 1917 Russian Revolution and then they were renamed after Komsomolskaya Pravda, being for a while the only island group in the world named after a...
. A shore station was built and a full scientific programme maintained all winter by N. N. Urvantsev and his wife, Dr. Yelizaveta Ivanovna.
These ships were released in the following year by icebreaker Feodor Litke
Icebreaker Feodor Litke
The icebreaker Fyodor Litke was active in the Soviet era in the Arctic, until the late 1950s. It was built in 1909 in England for the Saint Lawrence River service and initially named CGC Earl Grey after Albert Grey, Governor General of Canada...
. Feodor Litke made such a great effort to break a channel through the thick ice that it caused damage to its hull.
Once freed, Pravda proceeded to Maria Pronchishcheva Bay
Maria Pronchishcheva Bay
Maria Pronchishcheva Bay is a deep gulf in the Laptev Sea. It is located about 75 km north of the mouth of the Khatanga Gulf, on the eastern side of the Taymyr Peninsula....
to retrieve the fuel and boats she had had to jettison there, after which she sailed to Nordvik Bay
Nordvik Bay
Nordvik Bay is a gulf in the Laptev Sea. Lat 73° 45' and long 112°. It is located Southeast of the mouth of the Khatanga Gulf, between two small peninsulas. The landspit in the west is the Uryung Tumus Peninsula, where there was formerly a village called Nordvik and an infamous penal colony that...
, her initial destination.