Georgy Yakovlevich Sedov (; – ) was a Russian Arctic explorer. Sedov was born in the village of Krivaya Kosa of Taganrog district (now Novoazovskyi Raion,

Donetsk Oblast Donetsk Oblast, also referred to as Donechchyna (, ), is an Oblasts of Ukraine, oblast in eastern Ukraine. It is Ukraine's most populous province, with around 4.1 million residents. Its capital city, administrative centre is Donetsk, though d ...

) to a fisherman's family. In 1898, he finished navigation courses in Rostov-on-Don and acquired the rank of long voyage

navigator A navigator is the person on board a ship or aircraft responsible for its navigation.Grierson, MikeAviation History—Demise of the Flight Navigator FrancoFlyers.org website, October 14, 2008. Retrieved August 31, 2014. The navigator's prim ...

. In 1901, he took an external degree at a naval college, passed all the exams, and was promoted to the rank of

lieutenant A lieutenant ( , ; abbreviated Lt., Lt, LT, Lieut and similar) is a Junior officer, junior commissioned officer rank in the armed forces of many nations, as well as fire services, emergency medical services, Security agency, security services ...

. From 1902 to 1903, Sedov participated in a hydrographic expedition in the

Arctic Ocean The Arctic Ocean is the smallest and shallowest of the world's five oceanic divisions. It spans an area of approximately and is the coldest of the world's oceans. The International Hydrographic Organization (IHO) recognizes it as an ocean, ...

. In 1905, during the

Russo-Japanese War The Russo-Japanese War (8 February 1904 – 5 September 1905) was fought between the Russian Empire and the Empire of Japan over rival imperial ambitions in Manchuria and the Korean Empire. The major land battles of the war were fought on the ...

, he was in charge of a torpedo boat. In 1909, he led the expedition that would later describe the mouth of the

Kolyma River The Kolyma (, ; ) is a river in northeastern Siberia, whose basin covers parts of the Sakha Republic, Chukotka Autonomous Okrug, and Magadan Oblast of Russia. The Kolyma is frozen to depths of several metres for about 250 days each year, b ...

. The following year, Sedov explored the Krestovaya Bay on Novaya Zemlya. In 1912, he proposed a sleigh expedition for reaching the

North Pole The North Pole, also known as the Geographic North Pole or Terrestrial North Pole, is the point in the Northern Hemisphere where the Earth's rotation, Earth's axis of rotation meets its surface. It is called the True North Pole to distingu ...

. The Tsarist government refused to finance this project and the expedition was organized with help from independent sources. On August 14 (27), 1912, Sedov's ship ''Svyatoy Muchenik Foka'' ('' Saint Phocas the Martyr'') left

Arkhangelsk Arkhangelsk (, ) is a types of inhabited localities in Russia, city and the administrative center of Arkhangelsk Oblast, Russia. It lies on both banks of the Northern Dvina near its mouth into the White Sea. The city spreads for over along the ...

and had to stay for the winter near Novaya Zemlya because of impassable ice. The expedition reached Franz Josef Land only in August 1913; however, it had to stay for the second winter in the Tikhaya Bay due to lack of coal. On February 2 (15), 1914, Sedov (already sick with

scurvy Scurvy is a deficiency disease (state of malnutrition) resulting from a lack of vitamin C (ascorbic acid). Early symptoms of deficiency include weakness, fatigue, and sore arms and legs. Without treatment, anemia, decreased red blood cells, gum d ...

) and his accompanying seamen G. Linnik and A. Pustotniy set off for the North Pole with their draft dogs. Before reaching Rudolf Island, Sedov died at sea and was buried at Cape Auk on the island. On the way back, at Franz Josef Land, the ''Svyatoy Foka'' rescued two survivors of the Brusilov expedition, including Valerian Albanov. As part of the search for the Sedov expedition, Jan Nagórski made the first airplane flights over the Arctic, gaining valuable experience for later aeronautical expeditions to the region. Two

gulfs A gulf is a large inlet from an ocean or their seas into a landmass, larger and typically (though not always) with a narrower opening than a bay. The term was used traditionally for large, highly indented navigable bodies of salt water that ...

and a peak on Novaya Zemlya, a

glacier A glacier (; or ) is a persistent body of dense ice, a form of rock, that is constantly moving downhill under its own weight. A glacier forms where the accumulation of snow exceeds its ablation over many years, often centuries. It acquires ...

and a cape on Franz Josef Land, an island in the Barents Sea, and a cape in

Antarctica Antarctica () is Earth's southernmost and least-populated continent. Situated almost entirely south of the Antarctic Circle and surrounded by the Southern Ocean (also known as the Antarctic Ocean), it contains the geographic South Pole. ...

bear Sedov's name. There was also a steam icebreaker ''Georgy Sedov''. Today, the sail training

barque A barque, barc, or bark is a type of sailing ship, sailing vessel with three or more mast (sailing), masts of which the fore mast, mainmast, and any additional masts are Square rig, rigged square, and only the aftmost mast (mizzen in three-maste ...

STS Sedov bears his name.

Gallery

Image:Georgi Sedov (timbre soviétique).jpg, A 1952 U.S.S.R.

postage stamp A postage stamp is a small piece of paper issued by a post office, postal administration, or other authorized vendors to customers who pay postage (the cost involved in moving, insuring, or registering mail). Then the stamp is affixed to the f ...

issued in honor of the 75th anniversary of Sedov's birth Image:1977. Георгий Седов.jpg, A 1977 U.S.S.R.

issued in honor of the centennial of Sedov's birth Image:Georgiy Sedov Bust 14Aug10.JPG, Bust of Georgy Sedov in

Sources

Artykuł w ''Bolshoy Sovetskoy Enciklopedii''
(in Russian)

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Sedov, Georgy 1877 births 1914 deaths People from Donetsk Oblast Explorers of the Arctic Polar explorers from the Russian Empire Russian military personnel of the Russo-Japanese War Deaths from scurvy

Gallery

See also

Sources

References