Nikifor Alekseevich Begichev (Bigichev) (; February 7 ( N.S. February 19), 1874 – May 18, 1927) was a

Soviet The Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. (USSR), commonly known as the Soviet Union, was a List of former transcontinental countries#Since 1700, transcontinental country that spanned much of Eurasia from 1922 until Dissolution of the Soviet ...

seaman and polar explorer. He was twice awarded gold medals by the

Russian Academy of Sciences The Russian Academy of Sciences (RAS; ''Rossíyskaya akadémiya naúk'') consists of the national academy of Russia; a network of scientific research institutes from across the Russian Federation; and additional scientific and social units such ...

Biography

Begichev was born in Tsariov, Astrakhan Governorate, to a family of

Volga River The Volga (, ) is the longest river in Europe and the longest endorheic basin river in the world. Situated in Russia, it flows through Central Russia to Southern Russia and into the Caspian Sea. The Volga has a length of , and a catchment ...

fishers. In 1895, he was called up to the service in the

Russian Navy The Russian Navy is the Navy, naval arm of the Russian Armed Forces. It has existed in various forms since 1696. Its present iteration was formed in January 1992 when it succeeded the Navy of the Commonwealth of Independent States (which had i ...

and traveled three times as a sailor and a boatswain to the

Antilles The Antilles is an archipelago bordered by the Caribbean Sea to the south and west, the Gulf of Mexico to the northwest, and the Atlantic Ocean to the north and east. The Antillean islands are divided into two smaller groupings: the Greater An ...

islands. He was a participant in Baron Eduard Toll's 1900–1903 "Russian Polar Expedition" as the bosun of ship '' Zarya''. After the death of Baron Toll, Begichev took part in the research. During this voyage, he saved the life of his commander - lieutenant

Aleksandr Kolchak List of Russian admirals, Admiral Alexander Vasilyevich Kolchak (; – 7 February 1920) was a Russian navy officer and Arctic exploration, polar explorer who led the White movement in the Russian Civil War. As he assumed the title of Supreme Ru ...

, a future admiral. Walking by the sea ice, Kolchak fell in the split. When Begichev pulled him from the water, the lieutenant showed no signs of life. Begichev took off his dry clothes and dressed Kolchak with them. Then, to re-animate him, Begichev fired his pipe and put it in Kolchak's mouth. Kolchak opened his eyes. Nikifor Begichev bust

Later, Begichev took part in 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 ...

. In 1922, at the request of the government of

Norway Norway, officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Nordic countries, Nordic country located on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. The remote Arctic island of Jan Mayen and the archipelago of Svalbard also form part of the Kingdom of ...

, Begichev led an unsuccessful Soviet expedition to search for Peter Tessem and Paul Knutsen, lost crew members of the ship '' Maud'' from

Roald Amundsen Roald Engelbregt Gravning Amundsen (, ; ; 16 July 1872 – ) was a Norwegians, Norwegian explorer of polar regions. He was a key figure of the period known as the Heroic Age of Antarctic Exploration. Born in Borge, Østfold, Norway, Am ...

's 1918 expedition.William Barr, ''The Last Journey of Peter Tessem and Paul Knutsen'', 1919 Begichev was one of the researchers exploring the

Taymyr Peninsula The Taymyr Peninsula ( ) is a peninsula in the Far North of Russia, in the Siberian Federal District, that forms the northernmost part of the mainland of Eurasia. Administratively it is part of the Krasnoyarsk Krai Federal subject of Russia. Ge ...

with Nikolay Urvantsev in 1923–1924. During his explorations, he surveyed two islands, which have been called after him: Bolshoy Begichev Island and Maliy Begichev Island. Nikifor Begichev died during wintering at the mouth of the Pyasina River. In 1964, a monument to Begichev was erected in the settlement of Dikson.

Notes

References

William Barr William Pelham Barr (born May 23, 1950) is an American attorney who served as United States Attorney General, United States attorney general in the administration of President George H. W. Bush from 1991 to 1993 and again in the first adminis ...

, ''Baron Eduard von Toll's Last Expedition: The Russian Polar Expedition, 1900–1903'' *N. Bolotnikov. ''Nikifor Begichev'', Moscow-Leningrad 1949 {{DEFAULTSORT:Begichev, Nikifor 1874 births 1927 deaths Explorers of the Arctic Laptev Sea People from Astrakhan Governorate People from Leninsky District, Volgograd Oblast Recipients of the Cross of St. George Soviet polar explorers Russian polar explorers Russian military personnel of the Russo-Japanese War