Konstantin Sergeevich Badigin

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Constantine Badigin

Konstantin Badygin ( Russian Константин Сергеевич Бадигин ; born November 16 . Jul / 29. November  1910 greg. In Penza ; †  17th March 1984 in Moscow ) was a Soviet naval officer, Arctic explorer and writer .

Life

Badigin began his nautical career in 1928 as a sailor on ships of the Soviet Pacific shipping company. He later studied at the Maritime Engineering School in Vladivostok and embarked on a career as a navigational officer . From 1935 to 1936 he was the third officer on board the icebreaker Krassin . In 1937 he became 2nd officer on board the Arctic freighter Georgi Sedow .

On October 23, 1937, the Georgi Sedow was trapped by the pack ice along with the ships Sadko and Malygin and got into the ice drift . During the winter, the rudder of the Georgi Sedov was bent by strong ice pressure .

In April 1938, large parts of the crews of all three ships were evacuated with the help of airplanes. As the senior officer who stayed behind, Badigin took command of the Georgi Sedov . On August 28, 1938, the icebreaker Jermak managed to advance to the three ships and break them free from the pack ice. It was found that the Georgi Sedov was no longer able to maneuver independently. Several attempts to tow it also failed. Thereupon the Sadko and Malygin were led out of the ice by the Jermak . The Georgi Sedow remained in the drift ice with a remaining crew of 14 people. It was not until January 8, 1940 that it was freed from the ice in the Greenland Sea by the icebreaker Josef Stalin .

Numerous scientific observations were made during the 812 day drift. Furthermore, the bent part of the rudder was removed so that the Georgi Sedow was again conditionally maneuverable and could be moved on its own.

In 1940 Badigin was awarded the title " Hero of the Soviet Union " and the Order of Lenin for his actions to save Georgi Sedov and for his scientific research work. From 1941 to 1943 he was chief of the Soviet icebreaker fleet in the White Sea and chief of the glaciological service. In 1944 and 1945 he commanded the cargo ship Clara Zetkin , which operated on the Vladivostok -  Seattle route. After the end of the Second World War , Badigin retired from active fleet service for health reasons.

In the following years Badigin worked as a captain for various shipping companies . In 1950 he completed a correspondence course at the geographic faculty of the Moscow State Pedagogical University , and in 1953 an aspirantur at the Chair of Oceanology at the Lomonosov University in Moscow . From 1953 to 1955 he was a research assistant and department head at a Moscow research institute before going back to sea. In addition, and exclusively after his retirement in 1969, he worked as a writer and was involved in the writers' association. In addition to three autobiographical novels, he mainly wrote historical novels and adventure novels for young people.

Works (selection)

  • Lost in Grumant , Culture and Progress, Berlin 1960. ISBN 5749100146
  • 812 days in the ice of the Arctic - the drift of the arctic liner Georgi Sedow . Vienna, Globus-Verlag, 1946.
  • From the Arctic Ocean to the Pacific , Military Publishing House of the GDR Berlin, 1988. ISBN 3-327-00624-5

literature

  • William James Mills: Exploring Polar Frontiers - A Historical Encyclopedia . tape 1 . ABC-CLIO, 2003, ISBN 1-57607-422-6 , pp. 49–51 ( limited preview in Google Book search).

Web links

personal data
SURNAME Badigin, Konstantin Sergeevich
ALTERNATIVE NAMES Бадигин, Константин Сергеевич (Russian)
BRIEF DESCRIPTION Soviet naval officer, polar explorer and writer
DATE OF BIRTH November 29, 1910
PLACE OF BIRTH Penza
DATE OF DEATH March 17, 1984
Place of death Moscow