Vladimir Rusanov Arctic Explorer Date of Birth: 15.11.1875 Country: Russia

Biography of Vladimir Rusanov

Vladimir Alexandrovich Rusanov was a prominent polar explorer of the early 20th century. His life was multifaceted; during his relatively short life, he proved himself to be a bold revolutionary, an enthusiastic scientist, and a fearless traveler. Rusanov was born on November 3, 1875, in Oryol, into a merchant family. His father died when Rusanov was still a child, leaving his widow and son almost destitute. Despite their financial difficulties, Rusanov's mother was determined to provide him with a good education and enrolled him in the best educational institution in the city, the classical gymnasium. However, to the surprise of friends and family, the boy was soon expelled for poor academic performance. The same thing happened after he enrolled in a real school. Neither persuasions nor punishments could help. Rusanov's lively mind and directness were at odds with the dry and dogmatic methods of teaching in the state school. He was passionate about reading books describing adventures and travels, and he would return from country walks with his pockets full of various stones. These were his first "geological collections". At the age of twelve, with the help of his stepfather, a teacher at the Oryol Seminary, he was admitted to this educational institution. Rusanov's success in the seminary was also not brilliant, especially his dislike for "theological sciences". Unsatisfied with his studies, Rusanov joined the revolutionary-minded youth. In 1894, at the age of nineteen, he joined an underground circle, which in 1896 became part of the Social Democratic "Workers' Union". Soon, he became one of the most active underground activists. After completing the seminary in the spring of 1897, Rusanov became a non-degree student at the Faculty of Natural Sciences of Kiev University. However, his studies did not last long: he was expelled for participating in student riots and sent back to Oryol. From that time on, the police never stopped pursuing Rusanov. On September 4, he was arrested for his involvement in the "Workers' Union" case. While in prison, Rusanov continued to engage in self-education. Among the books he read during this period, one received special attention. It was Fridtjof Nansen's book "Farthest North: Being the Record of a Voyage of Exploration of the Ship Fram 1893-1896". Apparently, even at that time, Rusanov was interested in polar expeditions. Released in February 1899 under police surveillance, Rusanov did not stop his revolutionary activities and faced new repressions. In May 1901, based on a "highest resolution", he was exiled to Ust-Usolka in the Vologda province for two years. Shortly before this, he married Maria Bulatova, a girl of extraordinary abilities and rare qualities. Despite parental opposition, Maria followed her husband into exile. In Ust-Usolka, Rusanov worked as a statistician in the local government. This job, in addition to providing him with a means of living, allowed him to explore the vast and almost unexplored Pechora region. During his summer trips for statistical surveys of the Ust-Usolka district, Rusanov managed not only to fulfill his official duties but also to conduct various observations, which later served as material for a number of scientific works. After the end of his exile, Rusanov was not allowed to live in any of the major cities in Russia, thus depriving him of the opportunity to complete his university education. Eager to finish his education, Rusanov persistently sought permission to travel abroad. In the autumn of 1903, he traveled to Paris with his wife, where he enrolled as a non-degree student at the Sorbonne University's natural department. Rusanov studied hard and specialized in geology. He distinguished himself in the study of extinct volcanoes in France and the eruption of Mount Vesuvius in 1906. His excellent completion of the theoretical course in 1907 gave him the right to defend his doctoral dissertation. Wanting to bring benefit to his homeland, Rusanov decided to gather material for his dissertation on Novaya Zemlya, whose geology was almost unstudied, and the mineral resources were not explored. In the spring of 1907, V.A. Rusanov returned to Russia. This time, he was alone - his faithful companion, his wife, died in Paris in 1905. When Rusanov arrived in Arkhangelsk, to his surprise, he received all possible assistance from the local authorities in preparing an expedition to Novaya Zemlya. This was due to the fact that the Norwegians were poaching with impunity on Novaya Zemlya, and the governor of Arkhangelsk saw Rusanov's expedition as one of the measures against poaching. In Arkhangelsk, Rusanov was joined by a student zoologist from Kharkov University, L.A. Molchanov, with whom he arrived in the Matotskin Shar Strait in mid-July on the steamer "Queen Olga Konstantinovna". From there, accompanied by a Nenets guide, they made a voyage on a Nenets boat to the Kara Sea and back. In September, Rusanov returned to Arkhangelsk and then, after visiting his hometown Oryol, he left for Paris again. This trip definitively determined the direction of his further scientific work. Rusanov's independent research on Novaya Zemlya, carried out on his own initiative, received high praise from professors at the Sorbonne. Therefore, when a French expedition to Novaya Zemlya needed a geologist in the spring of 1908, Rusanov was unanimously chosen from among many candidates. He gladly accepted this offer, which allowed him to continue his geological research on Novaya Zemlya. His preparations delayed him in Paris, and he caught up with the expedition in Belushya Bay on Novaya Zemlya. From there, Rusanov and three members of the expedition traveled to the Matotskin Shar Strait on the steamship "Queen Olga Konstantinovna", then crossed the strait on a Nenets boat with the help of a Nenets guide. In October, the expedition completed its work, and Rusanov arrived in Arkhangelsk. Still in the expedition, he began to write a scientific report on his research in 1907 and 1908. The report, submitted to the expedition leader Captain Benar, was the last one without any changes that Rusanov included in his own books. At the same time, Benar never mentioned the true author of the most interesting chapters of his works. Rusanov spent the winter of 1908-1909 in Paris, continuing to process the collected materials. The works written during this time demonstrate his continuous growth in scientific knowledge. In his article "On the Silurian of Novaya Zemlya," Rusanov came to interesting conclusions about the close connection at the end of the Upper Silurian period between the Arctic Ocean and the disappeared sea of Central Europe. His conclusions about the ways and time of colonization of certain Devonian fauna species in polar regions were also important. This expedition brought Rusanov fame as a talented geologist and a daring explorer. Therefore, when the authorities in Arkhangelsk began to prepare an expedition to Novaya Zemlya, they invited Rusanov to participate as a geologist. Officially, Y.V. Kramer was the leader, but in practice, the expedition worked according to the program compiled by Rusanov and under his guidance. On July 4, 1909, the expedition, consisting of five people, left Arkhangelsk on the steamer "Queen Olga Konstantinovna". In Matotskin Shar, they were joined by two Nenets guides. On July 9, the steamer landed Rusanov and his companions in Krestovaya Bay, where the main base of the expedition was organized. The weather was not favorable for research. Besides, while unloading the steamer, Rusanov severely injured his leg. However, despite all this, he went into the depths of the island every day. Success consistently accompanied his searches. Many valuable minerals were discovered on the island, including coal, marble, diabase, and serpentinite. Realizing that Novaya Zemlya would eventually become one of the key bases serving the Northern Sea Route, Rusanov believed it was necessary to clarify the conditions for navigation along the island's west coast, which, in his opinion, would become part of the trans-Arctic route. With this goal in mind, he made a daring sea crossing on a fragile boat from Krestovaya Bay to the Admiralteystva Peninsula. In the autumn, after returning to Arkhangelsk, he gave a series of lectures, reports, and articles, attracting public attention to the Arctic. He was particularly concerned about the fate of Novaya Zemlya. "A sad picture on Russian land," Rusanov wrote. "Where once for centuries our brave Russian Pomors made a living, now Norwegians live in peace and prosperity." Rusanov spent the winter of 1909-1910 in Paris, intensively working on his doctoral dissertation. In the summer of 1910, he embarked on his fourth trip to Novaya Zemlya. In this expedition, he finally completed a circumnavigation of the southern island of Novaya Zemlya, which he had failed to accomplish the previous year due to a lack of fuel. The expedition on the yacht "Polar," with a displacement of only five tons, focused mainly on hydrographic and meteorological research. It made significant progress in studying the surface currents of the Barents and Kara Seas. He was then appointed as the head of an expedition to Svalbard. His travels, which knew no failures, and his growing authority served as the best guarantee of the success of the expedition. The expedition set sail on the seal-hunting vessel "Gerkules," adapted for navigation in ice, with a displacement of about sixty-four tons. In addition to sail rigging, the vessel had a twenty-four horsepower engine and excellent seaworthiness. In the expedition, along with Rusanov, his fiancée Juliette Jean, a geologist and doctor, also went. On July 9, 1912, the "Gerkules" set sail from Alexandrovsk-on-Murman with fourteen members of the expedition on board. According to the plan, the "Gerkules" was supposed to return in October of the same year. However, the one-and-a-half-year supply of provisions and the abundance of polar equipment on board indicated that Rusanov had other intentions. This was also quite transparently stated in the final part of the expedition plan. "In conclusion, I find it necessary to openly state that, having a vessel of the type planned, I would look at the exploration of Svalbard as a small first trial. With such a vessel, it will be possible to shed light on, quickly move forward, and address the question of the Great Northern Sea Route to Siberia and reach the Siberian Sea from the Atlantic to the Pacific Ocean." On July 16, the "Gerkules" safely reached the West Spitsbergen Island and entered the Belzund Bay, located on the western side of the island. From there, Rusanov walked on foot with two sailors to the eastern coast of West Spitsbergen and back. This passage, made in mountainous terrain covered with glaciers, almost ended in Rusanov's death: on the way back, he fell into a crevasse and miraculously saved himself on a small ledge at the edge of a deep abyss. From Belzund, the "Gerkules" moved to Ice Fjord, and then to Advent Bay. Rusanov explored the entire western coast of the island, discovering rich deposits of coal, among other valuable minerals. Rusanov, rightly assuming that Novaya Zemlya would eventually become one of the key bases serving the Northern Sea Route, believed it was necessary to clarify the conditions for navigation along the island's west coast, which, in his opinion, would become part of the trans-Arctic route. With this goal in mind, he made a daring sea crossing on a fragile boat from Krestovaya Bay to the Admiralteystva Peninsula. In the autumn, after returning to Arkhangelsk, he gave a series of lectures, reports, and articles, attracting public attention to the Arctic. He was particularly concerned about the fate of Novaya Zemlya. "A sad picture on Russian land," Rusanov wrote. "Where once for centuries our brave Russian Pomors made a living, now Norwegians live in peace and prosperity." Rusanov spent the winter of 1909-1910 in Paris, intensively working on his doctoral dissertation. In the summer of 1910, he embarked on his fourth trip to Novaya Zemlya. In this expedition, he finally completed a circumnavigation of the southern island of Novaya Zemlya, which he had failed to accomplish the previous year due to a lack of fuel. The expedition on the yacht "Polar," with a displacement of only five tons, focused mainly on hydrographic and meteorological research. It made significant progress in studying the surface currents of the Barents and Kara Seas. He was then appointed as the head of an expedition to Svalbard. His travels, which knew no failures, and his growing authority served as the best guarantee of the success of the expedition. The expedition set sail on the seal-hunting vessel "Gerkules," adapted for navigation in ice, with a displacement of about sixty-four tons. In addition to sail rigging, the vessel had a twenty-four horsepower engine and excellent seaworthiness. In the expedition, along with Rusanov, his fiancée Juliette Jean, a geologist and doctor, also went. On July 9, 1912, the "Gerkules" set sail from Alexandrovsk-on-Murman with fourteen members of the expedition on board. According to the plan, the "Gerkules" was supposed to return in October of the same year. However, the one-and-a-half-year supply of provisions and the abundance of polar equipment on board indicated that Rusanov had other intentions. This was also quite transparently stated in the final part of the expedition plan. "In conclusion, I find it necessary to openly state that, having a vessel of the type planned, I would look at the exploration of Svalbard as a small first trial. With such a vessel, it will be possible to shed light on, quickly move forward, and address the question of the Great Northern Sea Route to Siberia and reach the Siberian Sea from the Atlantic to the Pacific Ocean." On July 16, the "Gerkules" safely reached the West Spitsbergen Island and entered the Belzund Bay, located on the western side of the island. From there, Rusanov walked on foot with two sailors to the eastern coast of West Spitsbergen and back. This passage, made in mountainous terrain covered with glaciers, almost ended in Rusanov's death: on the way back, he fell into a crevasse and miraculously saved himself on a small ledge at the edge of a deep abyss. From Belzund, the "Gerkules" moved to Ice Fjord, and then to Advent Bay. Rusanov explored the entire western coast of the island, discovering rich deposits of coal, among other valuable minerals.