North Pole I - Russian Arctic Ice Station

UPDATED: 25 Nov 2005

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Russian Ice Station NP-1

It was only as recent as the 1930's that man established Arctic ice stations on ice floes. Ice stations, also referred to as "Drift Stations", were also established on ice islands (T-3 & ARLIS II). The Soviets were the first to do this in 1937 with a station which was given the designation of NP-1 (North Pole 1).

As early as 1926 the Norwegian Nansen had suggested that aircraft could supply ice stations in the distant regions of the Arctic. The Russians did it in on 21 May 1937when they used four large aircraft on skis to establish and supply NP-1 at 89º 25' north latitude. A party of four man lead by Ivan D. Papanin remained on the ice. During their nine months on the ice floe the men conducted various science experiments while there. When their floe started to break up in Feb of 1938 they were safely evacuated by icebreaker.

Men on NP-1

Papanin, Ivan Dmitrievich
Krenkel, Ernest Theodorovich
Fedorov, Eugeniy Konstantinovich
Shirshov, Petr Petrovich

Subsequent Russian ice stations were designated NP-2, NP-3, etc. Russian ice stations are sometimes referred to as "SP" for the Russian "Severnyy Polyus" (North Pole). On 9 September 2004 the Russians established NP-33 in their long line of ice stations.

References:

Polar Frontiers - A Background Book on The Arctic, The Antarctic, and Mankind by Richard Lyttle, Parents' Magazine Press, New York - 1972 ISBN 0-8193-0600-2 ISBN 0-8193-0601-0 (lib. bdg.)

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