In 1957, three ships came to Antarctica: Ob, Lena and Kooperatsiya (Cooperation). They brought a large group of scientists, a construction brigade for the season, equipment and materials, haul trucks and tractors, as well as six planes.
They unloaded directly onto the shore ice, which was unmoving and frozen into the land mass. The Ob went first. Tractors with sledges and scrapers in tow were scurrying between the ship and the shore. The sun was shining brightly, burning the skin on the explorers’ faces; the ice was actively melting due to the rays. The expeditioners had to change the mooring of the ship often. Hydrologists surveyed the ice and marked hazardous areas with flags.
Antarctic summer that year turned out to be quite warm. It was very risky for tractors to traverse the ice, as it was significantly deformed. That is why the second ship, the Kooperatsiya, was mostly unloaded during night hours, when the ice would get slightly frozen.
At last, came the turn of the third ship, the Lena. People worked on an ice cliff edge, that is, a cliffed ice coast, at the height of about 20 metres. The explorers would receive the cargo and unhook it from the crane-boom.
The shift was already coming to an end. Suddenly, there was a cracking sound, and an enormous piece of the ice barrier crashed into the sea. The mass of snow and ice dragged the explorers on the receiving end down with it. Fuel barrels, logs and metal pipes followed. Nine people found themselves in ice-cold water.
There was a motor boat and two lifeboats near the Lena. The rescue operation began immediately. All who fell were found, but two of them had already passed away. Zykov had a spinal fracture, apparently he died on impact. Buromsky was hit by a barrel and also gone.
Nikolai Ivanovich Buromsky was a senior lieutenant and hydrographer. According to polar explorers, he was always very polite, considerate and proactive.
Evgeny Zykov was a cadet at the Leningrad Naval Engineering Academy. As remembered by those who knew him, Evgeny was taciturn, calm and thorough.
The funeral took place on the evening of February 12. The explorers were entombed in a cement crypt on a small rocky island, two kilometres away from the Mirny station. That island was named after Buromsky, and Zykov gave his name to another one close by. Now the spot where the tragedy occurred is called the Barrier of the Brave.
They unloaded directly onto the shore ice, which was unmoving and frozen into the land mass. The Ob went first. Tractors with sledges and scrapers in tow were scurrying between the ship and the shore. The sun was shining brightly, burning the skin on the explorers’ faces; the ice was actively melting due to the rays. The expeditioners had to change the mooring of the ship often. Hydrologists surveyed the ice and marked hazardous areas with flags.
Antarctic summer that year turned out to be quite warm. It was very risky for tractors to traverse the ice, as it was significantly deformed. That is why the second ship, the Kooperatsiya, was mostly unloaded during night hours, when the ice would get slightly frozen.
At last, came the turn of the third ship, the Lena. People worked on an ice cliff edge, that is, a cliffed ice coast, at the height of about 20 metres. The explorers would receive the cargo and unhook it from the crane-boom.
The shift was already coming to an end. Suddenly, there was a cracking sound, and an enormous piece of the ice barrier crashed into the sea. The mass of snow and ice dragged the explorers on the receiving end down with it. Fuel barrels, logs and metal pipes followed. Nine people found themselves in ice-cold water.
There was a motor boat and two lifeboats near the Lena. The rescue operation began immediately. All who fell were found, but two of them had already passed away. Zykov had a spinal fracture, apparently he died on impact. Buromsky was hit by a barrel and also gone.
Nikolai Ivanovich Buromsky was a senior lieutenant and hydrographer. According to polar explorers, he was always very polite, considerate and proactive.
Evgeny Zykov was a cadet at the Leningrad Naval Engineering Academy. As remembered by those who knew him, Evgeny was taciturn, calm and thorough.
The funeral took place on the evening of February 12. The explorers were entombed in a cement crypt on a small rocky island, two kilometres away from the Mirny station. That island was named after Buromsky, and Zykov gave his name to another one close by. Now the spot where the tragedy occurred is called the Barrier of the Brave.
Family's archive photos
