Karpenko Alexey
12.04.1982
Vostok Station. The Pole of Cold. This is where the lowest temperature on the planet, that of −89,2 °C (−128.6 °F), was recorded. It is 3500 metres above sea level, and there is acute oxygen deficiency. Polar night lasts for 5 months a year. There are icy outgrows on houses. You cannot walk at a brisk pace, it is impossible to inhale deeply, and any object seems twice as heavy.
One night, on April 12, 1982, Vostok did not make contact. Every three hours, according to the schedule, a radio operator had to transmit weather reports. When the time came to get in touch, there was no signal from the station two times in a row. It became clear: something had happened…
The day before, April 11, was ordinary at Vostok. It was a bath day, a small holiday. Explorers were watching a movie after dinner. Someone suddenly realised: Cosmonautics Day was coming, in Russia it is celebrated on April 12. Back home, the grass must already be growing green, they thought. And in Antarctica, it was freezing at over 70°C (−94°F) and twilight even during the day. In a week or two the long polar night was to begin.
As usual, at eleven they went to bed. After 1 a.m. an alarm was sounded: ‘Fire!’ Everyone leapt to their feet.
The worst possible thing happened: the diesel room was ablaze. They do not have ordinary fire extinguishers at Vostok, as those get frozen there. And there simply was no other kind at the time. There is no water either, only snow.
Alexey Karpenko, head of the electric power station, died in the fire. He was last seen in the diesel room. Alexey was running towards the control panel, half asleep, with just his underwear on and holding his clothes.
Pyotr Polyansky, radio operator, wanted to get to the diesel room through the back door and find Karpenko, but crawled back immediately, coughing up toxic smoke. Mikhail Gusev, magnetologist, tied a rope around himself and was going to squeeze through the window to the control room. But everyone could already see flames blazing in there and they stopped Misha by force.
‘A day passed before Alexey Karpenko’s remains were found on the scene of the fire, which had cooled down. The crew were analysing his actions and came to the conclusion: Karpenko tried to put out the flames from the inside, using the supply of water that was there. Seeing that it was in vain, he grabbed his clothes and ran to the electrical room to cut off the current. Such were the official regulations. (After getting exposed by fire, the wires could easily lead to casualties if extinguished.) But, having turned off the lights, Karpenko found himself in a trap. In the dark and acrid smoke, feeling faint, he must have lost his footing at the very entrance.’ (V. Peskov, Wintering)
At Vostok, polar winter is only just beginning in April. It is full of gloom, and the temperatures are off the charts. No planes fly to the station during that period. Landing, let alone take-off, are impossible in such extreme weather. The sled train is to arrive only in 7 months when the temperature rises up to at least −50°C (−58°F).
The station was freezing up at full speed. And then the explorers remembered there was an old small written-off diesel generator somewhere. It had not been working for a long time, but they managed to restore it quickly. The generator was enough to power up only the radio station and one electric light bulb. In the evening, the team was able to send a message to Molodyozhnaya. It made its way to Moscow and Leningrad that very hour:
‘There was a fire. Karpenko perished. We have fuel supply, we have provisions. Sending a telegram now, a small low-power generator is working. Asking you not to take prolonged silence as an emergency.’
They had almost half a year of winter in store, at −80°C (−112°F), with no heat or light, in the dark polar night. The battle for warmth began.
The explorers improvised diesel stoves out of old gas tanks and empty barrels. However, those were inflammable and had to be permanently watched. The stoves’ main shortcoming was that they emitted fumes in enormous quantities. Everything and everyone was steeped in soot. The faces of the station’s employees turned black.
There were also two stoves running on paraffin. They were used for heating the room with medicine and food, which could be spoiled due to bitter cold. Fortunately, the explorers had a product that was not afraid of extreme Antarctic climate conditions – pasta. There was lots of it, and many pasta days lay in store.
Little by little, through toil and hard work, life began to return to normal. People once again turned their minds to science, for which they had come here.
Many projects had to be cancelled, naturally. But every three hours the world would still receive weather reports from Vostok, as well as magnetic storm data. It meant that the most isolated station on the planet lived on.
After the fire, the explorers stayed at Vostok for 227 days more. In spring, a plane was sent to get them; it brought the survivors and the remains of the deceased Alexey Karpenko to Mirny.
‘The funeral for Alexey Illarionovich Karpenko took place on January 17, 1983, on Buromsky island by Mirny. Coincidentally, the dust of captain Ivan Alexandrovich Mahn was committed to the local earth that same day. The glorified polar explorer, whose name is associated with the entire history of Antarctic Soviet research, died of old age at home, in his bed. Before Mahn passed away, he asked to be buried in Antarctica. Over his grave these words were spoken: “He came here for the last time, he came here to stay.”’ (V. Peskov, Wintering)
One night, on April 12, 1982, Vostok did not make contact. Every three hours, according to the schedule, a radio operator had to transmit weather reports. When the time came to get in touch, there was no signal from the station two times in a row. It became clear: something had happened…
The day before, April 11, was ordinary at Vostok. It was a bath day, a small holiday. Explorers were watching a movie after dinner. Someone suddenly realised: Cosmonautics Day was coming, in Russia it is celebrated on April 12. Back home, the grass must already be growing green, they thought. And in Antarctica, it was freezing at over 70°C (−94°F) and twilight even during the day. In a week or two the long polar night was to begin.
As usual, at eleven they went to bed. After 1 a.m. an alarm was sounded: ‘Fire!’ Everyone leapt to their feet.
The worst possible thing happened: the diesel room was ablaze. They do not have ordinary fire extinguishers at Vostok, as those get frozen there. And there simply was no other kind at the time. There is no water either, only snow.
Alexey Karpenko, head of the electric power station, died in the fire. He was last seen in the diesel room. Alexey was running towards the control panel, half asleep, with just his underwear on and holding his clothes.
Pyotr Polyansky, radio operator, wanted to get to the diesel room through the back door and find Karpenko, but crawled back immediately, coughing up toxic smoke. Mikhail Gusev, magnetologist, tied a rope around himself and was going to squeeze through the window to the control room. But everyone could already see flames blazing in there and they stopped Misha by force.
‘A day passed before Alexey Karpenko’s remains were found on the scene of the fire, which had cooled down. The crew were analysing his actions and came to the conclusion: Karpenko tried to put out the flames from the inside, using the supply of water that was there. Seeing that it was in vain, he grabbed his clothes and ran to the electrical room to cut off the current. Such were the official regulations. (After getting exposed by fire, the wires could easily lead to casualties if extinguished.) But, having turned off the lights, Karpenko found himself in a trap. In the dark and acrid smoke, feeling faint, he must have lost his footing at the very entrance.’ (V. Peskov, Wintering)
At Vostok, polar winter is only just beginning in April. It is full of gloom, and the temperatures are off the charts. No planes fly to the station during that period. Landing, let alone take-off, are impossible in such extreme weather. The sled train is to arrive only in 7 months when the temperature rises up to at least −50°C (−58°F).
The station was freezing up at full speed. And then the explorers remembered there was an old small written-off diesel generator somewhere. It had not been working for a long time, but they managed to restore it quickly. The generator was enough to power up only the radio station and one electric light bulb. In the evening, the team was able to send a message to Molodyozhnaya. It made its way to Moscow and Leningrad that very hour:
‘There was a fire. Karpenko perished. We have fuel supply, we have provisions. Sending a telegram now, a small low-power generator is working. Asking you not to take prolonged silence as an emergency.’
They had almost half a year of winter in store, at −80°C (−112°F), with no heat or light, in the dark polar night. The battle for warmth began.
The explorers improvised diesel stoves out of old gas tanks and empty barrels. However, those were inflammable and had to be permanently watched. The stoves’ main shortcoming was that they emitted fumes in enormous quantities. Everything and everyone was steeped in soot. The faces of the station’s employees turned black.
There were also two stoves running on paraffin. They were used for heating the room with medicine and food, which could be spoiled due to bitter cold. Fortunately, the explorers had a product that was not afraid of extreme Antarctic climate conditions – pasta. There was lots of it, and many pasta days lay in store.
Little by little, through toil and hard work, life began to return to normal. People once again turned their minds to science, for which they had come here.
Many projects had to be cancelled, naturally. But every three hours the world would still receive weather reports from Vostok, as well as magnetic storm data. It meant that the most isolated station on the planet lived on.
After the fire, the explorers stayed at Vostok for 227 days more. In spring, a plane was sent to get them; it brought the survivors and the remains of the deceased Alexey Karpenko to Mirny.
‘The funeral for Alexey Illarionovich Karpenko took place on January 17, 1983, on Buromsky island by Mirny. Coincidentally, the dust of captain Ivan Alexandrovich Mahn was committed to the local earth that same day. The glorified polar explorer, whose name is associated with the entire history of Antarctic Soviet research, died of old age at home, in his bed. Before Mahn passed away, he asked to be buried in Antarctica. Over his grave these words were spoken: “He came here for the last time, he came here to stay.”’ (V. Peskov, Wintering)
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