The first Soviet scientific station ‘Mirniy’ opened in Antarctica

13 February 1956

On July 13, 1955 due to the preparation for the International geophysics year, the Ministers Council of the USSR issued a decree on organization of the Complex Antarctica expedition of the Academy of Science of the USSR. One of its tasks was to create the general base on the continent sea coast and choose a place for scientific and research stations on the mainland.

On November 30, 1955 from Kaliningrad port set out for its first Antarctica trip the expedition flagman diesel motor ship Ob’ under the commandment of I. A. Mun. In the beginning of January 1956 the ship approached the coast of Davis Sea. Land forces and air forces started to search an appropriate place to set up a base. On January 14th such a place was found in the area of Hasuall island on the continent ice and rocks at the altitude of 35 m above sea level.

On February 13, 1956 on this place, less than one month after the beginning of the base construction which started on January 19th, took place an grand opening of the first Soviet Antarctica station ‘Mirnyi’. The national flag of the USSR was risen.

The station and an observatory installed in its territory were named in honor of one of the sailing sloops which took part in the first Russian Antarctica expedition during which was discovered the sixth continent led by F. F. Bellingshausen and M. P. Lazarev. It was intended to accentuate the succession in Antarctica development.

During a comparatively short period of time in ‘Mirniy’ were constructed not only dwelling houses supplied with all the necessary for the expedition participants but also a special magnet, seismic and aerologic pavilions; a geophysics, geological, aerologic, gravimetric and other laboratories, a radio station providing a direct connection with Moscow.

Until 1971 the station remained the main base for the Soviet Antarctica expeditions. One of its essential tasks was the security and support of ‘Vostok’ station situated far inland of the continent.

At present ‘Mirniy’ station is the main base for the Russian Antarctica surveys. A synoptic group is working here all the time, various scientific researches are conducted, for the most part of a climatologic and geophysics type. Also the station employees are in charge of observing the situation with the ice and estimating whether there is a possibility for research ships to navigate in this area.

 

Lit.: Рыскин Б. А. Крутой маршрут [Электронный ресурс] // Заграница. Б. д. URL: http://world.lib.ru/r/ryskin_b_a/krutoy.shtml.; Черевичный И. И. В небе Антарктиды. М., 2000. Гл. 2. Знаменательный день; То же [Электронный ресурс]. URL: http://www.polarpost.ru/Library/Cherevichniy-Antarktida/text-v_nebe_antarktidi-02.html.

 

Based on the Presidential Library’s materials:

Antarctica discovered by the Russian expedition // On this day. 28 January 1820.