Why they called Kolchak "The Polar" – Presidential Library explains

On November 16, 2024, the 150th anniversary of the birth of Alexander Kolchak will be celebrated, a prominent figure in Russian history. For a long time, his name has been associated with the White movement during the Russian Civil War, and other aspects of his life have been largely unknown to the public. However, Alexander was also an exceptional oceanographer, hydrologist, and geographer. He was a fearless explorer of the polar regions.

Alexander Kolchak was born into a family of engineers at the Obukhov plant in St. Petersburg. From a young age, he developed a passion for naval affairs, which he inherited from his father, a former naval artillery officer. In 1894, he graduated from the Naval Cadet Corps as a midshipman, attracting attention for his exceptional abilities.

Even at the start of his career, Kolchak demonstrated his talent and dedication to his work. His contributions to oceanography, hydrology, and geography have left a lasting impact on the field. As a polar explorer, he risked his life to explore the Arctic and Antarctic regions, making significant discoveries and discoveries that continue to inspire scientists and adventurers today.

In the beginning of the 20th century, Lieutenant Kolchak, while his ship was moored in the port of Piraeus, in Greece, on the Mediterranean Sea, received an unexpected offer from Baron Eduard Toll, a famous geographer, to join his expedition to the Arctic Ocean. The expedition was organized by the Academy of Sciences and aimed to explore the area north of Novosibirsk Islands and search for the mythical Sannikov Land.

During the expedition from 1900 to 1902, they made significant improvements to the map based on the results of Nansen's expedition from 1893 to 1896. They also discovered new geographical points, and Baron Toll named one island in Taimyr Bay after Kolchak. The documentary Expeditions to New Siberian Islands: Eduard Toll and Alexander Kolchak features unique photos from the polar journey.

And although Sannikov Land was never found, this expedition became a dream come true for Alexander Kolchak. He was only concerned about the fate of Baron Toll, who decided to continue the expedition and, leaving the Zarya, along with three companions, set off on foot across the ice towards Bennett Island. It was planned that the Zarya would arrive there two months later, but the ship suffered serious damage, making further sailing impossible.

Returning to St. Petersburg, Kolchak presented his findings at the Academy of Sciences and proposed immediately sending a new expedition to help Baron Toll and his companions on Bennett's Land. It was not possible to do so on the Zarya ship, so Kolchak came up with a plan that astonished everyone with its boldness: to cross open waters in boats and drag the rest of the way.

"The venture was highly risky, and the proposal was met with skepticism. However, when Kolchak announced that he was prepared to take on its implementation himself, the Academy of Sciences agreed and granted him full freedom of action," Rear Admiral Mikhail Smirnov wrote in a short biographical essay titled Admiral Alexander Vasilyevich Kolchak, published in 1930 in Paris.

On May 5, 1903, Lieutenant A. V. Kolchak embarked on an expedition from the mainland towards the Novosibirsk Islands. The expedition presented an extraordinary sight: a whaleboat was being towed by two sledges pulled by 30 dogs, with ten more sledges, each led by 13 dogs, carrying people and supplies, following in front and behind. With snow and ice already beginning to melt, the sledges were sinking, and the team tried to walk at night when the temperature was freezing. On June 18, Lieutenant Kolchak began his unprecedented ocean voyage in a whaleboat, as described by Mikhail Stakhevich, the editor-in-chief of the Marine Journal in his report The Polar Expedition of Lieutenant A.V. Kolchak in 1903, which was presented at the Prague People's University (a digital copy of this report can be found in the Presidential Library's collection).

Sailing in the rough ocean on a small boat lasted for 42 days. For nearly two weeks, Kolchak's team, wearing wet clothes, without warm food, rowed and sailed between icebergs, despite fog and snowstorms. There were numerous dangerous moments during the expedition. At one point, they could even have been left without their leader.

Kolchak fell through the ice and lost consciousness. The boatswain saved him. After that, Alexander Vasilyevich started to have health issues that didn't leave him for the rest of his life.

On August 4, after arriving at Bennett Island, members of the team found Toll's belongings and a note that indicated that Toll and his companions left for the south in October with food for two to three weeks. It was no longer worth continuing the search. Despite this setback, the expedition, which lasted from May to December 1903, ended without loss, and the chief had reason to be proud.

In December 1903, Alexander Vasilyevich Kolchak was awarded the Order of St. Vladimir, 4th degree, for his contributions to the Arctic exploration. This expedition also brought him great fame and the unofficial title of Kolchak the Polar.

On February 8th, 1904, Kolchak returned to Yakutsk, just as the Russo-Japanese War began. He was expected to return to St. Petersburg and compile reports on the expedition's scientific findings. However, he had to make a difficult decision about what to do next - pursue science or join the war effort. He chose the latter, as he felt that the Navy needed his expertise at that time. As reported in the historical documentary Researcher and Scientist Alexander Kolchak on the 365 Days TV channel, his choice was based on the needs of his country.

Upon returning to St. Petersburg, Alexander resumed his work at the Academy of Sciences, where he began processing the findings from his two expeditions. These materials were of such significance that a special committee of the Academy worked on them until 1919. Through his writings, particularly the book The Ice of the Kara and Siberian Seas, Kolchak laid the groundwork for the study of sea ice science.

In January 1906, Alexander Kolchak was awarded the highest honor of the Imperial Russian Geographical Society - the Konstantin Medal. Prior to him, only two other polar explorers worldwide had received this award - Adolf Nordenskjold and Nikolay Yurgens. According to military historian Andrei Kruchinin, as expressed in the documentary Alexander Kolchak: Researcher and Scientist, research was one of Kolchak's areas of focus. He saw scientific activity as his primary calling. Additionally, the Arctic regions and the far north continued to draw his attention, and he developed a project for an expedition to explore the Northern Sea Route - from the Pacific Ocean, through the Bering Strait, along the northern coast of Siberia, to Arkhangelsk. Mikhail Stakhevich, editor of the Marine Magazine, stated in his paper that according to Kolchak, special icebreaker-type ships would be needed.

A.V. Kolchak presented drawings of ships, including the icebreakers Taimyr and Vaigach, which were being built according to his designs. In the summer of 1910, the Taimyr, under the command of Captain 2nd Rank Kolchak, and the Vaigach, under the command of Captain F. A. Matisen (former commander of the yacht Zarya), left Kronstadt for the Far East. They were ready to sail to Arkhangelsk via the Northern Sea Route in the spring of 1911.

The Russian Empire was entering the second decade of the 20th century, which brought significant changes to the life of the country. If not for the First World War, revolution, and Civil War, we can only imagine how many more discoveries Alexander Vasilyevich Kolchak, a brave explorer, talented scientist, and fearless military officer, would have made.

To learn more about Kolchak's life and work, visit the dedicated section on the Persons of Russia collection on the Presidential Library's portal.