Russian scientists search for traces of lost expedition on Franz Josef Land

Russian scientists traveled to the Franz Josef Land archipelago to find traces of the expedition led by Georgy Brusilov on the Saint Anna schooner, which disappeared 100 years ago. The expedition’s tragic story became widely known thanks to the book “Two Captains” by Veniamin Kaverin. Photo: base camp of the expedition to find Georgy Brusilov’s lost arctic expedition, which disappeared on Prince George Land.

The expedition on the Saint Anna schooner, which began in 1912, later split and one part of it, including navigator Valerian Albanov, decided to walk along the coast. Only Valerian Albanov and the sailor Alexander Konrad survived. What happened to the other part of the expedition is still unknown. Photo: Nagurskaya border post of Russia’s Federal Security Service on Alexandra Island of the Franz Josef Land archipelago.

What happened to the people is more or less known thanks to Albanov’s journal, published in 1917.

The fate of four people from Albanov’s group, who were lost between Cape Neale and Cape Grant on Prince George Land of the Franz Josef Land archipelago, remains unknown. Photo: narwhals inhabiting the waters around the Franz Josef Land archipelago.

The current expedition set itself the task of finding traces of the group lost on Prince George Land. Researchers found human remains and some artifacts which could have belonged to the expedition, which was lost in 1912.

Researchers installed a memorial plaque at the cross, which stands on the place where the remains of one member of Brusilov’s expedition were discovered on the Franz Josef Land archipelago. Pilots from the border service air unit helped the Russian expedition.

The Nagurskaya border post of Russia’s Federal Security Service on Alexandra Island of the Franz Josef Land archipelago.