"At 3:30 pm, 155 miles from Cape Severny and 144 miles from Cape Uelen, the Chelyuskin sank, crushed by the pressure of the ice," said the telegram that arrived in Murmansk 90 years ago, on February 13, 1934. The ship's crew, a total of 104 people including two young girls, had been drifting near Chukotka for nearly three months, trapped in a deadly predicament. The entire nation anxiously followed the rescue of the brave polar explorers. Hundreds of people searched for them in the icy wasteland, and the saga of the legendary Chelyuskin survivors has forever become a part of Russian Arctic exploration history.

The Chelyuskin steamship was constructed in Denmark in 1933, commissioned by the USSR. The ship was named after the 18th-century Russian Arctic explorer, Semion Chelyuskin, and was equipped with icebreaker protection at the bow, but it wasn't a fully-fledged icebreaking vessel. Otto Shmidt, the first head of the Northern Sea Route, led the expedition, with Vladimir Voronin appointed as the captain. The initial plan for the expedition was to go the entire Northern Sea Route, emulating the success of the Alexander Sibiryakov icebreaker. The aim was to demonstrate the feasibility of navigating the Northern Sea Route in a single journey. The steamship departed from Murmansk on August 16 and reached the Chukchi Sea by the end of September. The voyage was not without challenges — storms, winds, and drifting ice posed constant threats to the ship, which, even by 1930s standards, was not entirely suitable for Arctic voyages due to its operational and durability characteristics. Nevertheless, the potential rewards of Arctic exploration justified any risks.

On September 23, near the coast of Chukotka, the ship was engulfed by ice and subsequently became frozen within it. For nearly five months, the ship drifted at the mercy of the waves, and everything appeared to be progressing smoothly. Initially, the Arctic Ocean currents carried them towards the Bering Strait, but then reversed direction and pulled them northward when they were just a few miles from open water. On February 13, the steamship sank, forcing the crew to transfer their belongings and supplies directly onto the ice. Despite these hardships, the morale of the polar explorers remained unbroken — they maintained radio contact with the "mainland", conducted observations, and Otto Shmidt even gave lectures on dialectical materialism.

Two days after the sinking of the steamship, a decision was made to initiate a rescue operation. The rescue operation took almost three months — first, they had to locate the people from the Chelyuskin and then save them from their icy imprisonment. The operation was hampered by severe weather conditions: fog, frost, winds, and other harsh realities of the Arctic climate. For instance, pilot Anatoly Lyapidevsky managed to land his plane on ice only on his 29th attempt. As a result of the rescue expedition, all participants, except for children, were awarded the Order of the Red Star, and pilots Mikhail Vodopyanov, Ivan Doronin, Nikolai Kamanin, Anatoly Lyapidevsky, Sigismund Levanevsky, and Vasily Molokov were the first to be named Heroes of the Soviet Union.

Today, this heroic past is commemorated in the names of streets in nearly all Arctic cities — there are countless streets named after the Chelyuskin crew. This is also true for museums dedicated to Arctic exploration, which invariably mention the heroic drift of the Soviet polar explorers. For instance, the Chukotka Heritage Museum Center houses a unique collection of items belonging to the expedition participants. This collection includes documents, maps, personal items, memorabilia, and photographs of the polar explorers. To commemorate the 90th anniversary of the Chelyuskin history, the museum organized a large-scale exhibition, but it also maintains permanent exhibits for visitors. In the northernmost part of the Krasnoyarsk region, in the village of Dikson, the Museum of Polar Aviation also has a close connection with this history — some of its exhibits were directly involved in those heroic times. The descendants of the Soviet polar explorers — the children and grandchildren of the expedition participants — preserve the memory of their heroic feat by organizing the 90th Anniversary of the Chelyuskin Epic committee. The committee oversees the production of films, TV series, exhibitions, delivers lectures, and assists museums. The committee's official website provides up-to-date information on all its activities.

However, soon enough, a TV will be all that's needed to revisit the history of Arctic exploration. The TV series "Chelyuskinites. The Firsts" has been in production for two years now. Initially filmed in Chukotka, this year's sets are being constructed in Teriberka. Most likely, once production is completed, the sets will be left intact to enhance the tourist appeal of the location — a common practice among film crews working in polar settlements.

While it is possible to visit the places where these brave polar explorers survived, it is a lengthy and costly endeavor. One can embark on an icebreaker tour along the Northern Sea Route or reach the coast of the Arctic Ocean from Anadyr by plane. Regardless, travelers will need a guide, some equipment, and a readiness to face challenges. However, it's worth noting that over the past 90 years, the risks to life and health for tourists in the Arctic have significantly decreased — although drifting on ice floes is still recommended only for professionals.