The research vessel “Admiral Vladimirsky” with the participants of the Round-the-world Oceanographic Expedition on board made a stop in the port of Montevideo (Uruguay) and set sail again. Among the objectives of the expedition - the study of changes in the coastline of the sixth continent and specifying the location of the south magnetic pole. New discoveries are coming ahead!
The expedition of the Hydrographic Service of the Russian Navy and the Russian Geographical Society is dedicated to the 200th anniversary of the discovery of Antarctica by Russian sailors Thaddeus Bellingshausen and Mikhail Lazarev, as well as to the 250th birthday anniversary Admiral Ivan Kruzenshtern. The expedition route largely follows the path of the ships of Bellingshausen and Lazarev. On the “Admiral Vladimirsky” oceanographic research vessel, the participants of the round-the-world expedition have traveled through the Baltic and North Seas, crossed the Atlantic Ocean and are now conducting research in the Antarctic waters. After working in the Antarctic, the ship will return home through the Indian Ocean, the Suez Canal and the Mediterranean Sea. The voyage will end on June 6, 2020 in Kronstadt. The distance covered will be about 40 thousand miles.
Stop in Montevideo
On March 5, in the port of Montevideo, the ship was met by Russian diplomats and representatives of the Uruguay Navy. The representatives of the expedition leadership visited the embassy of the Russian Federation, where they held a work meeting with Ambassador Nikolai Sofinsky, and spoke about the results of the work in the Antarctic.
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On March 6, the expedition participants visited the Uruguayan Naval Academy, where they met with cadets and the head of the school, Admiral Manuel Burgos. Russian researchers talked about the work in the Antarctic and the further tasks of the expedition. In addition, the travelers opened an exhibition of the Russian Geographical Society dedicated to the 200th anniversary of the discovery of Antarctica by Russian sailors at the Uruguayan Naval Academy. The ceremony was attended by 250 people.
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On the same day, the cadets and faculty of the Uruguayan Naval Academy visited “Admiral Vladimirsky”. The head of the expedition, captain 1st rank, Oleg Osipov, personally conducted a ship tour for the guests, talked about the purpose and characteristics of the “Admiral Vladimirsky”, showed the equipment – manufactured in Russia – used for scientific research.
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On Saturday, March 7, in Montevideo, a friendly meeting of the football teams of the “Admiral Vladimirsky” crew and the Uruguayan Navy took place. The match ended in a draw. And on Sunday, March 8, the crew went on an educational tour of the city and its environs.
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On March 9, the expedition representatives visited the prefect of the Port of Montevideo. Then the “Admiral Vladimirsky” left the port of Montevideo and headed to the D’Urville Sea for scientific research. After that, the ship will go to the Seychelles.
New discoveries are ahead
On board the vessel is a large group of researchers, including the scientific group of the Russian Geographical Society. The specialists are conducting hydrographic surveys, observing the development of dangerous weather phenomena along the ship’s route, studying the changes in the coastline of the sixth continent, and are going to specify the location of the south magnetic pole.
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The crew member of the research vessel, colonel, Sergey Dyakov, said that during the expedition, meteorological measurements were carried out in the Antarctic zone. "This zone is characterized by the formation of powerful cyclones, which affect the movement of ships and aviation," said Sergey Dyakov. He also noted that the data obtained during the expedition can improve the quality of meteorological forecasts.
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According to the head of the expedition, Oleg Osipov, one of the important tasks is to clarify the coastline of Antarctica. In addition, the scientists investigated the bottom topography in the area of the Bellingshausen Sea.
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“We specially installed multibeam echosounders to work both at shallow depths and at great depths - the complex allows you to capture a wide band. If you look at the map of our research area, there are blank spots, no one went there at all. Obviously, there is ice, difficult conditions," said Oleg Osipov.
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The vessel is also performing gravimetric surveys. “The presence of this data allows us to correctly determine the shape of the Earth,” the expedition leader emphasized.
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The oceanographic research vessel “Admiral Vladimirsky” was built in 1975 in Szczecin, Poland, and was originally part of the 176th separate division of oceanographic research vessels, based in Sevastopol. Now the ship is part of the Baltic Fleet. The displacement of the vessel is 9120 tons, length - 147.8 meters, the width - 18.6 meters, the draft - 6.4 meters. Cruising range - 18 thousand miles at 15 knots, crew - 170 people.