Explorers of the Ministry of Defense and the RGS Discover an Underwater Object Near Novaya Zemlya

Фото пресс-службы Минобороны России

A ten-meter-long underwater object was discovered near Novaya Zemlya by the participants of a complex expedition within the framework of the project "The Main Face of Russia. History, Events, People", which is carried out by the Northern Fleet and the 12th Main Directorate of the Russian Ministry of Defense with the participation of the Russian Geographical Society. The find will help reveal the secrets of the first years of the development of the archipelago.

The object in the Yenisei Gulf was found by the crew of the BL-820 boat under the command of the captain 2nd rank Ivan Okatov. Side-scan sonar "saw" it at a depth of eight meters. Deciphering and analysis of the obtained materials allow us to assert that this is a wooden ship. Weather conditions have not yet allowed for a detailed examination.

The work will continue in the near future, the press service of the Ministry of Defense notes. It is assumed that the found object may turn out to be the ship "Yenisei", which provided the work of the expedition of Pyotr Pakhtusov, and disappeared in 1832.

On August 15, 2021, an underwater technical team consisting of specialists working with standard modern hydroacoustic and recording equipment, as well as robots began to explore promising areas where the discovery of sunken ships from the times of the Pomor voyages, as well as later periods, is most likely. The BL-820 boat of the 12th Main Directorate of the Russian Ministry of Defense is being used for the exploration. Rescue and diving support is assigned to the “Zvezdochka” rescue tug of the Northern Fleet.

During the work, the areas in the Mityushikha and Serebryanka bays, in the Yenisei Bay and the Krotov Strait were explored. Determining the areas was preceded by extensive work with archival materials and primary sources.