Boris Vilkitsky, a famous a Russian hydrographer and Arctic researcher was born on April 3, 1885. Thanks to his work, Russia received new lands: in 1915 Emperor Nicholas II Land and Tsarevich Alexei Strait were put on the map. Today, this archipelago between the Laptev and Kara seas is known as Severnaya Zemlya. And the strait separating it from the Taymyr peninsula now bears the researcher’s name, the Vilkitsky Strait.
Boris Vilkitsky was the son of hydrographer Andrey Ippolitovich Vilkitsky. In 1903 he graduated from the Naval Cadet School. He participated in the Russo-Japanese War of 1904–1905. Being defeated, the Tsarist Government of Russia realized the importance of developing the Northern Sea Route. Thus in 1913, it organized the Arctic hydrographic expedition. Vilkitsky led this expedition.
The icebreaking steam ships "Taimyr" and "Vaigach" were built for this expedition. The expedition was aimed at exploring the coast and islands of the Arctic Ocean. In 1913 the expedition discovered Emperor Nicholas II Land (now known as Severnaya Zemlya), Tsarevich Alexei Island (Small Taymyr) and Starokadomsky Island. And in 1914-1915, Boris Vilkitsky made his first through voyage from Vladivostok to Arkhangelsk on the Northern Sea Route.
This expedition brought him prominence and international recognition. Members of the expedition received congratulations from geographical societies from all over the world. Vilkitsky was awarded the prestigious Constantine Medal by the Russian Geographical Society, the Gold Medal of the Paris Geographical Society and Gold Medal of the Swedish Academy of Sciences.
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The expedition ended during the height of the First World War. Vilkitsky considered it his duty to postpone the study of the Arctic and wrote a report about a transfer to the Baltic Fleet. He was appointed commander of the destroyer "Letun", whose team took an active part in combat operations of the Baltic Fleet. The officer was awarded the St. George's weapon for successful mine installations on the enemy’s shores.
In June 1918, Vilkitsy went to the hydrographic expedition again. At that time the situation in the country was hard. The occupation of Soviet Ukraine left the northern regions without food. The famine was developing. There were reserves of grain in Western Siberia, but they could have been delivered only along the Northern Sea Route. Boris Vilkitsky was entrusted to organize this expedition. As directed by Lenin, one million rubles was allocated to Vilkitsky; he was also given a paper authorizing to use any vessels and equipment of the Baltic Fleet.
Early August 1918, Arkhangelsk was seized by the interventionists and Vilkitsky went over to their side. He continued the expedition but to serve the interventionists’ interests already. In February 1920, Vilkitsky immigrated to Norway and from there to London.
Later in his life, Vilkitsky still had interest in the Russian North and made a number of suggestions concerning the shipping through the Kara Sea Route. So in 1923 and 1924, he led expeditions in the Kara Sea at the invitation of the Soviet foreign trade organizations. With great enthusiasm he followed the Russian polar researchers’ achievements in the development of the Northern Sea Route.
Boris Vilkitsky died in Brussels in 1961. In 1996, as part of the 300 anniversary of the Russian Fleet celebrations, his remains were taken to St. Petersburg and buried at Smolensky Cemetery.