Cheliuskin

"Cheliuskin" was a Soviet steamship ice-bound in Arctic waters during the navigation along the Northern Maritime Route. It was named after the 18th century Russian polar explorer Cheliuskin. Its crew members were known as "Cheliuskintsi".

The steamship had been drifting together with the ice fields before sinking on February 13 1934, crushed by the icepacks. The crew managed to disembark on ice and, with the help of a tractor, built a makeshift airstrip. They were rescued in April of the same year (flown by the aircraft to the town of Uelen).

The aircraft pilots who took active part in search and rescue operations were among the first people to receive the newly-established highest title of the Hero of the Soviet Union.