 Zarya in 1902 during her second wintering | |
| History | |
|---|---|
 Norway | |
| Name | Harald Harfager |
| Builder | Brinchs Verft, Oslo, Norway |
| Launched | 1873 |
 Russia | |
| Name | Zarya |
| Owner | Russian Academy of Sciences |
| Builder | Brinchs Verft, Oslo, Norway |
| Cost | Purchased for ₽60,000 |
| Launched | 1873 |
| Acquired | 1899 |
| Commissioned | 1900 |
| Decommissioned | 1902 |
| In service | 1900 |
| Out of service | 1902 |
| Fate | Sunk by her crew and abandoned due to having suffered too much damage |
| General characteristics | |
| Class & type | Barque |
| Displacement | 450 tonnes |
| Draught | 5 m |
| Propulsion | Steam engine |
| Sail plan | barkentine |
| Complement | Crew of 20 |
| Armament | None |
Zarya (Russian:Заря,Sunrise orDawn) was a steam- and sail-poweredbrig used by theRussian Academy of Sciences for a polar exploration during 1900–1903.
Toward the end of the 19th century, theRussian Academy of Sciences sought to build a general-purpose research vessel for long-term expeditions. The first such Russian ship—and, for a couple of decades, the only one—wasZarya. In 1899, BaronEduard Toll, an Arctic explorer preparing to embark on a new polar voyage, bought aNorwegian three-mastedbarque calledHarald Harfager (the nickname of a King of Norway) for the cost of 60,000rubles. Toll was helped in his choice byFridtjof Nansen, who recommended to use a ship similar to hisFram. The ship had a displacement of 450 tonnes and a draught of 5 meters.
RenamedZarya, the ship was sent to the shipyard ofColin Archer inLarvik to be heavily modified in order to deal with the ice. Colin Archer, the renowned Norwegian shipbuilder, had designed and builtFritdjof Nansen's shipFram, which in 1896 had returned unscathed from its long drift in the northern polar ocean during Nansen's "Farthest North" expedition, 1893–96. Archer had also fitted outSouthern Cross for theSouthern Cross Expedition in 1897 to become a polar ship. Archer strengthenedZarja heavily with internal frames and beams and deckhouses were added and modified. The rig was changed tobarkentine (square sail on foremast only). In October 1899 the ship was certified by Norwegian authorities for a three-year expedition in the Arctic.
On June 21, 1900,Zarya leftSaint Petersburg with a crew of 20.N. N. Kolomeitsev was the commander of the ship. On July 24 she arrived at the harbour of Alexandrovsk on Murman (todayPolyarny) and then continued toward theKara Sea.Zarya made her first wintering trapped in the ice of a bay that Toll named after Colin Archer shipyard (Bukhta Kolin Archera) nearTaymyr Island. The scientists spent 11 months researching theNordenskiöld Archipelago and theTaymyr Peninsula coast. In the spring Kolomeitsev was sent on a long sledge trip by expedition leader Eduard Toll, and at this point second-in-command,Fyodor Andreyevich Matisen became the captain for the remaining part of the expedition. Member of the expedition wasAleksandr Kolchak.
In August 1901 the ship headed across theLaptev Sea towards theNew Siberian Islands, searching for the legendarySannikov Land (Zemlya Sannikova), but was soon blocked by floatingpack ice. During 1902 the attempts to reach Sannikov Land continued whileZarya was trapped in fast ice. Leaving the ship, Baron Toll and three companions went in search of the elusive land, one of the main objects of the expedition. They vanished in November 1902 while travelling away fromBennett Island towards the south on loose ice floes.
Badly beaten by the ice, and beyond any hope of repair,Zarya was finally moored east of thedelta of the riverLena, in theBay of Tiksi on the lee side ofBrusneva Island, never to leave the place again. Instead of the Russian flag, she flew the flag of theNeva Yacht Club, the oldest yacht club in Russia, until she was stripped of all equipment and her hull was allowed to fill with water. Captain Matisen returned toYakutsk and the remaining members of the expedition left for Saint Petersburg.
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Today, the city museum inPolyarny, Russia keeps documents and artifacts related to the expedition.[1]
An island in the vicinity ofCape Chelyuskin (Остров Заря) at77°37′N104°24′E / 77.617°N 104.400°E /77.617; 104.400, as well as a peninsula east of theMiddendorff Bay (полуостров Заря) and the strait betweenBelkovsky Island andKotelny Island were named Zarya to commemorate this Russian polar ship.