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[SOVIET WHALING IN ANTARCTIC] Chetyre pokhoda v Antarktiku [i.e. The Four Trips to Antarctic]

Solianik, A.N.

Moscow: Pravda publishers, 1950. Item #987

30, [2] pp.: ill. 22x14 cm. Printed wrappers. Water stain on the lower part of the title page, otherwise good. Illustrated with 5 photographic images from the trips.

First and only edition. Rare. The book is dedicated to the Soviet whaling activities in Antarctic, in particular of the whaling fleet ‘Slava’ [i.e. The Fame] and is written by ‘the captain director’ of the fleet Alexey Solianik (1912-1984). Born in Vladivostok region in the naval family, Solianik was sailing in the Pacific since adolescence. In the 1930s he was the captain of the trade ship ‘Nalim’. In the 1940s he was certified as the sea captain and was in charge of the steamboat ‘Ilmen’ that was going from Vladvostok to the West Coast of America and back.

In 1946 in Liverpool (UK) he took the command of the German whaling vessel ‘Vikinger’. Originally built in UK by Swan Hunter for the Norwegian whaling tycoon Johan Karsten Rasmussen in 1929, it was accompanied by the fleet of 7 smaller whaling ships. After the financial crisis of 1931 the fleet was relocated to the Panama and was no longer active in the Antarctic whaling, mostly used for the transport of oil, before it was sold to the Germans in 1938 and was used for whaling again during the war. In 1945 it was captured by the British and for a year raised the British flag again, before it was given to USSR as a part of contribution plan and was renamed ‘Slava’.
The captain of the flagship was appointed Vladimir Voronin (1890-1952), the master veteran of Arctic navigation, the former captain of ‘Chelyuskin’ and ‘Ermak’ - arguably the two of the most famous ships of the heroic age of Soviet Arctic exploration of the 1930s. In 1928 he was the captain of the icebreaker ‘Georgia Sedov’ who participated in the rescue operation of the Italian crew of the zeppelin N-4 Italia. In 1932 Voronin has managed to sail through the Northwestern Passage for the first time in one navigation.

Voronin was the captain of ‘Slava’ for two years, until Solianik took command. ‘Slava’ became Soviet’s first and leading whaling fleet, every fishing season since 1946 it was active in the Antarctic waters. At first 50% of the crew was Norwegian but they were soon replaced by the Russians.

The book describes years from 1946 to 1949, the first four seasons. In 1947 season 824 whales were captured, compared to 1000 plus in 1948 and 1500 in 1949. The profits were calculated by 40 to 90 million roubles each year which in ompination with the growing Soviet interest into Antarctic region, was noted by the authorities and Solianik has received the order of The Hero of Socialistic Labour in 1950 - the highest non-military tribute at the time. He has remained the captain until 1958 and has participated in 14 fishing seasons with ‘Slava’ being modified and the new faster ships being added to it by the 1950s.

In the 1960s the new gigantic whaling vessels were built, the likes of ‘Sovetskaya Ukraina’ and ‘Yuri Dologrukiy’ and ‘Slava’ was sold to Japan in 1970, and it has ended its days in Taiwan in 1971, recycled to scrap-iron. Solianik has remained sea captain until 1978 when he has had a heart attack and retired at 65.

Worldcat shows copies at UC Berkeley, Amherst College, LOC and Kent State University.

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