Krenkel Ernst Teodorovich - Soviet polar explorer, radio operator: biography, family

Whoever the Heroes of the Soviet Union were. In their circles met writers, musicians, public figures, teachers. Krenkel Ernst Teodorovich also joined their ranks, as one of the best polar explorers and radio operators.

Youth

Krenkel Ernst Teodorovich - Soviet radio operator, polar explorer and participant of many expeditions in the Arctic, was born on December 24, 1903 in the city of Bialystok. Then this territory belonged to the Russian Empire, today it is Poland. Being representatives of the working intelligentsia and possessing a decent income, the Krenkel family did everything to ensure that their children received a decent education.

Moving to Moscow took place in 1910. Already three years later the boy began to study at the gymnasium at the Swiss church, however, the war that began did not give him a chance to finish it. The times were difficult and the young man, not disdaining even the most difficult work, took up her to help his parents. He packed parcels, was an assistant mechanic, posted posters and helped the electrician. But this was not enough for a capable young man, and already in 1921 he took courses in radio telegraphy lasting nine months. It was this step that changed his whole life.

Beginning of the work path

On his first job, he fell into the distribution. It was Luberetskaya radio station. And this despite the fact that graduates of such courses are usually the first thing sent to the labor exchange in search of work. Deciding to continue improving his skills, Krenkel entered the radio engineering school. Two years later he abandoned his work and studies. He was drawn to the sea, and he went to Leningrad with firm intentions to get on the fleet. But instead he got on his first expedition to the Arctic Ocean. Other radio operators did not agree - the salary is small, the duration of the whole year. Ernst was not scared and went on an expedition.

It turned out that his character warehouse, goodwill, a good sense of humor - just what you need for a real polar explorer. Krenkel's call sign was RAEM, his radio operators and polar explorers in the whole North knew. In 1929 there was an expedition to the l / n "G. Sedov ". After the international expedition on the airship "Graf Zeppelin", and many others that have become significant in the history of studying the Arctic.

Station "North Pole 1"

In 1936, after returning to Moscow, Ernst for a while did not do anything special. However, in May 1937 he and three other polar explorers landed on the ice of the North Pole. The leadership of this expedition was headed by ID Papanin. They started working at the station "North Pole 1". The program of work included observations of a different nature: meteorological, oceanographic, geophysical, oceanological.

In order to make observations as valuable as possible, all their results were required to be sent promptly and regularly to scientific centers. And it depended on radio communication. The Soviet polar explorer and radio operator Krenkel coped well with this task, even despite the difficult weather conditions and heavy workload. He sent all the reports four times a day.

He managed, in addition to his basic duties, to keep in touch with a huge number of shortwave amateurs. He also enthusiastically helped his colleagues in the expedition. The station was drifting, so no one was surprised that one day the ice floe collapsed and the whole team left its tent. The radio station was done after in the open air, but even this did not prevent Ernst from continuing to transmit information. Thanks to this, icebreaker steamships still came to the station and helped polar explorers. The work of the expedition was deservedly evaluated.

Reading the memory of our ancestors

Krenkel Ernst Teodorovich always remembered the history of his family and never was ashamed of her. His ancestors came to Russia from Germany, and he himself was of German origin. They arrived to watch the sheep. In the XIX century, his ancestor was an ordinary baker who worked in Kharkov. In the same city, Ernst's father was born. Father called Theodore, but his father, that is, the grandfather of a Soviet polar explorer, was called Ernst. His son also named the polar explorer in honor of his father, Theodore, continuing his unspoken family tradition.

Grandmother Krenkel gave the word that her son Theodore will devote himself to God, truly believing that he survived, only thanks to the help of the Almighty. Thus, Theodore entered the theological faculty and even prepared to eventually become a pastor. But suddenly he suddenly decided to change his life and went to the philological faculty. So he became a teacher of Latin and German. Ernst's mother, Maria Kestner, was also a teacher.

Recognized hero

The activities of the Soviet radio operator and polar explorer did not go unnoticed. Krenkel Ernst Teodorovich received the most honorable award - the title of Hero of the Soviet Union. In addition, among his awards:

• Order of the Red Banner of Labor;

• Two Orders of the Red Star ;

• Two Orders of Lenin;

But on this honorable regalia it did not end. In its part the streets of many cities are named: Moscow, Donetsk, Krasny Klyuch, Ekaterinburg, Mariupol. In addition, his name is the polar station of hydrometeorology on the Franz Josef Land archipelago, as well as the bay in the Northern Land archipelago near the island of Komsomolets.

Krenkel Museum

Another very significant tribute to the polar explorer is the opening of a museum named after him. The museum named after E.T. Krenkel is located in Moscow. It was created in 2005, and the exhibits were taken from the collection of the Central Radio Club of the USSR. Only 3,000 copies. You can get there absolutely free of charge, but only having previously agreed on the time of your visit.