Silver, gilding, enamel.
Size 41.7 × 30.9 mm.
Weight 15.54 g.
Marked with workshop mark "SM/СМ" in a diamond-shaped shield for Moscow workshop "Stilmet/Стильмет" [lit. abbreviation for "Steel and Metal"] and Moscow District Assay Office for silver [in an oval shield: 916, worker's head to the right, delta].
Obverse
Cпасательная арктическая экспедиция - Rescue Arctic Expedition
1928 г. - 1928 year
Осоавиахим СССР - Osoaviakhim USSR
Marks.
Original case.
The rescue of the expedition of Umberto Nobile by icebreaker Krasin
15 April 1928 the Italia airship commanded by the famous polar explorer and airship constructor Umberto Nobile left Milan in Italy and on May 8 it reached Kings Bay in Spitsbergen (Svalbard). They were going to explore the unknown territories and reach the North Pole.
On May 23, the Italia airship with a crew of 16 people flew along the coastline of Greenland and on May 24 reached the North Pole. During the return flight from the North Pole on May 25 Italia crashed in about 120 km from North East Land, Spitsbergen. The airship broke apart and left 9 persons survived and 1 dead on the ice and 6 more crew flown away on the envelope and a part of the gondola. They have never been found.
Some equipment and food were found by the nine survivors at the place of the crash and they could establish a tent and repair a portable transmitter. On May 30, 3 people (Malmgren, Zappi and Mariano) left the camp in attempt to reach Kings Bay on foot. On June 3 a Soviet amateur radio operator heard the SOS signal from Italia and the radio connection with the survivors was established.
The rescue operation included several attempts to reach the crash zone by planes. One of them was implemented by the famous polar explorer Roald Amundsen. His plane disappeared during the mission and was never found.
On June 23 the Swedish pilot Lundborg managed to land and almost forcibly took Umberto Nobile to the base ship Citta di Milano. However, during the next rescue flight his plane crashed and the pilot was trapped with the others.
Icebreaker Krasin https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Krassin_(1916_icebreaker)
Soon after the crash, a rescue committee was established in Moscow. Soviet Union had two powerful icebreakers, Lenin and Krasin and a smaller icebreaker Malygin. They sent Krasin and Malygin to save the Italia crew. Krasin left Leningrad on June the 16th under the command of Captain Carl Eggi and expedition leader Professor Samoilovitch, total crew 136 (including 7 journalists). The icebreaker had a plane on board under the command of pilot Boris Chukhnovsky.
11 June Chukhnovsky found Mariano and Zappi (Malmgren died earlier). Nobile and his group established a camp on the ice, erecting a tent which was coloured red to make it more conspicuous from the air. Krasin reached the "Red Tent" and rescued the survivors and Lundborg on 12 July 1928.
Krasin also rescued two men, Zappi and Mariano, who, along with Finn Malmgren had left the camp in an attempt to walk to Svalbard. When the two Italians were rescued Zappi was wearing some of Malmgren's clothing and there were serious fears that cannibalism had occurred. Krasin returned to a tumultuous welcome in Leningrad, and the ship was awarded the Order of the Red Banner of Labor. All crew members were awarded with the "Osoaviakhim USSR badge for the members of the 1928 rescue expedition on the icebreaker Krasin/знак Осоавиахима СССР для участников спасательной экспедиции 1928 г. на ледоколе Красин/.
Krasin's crew.
In September 1928 ice breaker Krasin made second expedition to find 6 crew members disappeared with Italia. However it wasn't successful.
Size 41.7 × 30.9 mm.
Weight 15.54 g.
Marked with workshop mark "SM/СМ" in a diamond-shaped shield for Moscow workshop "Stilmet/Стильмет" [lit. abbreviation for "Steel and Metal"] and Moscow District Assay Office for silver [in an oval shield: 916, worker's head to the right, delta].
Obverse
Cпасательная арктическая экспедиция - Rescue Arctic Expedition
1928 г. - 1928 year
Осоавиахим СССР - Osoaviakhim USSR
Marks.
Original case.
The rescue of the expedition of Umberto Nobile by icebreaker Krasin
15 April 1928 the Italia airship commanded by the famous polar explorer and airship constructor Umberto Nobile left Milan in Italy and on May 8 it reached Kings Bay in Spitsbergen (Svalbard). They were going to explore the unknown territories and reach the North Pole.
On May 23, the Italia airship with a crew of 16 people flew along the coastline of Greenland and on May 24 reached the North Pole. During the return flight from the North Pole on May 25 Italia crashed in about 120 km from North East Land, Spitsbergen. The airship broke apart and left 9 persons survived and 1 dead on the ice and 6 more crew flown away on the envelope and a part of the gondola. They have never been found.
Some equipment and food were found by the nine survivors at the place of the crash and they could establish a tent and repair a portable transmitter. On May 30, 3 people (Malmgren, Zappi and Mariano) left the camp in attempt to reach Kings Bay on foot. On June 3 a Soviet amateur radio operator heard the SOS signal from Italia and the radio connection with the survivors was established.
The rescue operation included several attempts to reach the crash zone by planes. One of them was implemented by the famous polar explorer Roald Amundsen. His plane disappeared during the mission and was never found.
On June 23 the Swedish pilot Lundborg managed to land and almost forcibly took Umberto Nobile to the base ship Citta di Milano. However, during the next rescue flight his plane crashed and the pilot was trapped with the others.
Icebreaker Krasin https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Krassin_(1916_icebreaker)
Soon after the crash, a rescue committee was established in Moscow. Soviet Union had two powerful icebreakers, Lenin and Krasin and a smaller icebreaker Malygin. They sent Krasin and Malygin to save the Italia crew. Krasin left Leningrad on June the 16th under the command of Captain Carl Eggi and expedition leader Professor Samoilovitch, total crew 136 (including 7 journalists). The icebreaker had a plane on board under the command of pilot Boris Chukhnovsky.
11 June Chukhnovsky found Mariano and Zappi (Malmgren died earlier). Nobile and his group established a camp on the ice, erecting a tent which was coloured red to make it more conspicuous from the air. Krasin reached the "Red Tent" and rescued the survivors and Lundborg on 12 July 1928.
Krasin also rescued two men, Zappi and Mariano, who, along with Finn Malmgren had left the camp in an attempt to walk to Svalbard. When the two Italians were rescued Zappi was wearing some of Malmgren's clothing and there were serious fears that cannibalism had occurred. Krasin returned to a tumultuous welcome in Leningrad, and the ship was awarded the Order of the Red Banner of Labor. All crew members were awarded with the "Osoaviakhim USSR badge for the members of the 1928 rescue expedition on the icebreaker Krasin/знак Осоавиахима СССР для участников спасательной экспедиции 1928 г. на ледоколе Красин/.
Krasin's crew.
In September 1928 ice breaker Krasin made second expedition to find 6 crew members disappeared with Italia. However it wasn't successful.