Valerian Ivanovich Albanov

Valerian Ivanovich Albanov was a navigator, Arctic explorer and writer. He was born in Ufa into a doctor's family. At seventeen he entered the Saint Petersburg School of Long-Distance Navigation, and during the Russo-Japanese War he served in the Baltic Fleet. After completing the seamanship classes, Albanov worked on various ships in the Baltic Sea, and later as first mate on the steamer Ob on the Yenisei.

In 1912 Albanov took part in Georgy Brusilov's Arctic expedition on the schooner St. Anna. The vessel became trapped in the ice and a long drift began. In 1914 Albanov, with a group of sailors, undertook a hazardous crossing over the ice to Franz Josef Land. Of the entire party only he and one companion survived. The fate of the crew of the St. Anna who remained with Brusilov remained unknown. In 1917 Albanov suffered a nervous breakdown and left military service.

After leaving service Albanov continued to work at sea, holding positions as an icebreaker captain, first mate and hydrographer in Arctic expeditions. Albanov died in 1919. The exact cause of death is not established: according to one version he died of illness; according to another he perished in a train explosion.