78 
graphical boundaries of the Soviet sector of the Arctic between meridi- 
ans 32°04'35'' E. longitude and 168°49'30’’ W. longitude. Within 
the boundaries of the indicated sector, the Soviet Union claims to 
exercise full sovereignty of all ‘‘land and islands located in the Arctic 
Ocean, north of the coast of the Soviet Union, as far as the North 
Pole.” 
With respect to development of the northern region, the first ice-air 
reconnaissance was made in 1924. Two years later landing and taking 
off from the ice was mastered. Gradually, the aviation began regular 
ice-air reconnaissance and thus Polar Aviation was developed.™ The 
network of Polar Station had been growing steadily. In December 
1932, by the special resolution of the Council of People’s Commissars 
of the U.S.S.R., the Main Directorate of the Northern Sea Route, 
Glav Sev Mor Put’, was organized. This organization, with extremely 
wide range of responsibilities, played a very important role in the 
development of Soviet Arctic in general and northern sea route in 
particular. The Soviet mastery of the route was demonstrated in 1939. 
Prior to World War II, duration of navigation reached over 100 days 
in the western part of the northern sea route and over 70 days 
in its eastern part. 
To the best knowledge of this writer, the only passage of a foreign 
warship along the northern sea route took place in 1940, when after 
signing of Soviet-German Pact, a German raider, classified as Auxiliary 
Cruiser and called Ship 45 (Comet) made a successful passage to 
Pacific, assisted by Soviet pilotage and the ice-breaker, Stalin. While 
in Pacific the Ship 45, in cooperation with the other German raider 
Ship 36, and alone sank several allied and neutral merchant ships. 
During the war the route was used to all possible extent, including 
the transportation of lend-lease supply from the United States initially 
delivered to the Soviet Far East. Each year tens of ships passed 
from the Pacific toward the west being accompanied in the western 
part of the route by convoys. Germany’s effort to interrupt this rather 
important transportation artery by employing submarines, raiders, and 
aviation, though resulting in some losses, was generally unsuccessful, 
due to a number of factors among which climatic conditions, size 
of the forces employed, and lack of reconnaissance were the major 
ones. 
After the war the efforts for further mastering of the northern 
sea route continued. Systematic, planned research in the Arctic was 
intensified during the period of 1948-51, followed by 3 years of 
passivity. After 1954 the Soviet Union has maintained at least two 
drifting stations on the ice. The total number of these stations in 
a 34-year period, starting with 1937 I. Papanin Station has been 
20.% Polar aviation was reinforced with a greater number and better 
quality of aircraft. By the mid 1950’s the northern sea route was 
fully operational. 
*’“Miorskoy Sbornik” No. 6, 1970, pp. 83-88. 
*4““Morskoy Flot” No. 9, 1967, pp. 9-11. 
%> Vodnyy Transport, 15 December 1970. 
