Ernst Krenkel


Ernst Teodorovich Krenkel was a Soviet Arctic explorer, radio operator, doctor of geographical sciences, and Hero of the Soviet Union. Amateur radio callsigns: U3AA, UA3AA, RAEM.

Early life

Krenkel was born in Białystok, now Poland, to a German family.

Career

Ernst Krenkel was a radioman on polar stations
He took part in Arctic expeditions on the Graf Zeppelin airship, icebreaker Sibiryakov, steamship . He was also a radioman on the first drifting ice station North Pole-1. He is known to have set a world record by establishing a long-distance radio communication between Franz Josef Land and Antarctica.
In 1938, Krenkel went on to work for Glavsevmorput. Later in his life he was employed in the radio industry. In 1951, he was hired by the scientific research institute of hydrometeorological instrument-making, becoming its director in 1969.
Ernst Krenkel was deputy of Supreme Soviet of the Soviet Union, chairman of Radio Sport Federation of the Soviet Union, chairman of Philately Society of the Soviet Union.

Biography

He wrote a book of memoirs entitled My Callsign is RAEM.

Death

Krenkel died in 1971 and was interred at the Novodevichy Cemetery.

Awards and honours