July 29, 2011
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Leaving Murmansk and heading for the White Sea along the Kola Peninsula we made a very unusual stop at
Morzohvets Island, a Soviet military installation throughout the Cold War.
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With Nine men, five children (there for the summer) and two dogs this visit was as much a surprise for them as it was for us!
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We are the first expedition ship - foreign or Russian Flagged - to venture onto this remote Russian Island. The signs of former military life surround us, rusting along the shore.
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The lighthouse is the one landmark that could be seen from anywhere within the small settlement. Still in use today it signals the approach to this low -lying island from sea.
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These days
Morzohvets is primarily still used as a
meteorological station to gather information for the
Hydrometeorology Office.
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Change has come to Russia, and she is slowly opening her doors to Western exploration once again. What a privilege to be amongst the first to experience this new dimension!
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