Dear Colleagues,
On January 31, the Institute celebrated its 78th anniversary since its establishment through the reorganization of the Laboratory of Oceanology of the USSR Academy of Sciences in 1946.

We congratulate the employees of the Shirshov Institute of Oceanology of the Russian Academy of Sciences on their birthday - the establishment of the Institute of Oceanology through the reorganization of the Laboratory of Oceanology on January 31, 1946, headed by Doctor of Geographical Sciences, Minister of the Navy of the USSR, Academician Pеtr Petrovich Shirshov. However, this was already the second step or second initiation, when the Resolution of the Council of People's Commissars of December 24, 1945 No. 3157 of the USSR Academy of Sciences ordered the reorganization of the Laboratory of Oceanology into the Institute of Oceanology of the USSR Academy of Sciences, which was carried out by the corresponding Order of the Presidium of the USSR Academy of Sciences of January 31, 1946. The Institute of Oceanology of the USSR Academy of Sciences was instructed to “conduct research on the ocean and seas based on the idea of the unity of physical, chemical, biological and geological processes occurring in the seas and oceans.” The resolution was signed by the President of the USSR Academy of Sciences S.I. Vavilov and prepared by the academician P.P. Shirshov and Professor V.G. Bogorov. Since April 1, 1946, most of the scientific staff of the Laboratory of Oceanology have headed the following scientific divisions of the Institute:

Professor Lev Aleksandrovich Zenkevich - benthos laboratory;
Doctor of Physical and Mathematical Sciences Vladimir Borisovich Shtokman – physics department;
Doctor of Geographical Sciences Vsevolod Pavlovich Zenkovich – geological department;
Professor Pyotr Ivanovich Usachev – plankton laboratory;
Doctor of Biological Sciences Vasily Iosifovich Kalinenko - bacteriological laboratory.

However, in fact, the history of the Institute of Oceanology begins 5 years before this moment - on January 14, 1941, when, by the Resolution of the Presidium of the USSR Academy of Sciences, signed by the President of the USSR Academy of Sciences, Academician V.L. Komarov and vice-president academician O.Yu. Schmidt, the Laboratory of Oceanology of the USSR Academy of Sciences was created. The laboratory was instructed: “In order to develop complex oceanological research, organize a Laboratory of Oceanology at the Department of Geological and Geographical Sciences of the USSR Academy of Sciences.” In fact, the history of the institute begins from this date.

The first employee of the Laboratory of Oceanology, even in the absence of its director, was Doctor of Biological Sciences (later corresponding member of the USSR Academy of Sciences) Veniamin Grigorievich Bogorov. By a resolution of the Presidium of the USSR Academy of Sciences dated March 4, 1941, he was appointed to the post of deputy director of this Laboratory. By a resolution of the Presidium of the USSR Academy of Sciences dated March 11, 1941, Academician Petr Petrovich Shirshov, Doctor of Geographical Sciences, Minister of the Navy of the USSR, was appointed director of the Laboratory of Oceanology.

For more information about the history of the creation of the Institute of Oceanology, see the article:

DOI: 10.29006/1564-2291.JOR-2021.49(3).2.