Gaudis Alexander Ivanovich 
(24.06.1916–11.08.1959)

Engineer-hydrograph Arctic and Antarctic Research Institute. 
Born in Ufa, his father did not know. He received the surname and patronymic from his stepfather, who adopted him. Until 1929, he lived in Poltava, and then moved to his aunt's upbringing in Leningrad, with which his whole subsequent life was connected. 
In 1935, Gaudis graduated from an 8-month course of hydrograph technicians, and in the same year after the Arctic expedition, he entered the Hydrographic Institute of the Main Directorate of the Northern Sea Route and after graduating in 1940, he graduated as an engineer-hydrograph. Without a break from studying at the institute in 1938-1939. He was trained in the school of pilots at the Leningrad Aero Club. 
In 1940, Gaudis was called to the Navy on the Baltic Fleet Hydrographic Expedition, first as a producer and then as a senior producer of aerial photography. With his participation, a ground-based stereo-photogrammetric method for detecting enemy batteries by firing flashes was developed.
In August 1942, during the preparation of the Sinyavino operation, the staff of the photogrammetric detachment Gaudis and A.G. Pozharsky, showing courage and ingenuity, created a photo panorama of the line of enemy fortifications. 
After graduating from the Higher Hydrographic Courses for the officers in 1943, he was sent as a teacher of aerial photography to the Higher Naval School named after M.V. Frunze. Simultaneously with teaching at the school named after M.V. Frunze Gaudis taught the courses “Aerial Photography”, “Aerial Photography”, “Stereophotogrammetry” at the  Naval Academy named after A.N. Krylov,  Higher Arctic Marine School of. S.O. Makarov and Leningrad State University, organized aerial photography teams in Giprovoenproekt, Lengiprorechtrans, Lenmorproekt, conducting training on the practical application of aerial photography techniques in sea and river surveys. In the summer, as part of the expeditions of these organizations, Lieutenant Colonel Gaudis participated in expeditions to the White, Baltic, Azov Seas, in the construction of the Volga-Don Canal. He also conducted theoretical and practical photography classes with employees of the Military Prosecutor’s Office, repeatedly traveling to the scene of incidents. “All classes, both theoretical and practical, Comrade. Gaudis conducted with the operational staff without any payment, but in order to provide us with the necessary assistance at that time in investigative work. Help provided by Comrade. Gaudis helped many operative workers to master the photo and use it in their daily investigative work”, - said in the certificate of the prosecutor of one of the military units. 
In 1953, Gaudis demobilized and entered the Arctic and Antarctic Research Institute, in which work was associated with expeditions to the Arctic. In the course of one of them, testing new equipment, he tragically died in the accident of the plane at Cape Shelagsky.

In this accident, seven people died immediately, four were injured, three of them, including Gaudis, died shortly. Here is the one given in the book by V.E. Borodachev and V.I. Shilnikov, “History of Ice Aviation Intelligence”, the story of the aircraft commander Yu.M. Kulev: “We finished reconnaissance and were on the way to Shelagsky metro station. Another 25 minutes before landing at the Apapelhino airport decided to leave the pilot’s cabin for a minute to find out from Gaudis how the photo equipment worked out in this flight. The weather is great. Having received information from Alexander Ivanovich, I took the first step towards the pilot's cabin. At that moment there was a tremendous force. I flew into the cockpit, and then the second blow of the same force turned off my mind. I came to when Ivan began to pull me out of the cabin and then out of the plane. And now let Ivan continue the story”.  
After the second strike, Ivan began, I lost consciousness for a while. And when I came to myself, I realized that we were “nagging” at Cape Shelagsky. The co-pilot decided not to bypass Cape Shelagsky, but to go over it directly to the airport Apapelhino. When approaching Cape Shelagsky with a stock wind, the plane that was flying on autopilot was thrown down. The co-pilot, who controlled the aircraft, turned off the autopilot with a delay and nevertheless managed to lift the nose upwards, but failed to cross the Cape Shelagsky. The plane Li-2 hit the very top of the cape. The blow was not a frontal one. The plane threw up, but in the path of the plane was a huge boulder into which the plane crashed”.  Then Ivan pulled the living and the dead from the plane. He was called by a seriously wounded navigator: 
- It is necessary to urgently drag the living away from the plane, tanks will soon begin to tear. 
“I'll start with you”. 
The navigator categorically objected: 
“First, remove the commander and other survivors from the plane, and I am useless”. 
Sasha Gaudis sat up, sat down. The hand is held by the side, and blood is shed between the fingers. I tell him: 
"Alexander Ivanovich, I will now drag you away from the plane". 
He shook his head. He said nothing, only pointed to the commander and lay on his back. Having towed Kulev and then the heavy captain-mentor Bondarenko over the boulder, I returned to Alexander Ivanovich and Viktor. Already, none of them showed signs of life". 
He was buried in St. Petersburg at the Bolsheokhtinsky cemetery. 
Glacier on Kane Island in the archipelago of Franz-Josef Land. The name was approved by the Arkhangelsk Regional Executive Committee in 1963 (Decision No. 651).