The island, together with the eastern coast of what was named Emperor Nicholas II Land, was discovered by Boris Vilkitsky at the time of the 1913 Arctic Ocean Hydrographic Expedition.
A illa, xunto coa costa do leste do que foi chamada Terra do Emperador Nicolás II, foi descuberta por Boris Vilkitsky na época da Expedición Hidrográfica do Océano Ártico de 1913.