This day in history:
On January 28, 1821, Russian navigators Thaddeus Bellingshausen and Mikhail Lazarev on the sloops Vostok and Mirny discovered a new continent - Antarctica, the largest geographical discovery of the last two centuries. A lot has been written about this expedition and its details are widely known.
But much fewer people know about another Russian expedition, which began simultaneously with the campaign of the Vostok and Mirny. On the same day, July 16 (July 3, old style), 1819.
Today's story is about her...
The expedition of Captain Vasiliev was appointed for research in the North Polar Sea and, especially, to find a passage through the Bering Strait to the Atlantic Ocean.
The sloops “Otkrytie” and “Blagomarnenny”, assigned to the command of captains Vasiliev and Shishmarev, under the chief command of the former, were supplied with all supplies in the same way as the detachment assigned to the South Polar Sea. Most of the provisions of both ships were placed on the “Blagomarnenny”, which, by the way, also contained parts of a disassembled boat, which was intended to inventory the shallow shores.
On July 3, 1819, Captain Vasiliev’s detachment left Kronstadt. Following along with the sloops “Vostok” and “Mirny”, they called at Copenhagen and Portsmouth, from which captain Vasiliev departed on August 30. Ten days later he passed the parallel of Gibraltar, and on September 20, a little north of the tropics, he received an NO trade wind, which sometimes departed to OSO and generally blew unevenly. Having spent almost two weeks in a zone of variable winds, he continued sailing to the coast of Brazil, first with the SO trade wind, and then with the coastal NO, and on November 1 dropped anchor in Rio Janeiro. The next day, Captain Bellingshausen’s detachment also arrived there.
Three weeks later, Captain Vasiliev followed further, heading to the Cape of Good Hope. Taking advantage of strong westerly winds, he passed the meridian of this cape on December 24 at a distance of 12 miles.
From here the sloops continued sailing with the same W and NW winds to the port of Jackson, where they arrived in mid-February of the following 1820.
Having refreshed the crews and made new supplies of provisions and water, they left from here in mid-March, and on April 23 crossed the equator at longitude 172° O. On this transition, from the sloop "Blagomanyerny" they discovered a group of sixteen wooded inhabited islands, named after this ship and identified in latitude 8 7 S and latitude 162 O¹.
Mikhail Vasilievich Vasiliev (1770 – 06/23/1847). Since 1835 - vice admiral.
On May 13, Captain Vasiliev sent the sloop “Blagomarnennyi” to the island of Unalaska for interpreters for the North Americans, assigning Kotzebue Sound as a junction point. On June 4, Captain Vasiliev arrived at the port of Petropavlovsk, and on the 3rd, Captain Shishmarev arrived at Unalaska.
At the end of June, Captain Vasiliev left the port of Petropavlovsk. On July 14, he passed the Bering Strait in sight of the American coast, and on the 16th he arrived at the Kotzebue Sound and connected with the sloop "Blagonyarnenny", which had arrived there five days earlier. Having not received interpreters at Unalaska, Captain Shishmarev took four canoes with oarsmen there. On the way to the Kotzebue Sound, he passed through the very place where the map indicated Ratmanov Island (discovered by Captain Kotzebue on his first voyage), but did not see it, although he later reached the easternmost cape of Asia.
Gleb Semenovich Shishmarev (1781 – 10/22/1835) Since 1829 – rear admiral
On July 18, Captain Vasiliev with both sloops went to sea. Following the American coast to the north, on the 29th he reached latitude 71°6" N, longitude 166°8" W and encountered ice here. Although he did not consider this ice to be continuous, but, not having a good longboat or other small vessel for research at shallow coastal depths and constrained by fogs, he decided to return.
On July 31 we headed south. Having approached the island of St. Lawrence and entrusting the completion of the survey of its shores to Captain Shishmarev, Captain Vasiliev went from here to the shores of America, from which, however, he soon returned due to the decrease in the depth of the sea. On August 19, he arrived on the island of Unalaska, examining the islands of Paul and George along the way. Three days later the sloop “Blagonomerenny” arrived there.
This was the extent of the first attempt at sailing in the Polar Sea. Convinced of the need to have a small sailing vessel with the detachment, Captain Vasiliev went to Novo-Arkhangelsk, where he considered it most convenient to assemble a boat from the members available on the Blagoinamennye, and where he then hoped to receive interpreters for communication with the inhabitants of the polar shores of America. In mid-September both sloops arrived in Sitkha.
Having entrusted Lieutenant Ignatiev with building the boat, Captain Vasiliev and his detachment set off for the port of St. Francisco on October 27. Here he spent the winter, and in mid-February (1821) he went to sea to stock up on fresh provisions on the Sandwich Islands. On the way to this archipelago, Captain Vasiliev, like many others, looked in vain for the island of Maria Laxara, designated on the maps of Arrosmith.
Having stood in the harbor of Honolulu from March 25 to April 7, both sloops set off for Novo-Arkhangelsk and, arriving there around mid-May, found the boat completely ready and interpreters found. On the 30th of the same month, taking with him the newly built boat, Captain Vasiliev set off to sea.
On June 12 we arrived on the island of Unalaska. During this passage, by the way, it turned out that the boat was not able to stay with the sloops, which is why the Otkritie was forced to have it in tow.
Due to the shortness of the remaining time for sailing in the Polar Sea, Captain Vasiliev considered it best to separate the sloop “Blagomarnenny”, instructing Captain Shishmarev to explore the coast of Asia north of the Bering Strait and find a passage to the Atlantic Ocean there, or, in case of failure, an inventory of the Chukotka land; and he himself wanted to describe the coast between Bristol Bay and Norton Bay, then go north along the coast of America and look for a northern passage on this side. The boat remained with Captain Vasiliev.
Repeating once again the definition of the islands of Paul and George, Captain Vasiliev instructed Lieutenant Avinov, who commanded the boat, to remove the coast between Capes Nevengam and Derby, and then connect with him, by July 20, at the island. Stuart (in Norton Bay); if the sloop is not found there, or the work is not completed by that time, then go straight to the Petropavlovsk port. Vasiliev himself, with his sloop, went to Norton Bay and on the way there, on July 21, discovered the island of Nunivok, which, however, did not have time to photograph, because he was in a hurry to the Polar Sea. Continuing the journey to the north, on the 20th he stopped at Cape Derby, and not finding a boat there, he went further. Saw Cape Lisburn on the 31st.
Following along the coast with fog and variable winds, on August 3 he reached latitude 70°40" N in longitude 161°27" W and here again he encountered solid ice from W through N to NO. Wanting to inspect the ice cape, he descended lower and on August 4 identified it at latitude 70°33" N. Having then withstood a severe storm, during which the sloop was almost crushed by the surrounding ice, Captain Vasiliev headed south and left the Arctic Sea on the 9th , passing Cape Lisburn.
From here he went again to Cape Derby and Stewart Island, where he learned from the inhabitants that they had not seen any ship, and headed his way to Kamchatka. On September 8, he arrived at the port of Petropavlovsk. Here he also found the boat of Lieutenant Avinov, who during this time described part of the coast from Cape Nevengam to the north, but was forced to stop the work before finishing it for the reason that scurvy began to appear in his crew, and the boat itself had bad qualities.
Meanwhile, Captain Shishmarev, following from Unalaska to the north, on June 4 saw a previously unknown coast, which, however, due to its shallow depth, he could not examine in more detail (later it turned out that it was Cape Rumyantsov, lying at the entrance from the south to Norton Bay). Having described the northern coast of the island of St. Lawrence, captain Shishmarev entered the bay of the same name on the mainland, and then continued sailing off the coast of Asia. Often encountering ice and contrary winds, on July 21 he descended to the American coast and laid anchor near Cape Mulgrave at latitude 67° 34´ N. Having stocked up here with firewood from the waste forest, the next day he set off again to the shores of Asia, but the ice again they did not allow him there and forced him to turn north. On August 1st the sloop was at latitude 70°13" N, and on the 4th they saw Cape Heart-Kamen. Meeting constant obstacles from ice, storms and contrary winds, Captain Shishmarev decided to go from here to Mechigmensky Bay, where he hoped to reinforce the crew with fresh stocks.
Having received everything he needed in this place from the Chukchi, in mid-August he moved to the island of St. Lawrence to complete the survey of its northern coast, and from there he set a course for Kamchatka and on September 21 arrived at the port of Petropavlovsk, identifying on the way the island of St. Matthew, discovered by Lieutenant Sindom.
Having united his detachment here, Captain Vasiliev began to prepare for the return journey and in mid-October he set out to sea, intending to proceed around Cape Horn.
Three days after leaving, during fog, the sloops separated, and the “Opening” went to the island of Owaigi - the place of the agreed rendezvous. Accompanied by strong northerly winds up to 30° N latitude, he arrived in Honolulu harbor on November 27 and found the sloop “Blagonomennyarny”, which had arrived three days earlier.
On December 20, the sloops departed from here and, having passed through the hot zone without any special incidents, in mid-February they reached latitude 57° S in longitude 281° O. Here they withstood a four-day storm from the SW, accompanied by gloom and snow.
Having passed the meridian of Cape Horn on the 18th, they began to head north and arrived in Rio Janeiro in mid-March.
Having completed by May 5 all the inevitable amendments to the rigging and hull of the sloops after a long journey and having made new supplies of water and provisions, we set off further. On May 19 we entered the trade wind zone and exactly a month after that we left the NO limits. At the beginning of July, the detachment passed through the British Canal and, after stopping for five days in Copenhagen, arrived in Kronstadt on August 2, 1822.
To this expedition we owe the exploration of a significant part of the coast of America, namely from Cape Nevengam to Norton Bay, this entire vast bay, and then from Cape Lisburn to Cape Ledyany³; also some part of the coast of Asia, to Cape Serdtse-Kamen. The main goal - the northern passage - of course, could not be achieved⁴.
Several information about the inventories made by this expedition are placed in the “Chronological history of all Berkh’s travels, part II, pp. 1-20.
_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
¹ Subsequently it turned out that this group is the same as the Peyeter Islands, discovered shortly before. See Add. to the analysis of the Atlas of the South Sea, op. Admiral Krusenstern.
² The dimensions of this boat are not shown, but the log shows that it went about 4 feet deep and therefore was probably no more than 40 or 45 feet.
³ It is remarkable that the survey of the coast between capes Lisburn and Ledyanny, made by Captain Vasiliev, is completely similar to the survey made there from the sloop "Blyussom" by Captain Beachy.
⁴Shkanechn. put. magazines, reports from the squad leader and notes from Captain Shishmarev.
List of those who participated in the circumnavigation of the world on the sloop "Otkritie" (1819-1822)
| Titles and names | Notes |
|
Commander, Lieutenant Commander Mikhail Nikolaevich Vasiliev |
Died in 1847. Vice Admiral, Quartermaster General |
| Lieutenant Alexander Avinov | Died |
| Lieutenant Pavel Zelenoy | Died in 1829, cap. 2nd rank and ship commander. |
| Roman Boyle | Died |
| Midshipman Ivan Stogov | |
| Midshipman Roman Gall | He died in 1822, on the return voyage to Rio Janeiro. |
| Midshipman Prince Grigory Pagava | Died while serving on a ship, Lieutenant Commander |
| Navigator Mikhail Rydalev | Died in Astrakhan, colonel, part of the navigator inspectors. |
| PC. assistant Alexey Korguev | Died in service. |
| PC. assistant Andoy Khudobin | Died on the road. Moller on the way from Kamchatka to Kronstadt. |
| Doctor Ivan Kovalev | |
| Astronomer Pavel Tarkhanov | Died in 1839 Astronomer at the Siberian Observatory |
| Painter Emelyan Korneev | |
| Lower ranks............68 |
List of those who participated in the circumnavigation of the world on the sloop "Blagomarnenny"
In archival documents, the first mentions of the projected expedition are found in the correspondence of I.F. Krusenstern with the then Russian Minister of the Sea, Marquis de Traversay, at the end of 1818. The Tsar’s order to send the expedition came on April 6 (March 25), 1819, and already in July the ships set out on their long voyage. Such a rush to depart the expedition, contrary to the opinions of experienced circumnavigators around the world (for example, Kruzenshtern), led to many shortcomings: special ships for ice navigation were not built, there were a number of deficiencies in the equipment of the ships, the very late arrival of the head of the expedition on his ship and other organizational discrepancies.
In March 1819, the Highest order followed to equip two expeditions for research in the polar seas, Bellingshausen was sent to the southern hemisphere, and Captain Vasiliev was entrusted with command of two sloops: “Otkrytie” and “Blagomarnenny”, for research in the North Polar Sea and, especially to find a passage through the Bering Strait to the Atlantic Ocean. In February 1820, Vasiliev arrived at the port of Jackson, crossed the equator on April 23, and, following the American coast to the north, reached 71 ° 6 "north latitude. Here he encountered ice. Although Vasiliev did not consider this ice to be continuous, he did not Having with him a good longboat or another small vessel for research at shallow coastal depths, he decided to return. On July 31, the sloops headed south. Having taken photographs of the shores of the island of St. Lawrence along the way and examined the islands of Paul and George, Vasilyev’s detachment arrived in Novo-Arkhangelsk. On April 30, 1821, Vasiliev again went to sea and arrived on the island of Unalatku on June 12. Since there was little time left for sailing in the polar sea, Vasiliev decided to separate the sloop “Blagomarnenny”, instructing its commander, Shishmarev, to explore the shores of Asia, north of Bering Strait, and find passages to the Atlantic Ocean there, or, in case of failure, make a description of the Chukotka land; he himself wanted to describe the coast between the Bristol Bay and Norton Bay, then go north, along the coast of America, and look for the northern passage. On the way to Nortonov Bay, Vasiliev discovered the island of Nunivok, but did not take pictures of it, as he was in a hurry to the Polar Sea. On August 3, Vasiliev, following along the coast, reached 70°40" north latitude and here again encountered solid ice. Wanting to inspect the Icy Cape, he descended lower and located it at 70°33" north. lat. Having then withstood a severe storm, during which the sloop was almost crushed by ice floes, Vasiliev headed south and arrived on September 8 at the port of Petropavlovsk.
Having united with Shishmarev, Vasiliev got ready for the return journey and on August 2, 1822, safely reached Kronstadt. The main goal of the expedition - the discovery of the northern passage - was not achieved; but she explored a significant part of the coast of America (from Cape Nevengam to Norton Bay, this entire vast bay, and then from Cape Lisburn to Cape Ledyany), as well as some part of the coast of Asia, to Cape Heart-Stone. Subsequently, Vasiliev was a captain over the Kronstadt port, on December 6, 1827 he was promoted to rear admiral, and on April 6, 1835 to vice admiral and enjoyed the special favor of Emperor Nicholas I; mind. in Kronstadt on June 23, 1847. Vasiliev published “Notes on the New South Welsh Land” 26 and “Protest against midshipman Khromtchenko and navigator Etolin, regarding the discovery of the island of Nunivak attributed to them.”
The story of one forgotten Russian expedition January 29th, 2013
Dedicated to Russian explorers of the World Ocean, who paved the way into the unknown..
On January 28, 1821, Russian navigators Thaddeus Bellingshausen and Mikhail Lazarev discovered a new continent - Antarctica - on the sloops Vostok and Mirny. After a voyage of many months, which began on July 16, 1819, the largest geographical discovery of the last two centuries was made.
A lot has been written about this expedition and its details are widely known. But much fewer people know about another Russian expedition, which began simultaneously with the campaign of the Vostok and Mirny. On the same day, July 16, two more sloops left Kronstadt - “Otkrytie” and “Blagomarnenny”, which also set off for the World Ocean. The goal of their trip was to reach Alaska, then called Russian America, enter the Bering Strait and proceed through the Arctic Ocean to the Atlantic along the coast of Siberia or, depending on the circumstances, make a trip along the coast of North America. The expedition was led by captain-lieutenants M.N. Vasiliev and G.N. Shishmarev.
Mikhail Vasilievich Vasiliev (1770 – 06/23/1847). Since 1835 - vice admiral.
In other words, the expedition was to test the possibility of passing through the modern Northern Sea Route and try to find the Northwest Passage (a sea route through the Arctic Ocean along the northern coast of North America through the Canadian Arctic archipelago). What was behind this intention?
Gleb Semenovich Shishmarev (1781 – 10/22/1835) Since 1829 – rear admiral
First of all, simplifying the supply of Russian possessions on the American continent with various goods and supplies. Before the first Russian trip around the world, I.F. Kruzenshtern, the trade route connecting European Russia with Alaska passed overland and took one and a half to two years. As a result, transportation costs were very high (for example, if a peck of rye flour in the European part of Russia cost 40-50 kopecks, then when brought to Alaska it already cost about 8 rubles). The route laid out by Kruzenshtern made it possible to significantly reduce travel time and costs. However, if it were possible to open up the possibility of passage by an even shorter route - through the Arctic Ocean, the travel time could be reduced even more. It was to test this possibility that Russian sailors traveled thousands of miles. This voyage was called the “Northern Division” (the Southern Division was the campaign of the “Vostok” and “Peace”).
As for the design of the sloops, “Otkrytie” was of the same type as “Vostok”, and “Blagomarnennyy” was similar to “Mirny”. The Otkritie crew consisted of 74 people, and the Well-Intentioned one - 83 people.
Sloop "Vostok", same type as "Otkritie"
This is what one of the expedition members, Lieutenant Alexey Petrovich Lazarev (Mikhail Lazarev’s younger brother), wrote in his diary:
“Many of us shed tears of gratitude and affection for the Fatherland. While I was on watch, I spent a long time following Europe, which was left behind us, and with it everything that was most precious to me – Russia.”
Sloop “Mirny”, same type as “Blagonamerenny”
After a brief stop in Copenhagen and then England, the ships crossed the Atlantic, arriving in Rio de Janeiro on November 13th. Having replenished supplies, the expedition went east, and past the Cape of Good Hope entered the Indian Ocean, continuing non-stop to Australia. Then her path lay north, across the Pacific Ocean to the shores of Alaska. Despite the fact that the passage was quite difficult due to frequent storms, throughout its entire length Russian sailors carried out regular observations and oceanographic research - they studied currents, measured water temperature and took water samples from a depth of up to 70 meters. The transition from Rio de Janeiro to Sydney took 85 days.
Performance characteristics of sloops
In Australia itself, while staying in the port of Sydney (at that time it was called Jackson), the researchers made several trips into the interior of the continent, exploring the Sinai Mountains, making their geological description and collecting a collection of local plants. Then the expedition resumed its journey, heading north. And soon she made her first discovery. At a point with coordinates of 8 degrees south latitude and 178 degrees 20 minutes east longitude, a small group of 11 islands, not indicated on the maps, was seen from the “Blagomarnenny”. They were called the “Well-Intentioned Islands.”
On May 25, 1820, at 33 degrees north latitude, the ships went in different directions. “Opening” went to Petropavlovsk-on-Kamchatka, and “Blagomarnenny” - to the Aleutian Islands, to Unalaska. The expedition reunited in mid-July, when the ships met at a predetermined location - Kotzebue Bay. After conducting geographical and oceanographic research off the coast of Alaska, the ships entered the Arctic Ocean and tried to make their way to the north. However, having encountered impassable ice at a latitude of 71 degrees and 6 minutes, the explorers had to retreat and head for repairs and rest in San Francisco and the nearby Russian settlement of Fort Ross. During their stay, they also made several expeditions in the surrounding area in order to compile an accurate map of them and describe the nature, especially the river, which was later named Russian.
After this, the expedition visited the Hawaiian Islands, and then went north. On the way to the Bering Strait, the sloop Otkritie proved that it lived up to its name. Her team discovered an island off the coast of Alaska, which later became known as Nunivak. During the research process, two new capes were also discovered on the very coast of Alaska, named Golovnin and Ricorda.
Map of Russian settlements in Alaska in the first half of the 19th century
In the summer, the expedition made a new attempt to go north. However, it was not possible to do this again. Having reached a latitude of 70 degrees and 23 minutes, the ships encountered solid ice fields, from which they managed to escape only with great difficulty. In the end, the attempts had to be stopped, and in September the expedition returned to Petropavlovsk. A month later, after resting and repairing damage, Otkritie and Blagonomerennyi headed home. Having made a stop in Honololu (Hawaii), the sloops rounded Cape Horn, and making stops in Rio de Janeiro and Copenhagen, arrived in Kronstadt on August 14, 1822. Thus, the expedition lasted three years and one month.
Map of the Northern Division expedition
Despite the fact that the main goal of the voyage, an attempt to find the Northern Passage, failed, it was a most valuable experience, which became the basis for the further establishment of Russia in the World Ocean.
And in total, throughout the 19th century, as a result of Russian research voyages in the World Ocean, the names of the islands and archipelagos of Alexander, Arakcheev, Bellingshausen, Kotzebue, Krusenstern, Kutuzov, Lisyansky, Litke, Miklouho-Maclay, Mikhailov, Panafidin, Rimsky appeared on geographical maps. Korsakov, Rumyantsev, Rurik, Senyavin, Simonov, Suvorov, Chichagov and a number of others, as well as the names Borodino, Vostok, Rossiyan. Systematic studies and descriptions of the islands of Voto, Hawaii, the Caroline and Marshall Islands, Moller, New Guinea, and the Tuamotu were carried out. Many discoveries were made in other parts of the world (for example, as a result of the voyages of G.I. Nevelskoy, it was established that Sakhalin is not a peninsula, as everyone previously believed, but an island). And this is all - in addition to Antarctica.
And in the twentieth century, Soviet researchers successfully continued the study of the World Ocean, the Arctic and Antarctica. But this is another, very big topic...
D. SHCHERBAKOV,
academician
F. F. Bellingshausen.
M. P. Lazarev.
In 1819, on July 4, two Russian naval expeditions set out on a long voyage from the Small Kronstadt roadstead, accompanied by a huge number of people. The first of them, consisting of the sloops “Vostok” and “Mirny”, was heading to the South Polar Region to solve the age-old mystery about the existence of the legendary Antarctica.
The second - as part of the sloops "Otkrytie" and "Blagomarnenny" - went for research to the North.
By this time, through the work of scientists from many countries, information about the general appearance of the earth's surface had been obtained. The contours of five continents were identified. Only the polar regions remained unexplored.
Therefore, Russian researchers decided to study them.
For centuries, humanity has been worried about the legend of the southern continent. The famous English navigator James Cook organized an expedition to the southern seas on the ships Resolution and Adventure in 1772. But he was unable to break through the heavy ice beyond 71 degrees 10 minutes south latitude.
And Cook decided that the southern continent was inaccessible. He wrote: “I went around the ocean of the Southern Hemisphere at high latitudes and did it in such a way that I undeniably rejected the possibility of the existence of a continent, which, if it could be discovered, would only be near the pole, in places inaccessible for navigation...
The risk involved in sailing these unexplored and ice-covered seas in search of the southern continent is so great that I can safely say that no man will ever venture further south than I have done.”
Only Russian sailors were able to prove Cook's mistake.
The idea of the need for further study of the south polar seas was supported by many Russian sailors: V. M. Golovnin, G. A. Sarychev, I. F. Krusenstern and others.
They repeatedly opposed Cook's findings.
But only in the twenties of the last century, under the influence of the progressive public, the tsarist government was forced to agree to send two expeditions: the northern polar and southern Antarctic. The greatest success was achieved by the southern expedition, which became one of the brightest pages in the history of the exploration of our planet under the name “The First Russian Antarctic Expedition of Bellingshausen - Lazarev.”
In terms of their qualities, “Vostok” and “Mirny” were poorly suited for long and difficult voyages.
Thaddeus Faddeevich Bellingshausen, a participant in the first Russian circumnavigation of the world, was appointed head of the expedition and commander of the Vostok. “Peaceful” was commanded by Mikhail Petrovich Lazarev, thirty-year-old, but already considered one of the best sailors of the Russian fleet. All preparatory work was carried out under his leadership.
The travelers were greeted by icy mountains.
The personnel for the expedition were selected from volunteers. There were a lot of people willing to go on the difficult voyage. Officers were selected especially carefully. The crews were staffed by experienced and well-versed domestic sailors. Progressive officers of the Russian fleet and scientists did their best to help organize the expedition.
The most prominent Russian specialists compiled four instructions for the expedition, which, in addition to a detailed and detailed statement of tasks, provided a variety of valuable advice on conducting research work, as well as on preserving the health of sloop crews.
“Do not leave unnoticed anything that you happen to see somewhere new, useful or interesting,” the instructions demanded. The expedition leader was given full initiative.
The Russian Antarctic expedition justified all the hopes placed on it. Russian sailors on small sailing ships traveled around the world, visiting places that had not yet been visited by ships.
AS SOON AS A CONVENIENT TIME COMES THIS YEAR, HE WILL GO TO SURVEY THE ISLAND OF GEORGE, AND FROM THERE TO THE SANDWICH LAND, AND HAVING CIRCULATED IT FROM THE EASTERN SIDE, HE WILL GO TO THE SOUTH AND WILL CONTINUE HIS RESEARCH TO A REMOTE LATITUDE AS WELL AS MO IT'S CLOSER TO THE POLE...
From the instructions of the Minister of the Navy given to F.F. Bellingshausen before setting sail.
On January 16, 1820, Russian explorers approached the sixth continent for the first time. So, on this day, considered the date of the discovery of Antarctica, Russian researchers solved a problem that Cook considered unsolvable.
Only more than a hundred years later, people visited here again - Norwegian whalers.
Russian sailors not only reached the shores of Antarctica three more times, but also circumnavigated this continent. In addition to the Antarctic continent, the Bellingshausen-Lazarev expedition discovered 29 islands and one coral shoal, clarifying the position of several more islands.
The brave Russian sailors spent 751 days sailing, of which 535 days were in the Southern Hemisphere, 100 days of sailing took place in the ice. They went beyond the Antarctic Circle six times. During the expedition, Russian sailors collected a wealth of scientific material characterizing the Antarctic region.
Observations of ice and currents are of significant scientific interest. A member of the expedition, astronomer Simonov conducted a series of valuable observations that had never been carried out in the Southern Hemisphere before.
During the voyage in the harsh conditions of Antarctica, the Russian expedition lost only three people. Two sailors fell from their masts in a storm while working with sails, and one died from an illness that he had had for a long time.
In terms of the duration of the voyage in such remote high southern latitudes, the extent of the areas surveyed, and the perseverance and perseverance in achieving the intended goals, the Russian Antarctic expedition still has no equal.
The scientific feat of the first Russian Antarctic expedition aroused admiration not only in Russia, but also abroad. Petermann, a major German specialist in the field of polar countries, wrote that “... the name of Bellingshausen can be placed along with the names of Columbus and Magellan.”
Beginning of the expedition on the sloops “Otkrytie” and “Blagomarnenny”
On July 4 (16), 1819, a Russian expedition set off to the southern polar latitudes to explore the Northern Sea Route from the Bering Strait to the Atlantic Ocean on two sloops, “Otkrytie” and “Blagomarnennyi”. The sloop “Otkrytie” was commanded by Lieutenant-Commander Mikhail Nikolaevich Vasiliev, and “Blagomarnenny” was commanded by Lieutenant-Commander Gleb Semyonovich Shishmarev.
On the sloop "Otkrytie" the entire personnel at departure was 74 people, and on the "Blagomarnenny" - 83 people.
On July 4 (16), 1819, the sloops left Kronstadt and, calling at Copenhagen, arrived in Portsmouth on July 29 (August 10).
After the purchased sextants, chronometers and other navigational and physical instruments, as well as provisions, were brought from London, the sloops went to sea on August 26 (September 7).
Carrying out constant scientific observations, the Russian sailors went further to the Cape of Good Hope, and from here without stopping across the ocean to the port of Jackson (Sydney) to Australia.
This passage turned out to be very difficult, not only because of the very strong storms that the sloops had to endure, but mainly due to the difference in their speed - it was very difficult for the sloops to stay together.
In Australia, researchers conducted a number of excursions to the interior regions and got acquainted with the inhabitants and nature of the country. F. Stein, exploring the Sinai Mountains, described their geological structure, fossil riches and sulfur springs. The expedition collected a rich collection of plants and birds. Heading to the Bering Strait, the ships passed west of the Fiji archipelago, where Shishmarev discovered coral islands that were not previously marked on the map and which he called the “Blagonamerenny” islands.
13 (25) May 1820, at parallel 33° north latitude, the ships set off on different courses: “Otkritie” - to Petropavlovsk on Kamchatka, “Blagomarnenny” - to Unalaska. The meeting was scheduled in Kotzebue Bay, where both ships were scheduled to arrive in mid-July.
During the summer of 1820, the sloops were engaged in hydrographic work in the Bering and Chukchi Seas. In the winter of 1820-1821. they went on vacation to San Francisco and the Hawaiian Islands, and in the summer of 1821 they again sailed in the Bering and Chukchi Seas.
On October 15 (27), 1821, both sloops left Petropavlovsk for the Hawaiian Islands, where the “Blagonamerenny” arrived on October 24 (November 5), and the “Otkritie” - on October 26 (November 7). Leaving Honolulu on December 20 (January 1), the sloops, rounding Cape Horn and visiting Rio de Janeiro and Copenhagen, returned to Kronstadt on August 2 (14), 1822.
The voyage on the sloops “Otkrytie” and “Blagomarnenny” lasted three years and four weeks.
The main goal of Vasiliev's expedition - the discovery of a passage from the Bering Strait to the Atlantic Ocean in the north - was not achieved due to the impassability of the solid ice encountered. Vasiliev, having passed the Icy Cape off the coast of America, was forced to return, reaching a latitude of 70°41" and a longitude of 161°27"; and Shishmarev, off the northern coast of Asia, could not go further than Cape Heart-Kamen. In addition to the difficult voyage in the Arctic Ocean, the expedition's activities were limited to several surveys in the Bering Sea and the discovery of Nukiwok Island there and, on the eastern side of the Caroline Archipelago, a group of 16 islands named after the sloop Blagomerenny.
Lit.: Esakov V. A., etc. Russian oceanic and marine research in the 19th - early 20th centuries. M., 1964. From the contents: Expedition of M. N. Vasiliev and G. S. Shishmarev;Notes on archival sources on the history of Russian America // History of Russian America (1732-1867). T. 1. The Foundation of Russian America (1732-1799). M., 1997; The same [Electronic resource]. URL: http://militera. lib. ru/explo/ira/prebibl. html ; Shishmarev Gleb Semyonovich [Electronic resource] // Heroes of the Tver Land. 2011. URL: http://www.tver-history.ru/articles/3.html .
See also in the Presidential Library:
Northern Sea Route // Territory of Russia: collection
.