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.”
— your guide to the world of scale modeling!
The other day, while busy with everyday chores around the house, I listened with one ear to the film “Kings of Ice Airfields” from the series “Wings of the Fatherland” by Andrei Razbash. It is dedicated to pilots working on the Antarctic continent. Among other things, the film briefly described the Russian Kruzenshtern-Lazarev expedition on the sloops Mirny and Vostok.
It was our compatriots who were the first to prove the actual existence of the Antarctic continent. As a result of the expedition, many adjacent lands were discovered - small and large islands. Our ancestors made a huge contribution to the development of geographical science with their deeds.
Quite a lot has been written about all this. And if you wish, my dear reader, you yourself can find out the details of this dangerous journey.
THEN WHAT AM I WRITING ABOUT NOW?
The thing is that the phrase “sloop Mirny” that sounded from the monitor screen touched one of the most important strings in my soul. And the name of this string is hobbies from childhood .
Probably everyone in his childhood imagined distant countries, unknown lands. I don’t know how it is now, but then in the Soviet Union we were gradually led to this through excellent literature, the film magazine “Travelers Club” by Yuri Senkevich, which I still adore, and wonderful children’s films.
But I was even more lucky with this. I grew up in the North of Sakhalin - a place equated to the regions of the Far North. Very far from civilization. North Sea, short summer, taiga and bears. It was very easy for me to experience the life of the pioneers of the distant Northern and Southern lands.
It was quite difficult with consumer goods. Everything was based on imports from the mainland. But one way or another, in our main children's store with the rather straightforward name “Romantic”, prefabricated cardboard models appeared. There weren't many of them at all. I still remember their names. These were the ships “Memory of Azov”, “Ingermanland”, “Sloop Mirny” and “Missile Cruiser”.
Creating these cardboard models was a unique opportunity for my imagination. We made these ships many times with my childhood friend, Oleg Bayraktaryan. And I really remember this sloop. If only because it worked for me. And now, having rummaged through my memory, I can extract images of these creations from there.
But that's all in the past...
WHAT NOW?
To be honest, I didn’t remember anything that indicated the manufacturer of these cardboard models. I only remembered the shape of the packaging. And the fact that it was a professional seal. And not some kind of samizdat.
Armed with this knowledge, I typed the desired query into the search bar. And after some research, I found what I needed. After the memories subsided like a wave back into the sea, I examined everything in detail.
Yes, this is exactly the model I assembled. I found both scanned pages of this publication and a document in A4 format prepared by one enthusiast. It can be loaded into printing on pre-selected paper - and the parts are ready to go.
PAPER/CARDBOARD MODELS
I want to forestall questions from inquisitive colleagues who are not familiar with paper modeling. Cardboard models have different levels of detail, just like plastic models. You can find both the simplest models and extremely complex ones. This is mainly the preserve of sailboat models. Therefore, do not rush to consider paper modeling an activity unworthy of an experienced modeler.
It may turn out that creating a good model from cardboard/paper will be much more difficult for you than a highly detailed plastic model.
At the same time, cardboard models are available to a much larger audience. After all, printing out the cutting onto paper, buying cardboard of the required thickness and PVA glue is much easier than just buying a good set from Hasegawa or even Zvezda. That's why paper/cardboard models are very popular all over the world. And they were very popular in the USSR. I personally remember that such cuttings were printed in UT - For skilled hands. And in many other magazines for modeling and design enthusiasts.
Personally, I don't have a compressor right now. Therefore, I am deprived of the opportunity to engage in my favorite hobby. And it is unknown when this opportunity will appear again.
Therefore, I decided to seriously think about starting work on paper models. And the sloop "Mirny" will be the first of them.
It's easier to start with your favorite memories.
BRIEF HISTORICAL BACKGROUND
Sloop "Mirny"— a 20-gun, single-deck (one lower deck) three-masted military vessel with square sails, laid down in 1818 at the Olonets shipyard as the auxiliary vessel “Ladoga”. In an effort to speed up the departure of a high-latitude expedition to Antarctica, they decided not to build a new ship, but to use the Ladoga. When the ship was included in the navy, it was given a new name, “Mirny,” and reconstruction immediately began under the leadership of shipwright I. P. Amosov and the commander of “Mirny,” M. P. Lazarev.
The hull of the vessel in the aft part was lengthened by fitting pins, a crown was placed on the stem, additional plating was arranged with inch boards, firmly securing them with copper nails. The second skin was carefully caulked, and the underwater part was covered with copper sheets to prevent it from becoming overgrown with algae. Additional fastenings were installed inside the hull in case of exposure to ice floes, and the pine steering wheel was replaced with an oak one. The previously supplied standing rigging, shrouds, stays, and other gear made from low-grade hemp were replaced with more durable ones used on naval vessels.The main power plant was sailing, the ship carried 10 straight ones (foresail, fore topsail, fore top topsail, fore top topsail, main topsail, main top topsail, main top topsail, main top topsail, fore top topsail, cruise and cruis top topsail) and 5 slanting sails (fore-jib, fore-topmast-staysail, jib, boom-jib and mizzen). The sloop had 1 oak rudder.
The armament consisted of:
Of 10 single-barrel 12-pound (120 mm) carronades with a long barrel of 7 calibers, installed in the battery deck (operation deck). Carronades were intended for close combat. Loading manually with cannonballs or buckshot. The ammunition located in the cellars was supplied from the ammunition cellar manually. The crew of the gun included 5 people. The thin-walled, smooth-bore, cast-iron gun was placed on a non-rotating machine. Firing range at an elevation of 5° up to 880 meters. Carronade weight 305 kg.
Of 10 single-barreled 18-pounder (136 mm) guns with a 22-caliber long barrel, mounted on the upper deck. Manual loading with cores. The ammunition located in the cellars was supplied from the ammunition cellar manually. The crew of the gun included 5 people. The cast-iron, smooth-bore gun was placed on a wheeled machine. The elevation angle of the gun reached 10°, and the firing range did not exceed 2 km. The weight of the gun is 2.1 tons.
On July 4, 1819, the expedition left Kronstadt. Having rounded Europe, the ships headed across the Atlantic Ocean to the shores of South America. From Rio de Janeiro they headed south. Without sailing directions, without beacons, in fog and storms, they walked through unexplored waters, trying to penetrate as far as possible beyond the Antarctic Circle. It was December, the warmest month in the southern hemisphere.
In December 1819, the sloops were in the area of South Georgia Island. Moving south, the expedition discovered a number of unknown islands, named after the officers of Vostok and Mirny: Annenkov Island, Zavadovsky Island, Leskov Island, Thorson Island. On January 15 (27), 1820, “Vostok” and “Mirny”, breaking through heavy ice at 69°25′ south latitude, found themselves near the Antarctic continent. On this significant day, Antarctica was discovered by Russian sailors. Moving further, the expedition came almost close to the edge of the continent five more times: January 20 (February 1), February 5 (17) and February 6 (18), 1820, when they were only 1.5 - 2 miles from the ice shelf of the coast of Antarctica and finally on February 12(24) and 13(25), 1820.
At the beginning of March the weather began to worsen. It was necessary to rest the teams and replenish provisions. We decided to leave the high latitudes and head to Sydney. Eager to explore a wider swath of the Indian Ocean along the way. After a month's stay in Sydney, the sloops weighed anchor and set off for the Tuamotu Islands. To the east of the island of Haiti, the expedition discovered a group of islands called by Bellingshausen the Russian Islands. On the way back to Sydney, a number of more islands were discovered, including Vostok Island, named after the flagship of the expedition. After resting and repairing the sloops, the expedition left the shores of Australia and again resumed its attempts to reach the coast of Antarctica. During this stage of the voyage, she approached its icy shores three times: December 28, 1820 (January 9, 1821), January 15 (27), when she discovered the land of Alexander I, and finally, January 21 (February 2), 1821. In addition to the land of Alexander I, on January 8 (20), 1821, the island of Peter I was discovered. In the twentieth of January, the expedition, having examined the South Shetland Islands, headed again to Rio de Janeiro, from where, after repairing the sloops, it set out on the return journey.
On July 23, 1821, the sloops “Vostok” and “Mirny” anchored in the Maly Kronstadt roadstead.
ASSEMBLY INSTRUCTIONS
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| Sloop "Mirny": Cardboard model: Assembly instructions |
PHOTOS ARE CLICKABLE
SKETCH CONTENTS
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| Sloop "Mirny": Cardboard model: Full contents of sketches |
PHOTOS ARE CLICKABLE
The principles of working on a cardboard model are quite simple. You need to print the cutting to the required scale on thick matte paper. It is even possible to use good photo paper. Next, using the instructions, you need to glue the parts of the ship's skeleton onto cardboard of the required thickness. It must be strong enough.
And then, again following the instructions, you cut out the parts from paper and glue them into certain nodes. Then it all comes together.
If necessary, I will later make several articles on the rules and methods of working on paper models.
By and large, you can make a model of any complexity. It just requires imagination and ingenuity.
Paper modeling allows you to look at scale modeling of plastic models from a completely different angle. This is a kind of revaluation of values. So I advise you, if not regularly, then at least several times during your modeling career to make scale models from cardboard/paper.
All cutting photographs presented above are prepared for printing in A4 format. They have been rearranged in accordance with the new requirements. You can safely print them on a printer. And make your own models from cardboard/paper.
-1822The 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.
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.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 Otkritie went to the island of Owaigi - place of agreed wounds maiden 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 is the northern passage - of course, and 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 "Blues" by Captain Beachy.
⁴ Škanečn. 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
Died in 1847. Vice Admiral, Quartermaster General
Lieutenant
Died
Lieutenant Pavel Zelenoy
Died in 1829, cap. 2nd rank and ship commander.
Novel B oil
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"
Titles and names
Notes
Commander, Lieutenant Commander Gleb Semenovich Shishmarev
Lieutenant Ivan Ignatiev
Lieutenant Alexey Lazarev
Midshipman Nikolay Shishmarev
Died in 1844, cap. 2nd rank
Midshipman Karl Gellesem
Retired
Navigator Vladimir Petrov
PC .
assistant Vedeneev
Died in retirement
PC. doctor Grigory Zaozersky
Died in service
Priest Mikhail Ivanov
Lower ranks...................................................71
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
.At the beginning of the 19th century. ships of the Russian fleet made a number of trips around the world. These expeditions enriched world science with major geographical discoveries, especially in the Pacific Ocean. However, the vast expanses of the Southern Hemisphere still remained a “blank spot” on the map. The question of the existence of the Southern Continent was also unclear.
Sloops "Vostok" and "Mirny"
In 1819, after long and very careful preparation, a south polar expedition set off from Kronstadt on a long voyage, consisting of two military sloops - “Vostok” and “Mirny”. The first was commanded by Thaddeus Faddeevich Bellingshausen, the second by Mikhail Petrovich Lazarev. The crew of the ships consisted of experienced, experienced sailors.
The Maritime Ministry appointed Captain Bellingshausen, who already had extensive experience in long-distance sea voyages, as head of the expedition.
Bellingshausen was born on Ezel Island (Sarema Island in the Estonian SSR) in 1779. “I was born in the middle of the sea,” he later said about himself, “just as a fish cannot live without water, so I cannot live without the sea.” "
The boy was ten years old when he was sent to study at the Naval Cadet Corps in Kronstadt. As a cadet, young Bellingshausen sailed to the shores of England during summer practice. After graduating from the Marine Corps at age 18, he received the rank of midshipman.
In 1803-1806. the young sailor took part in the first Russian trip around the world on the ship “Nadezhda” under the command of the talented and experienced navigator I. F. Krusenstern. During the expedition, Bellingshausen was mainly engaged in mapping and astronomical observations. These works were highly appreciated.
The commander of the sloop "Mirny" M.P. Lazarev was born in 1788 in the Vladimir province. Together with his two brothers, he also entered the Naval Corps. During his training, he visited the sea for the first time and fell in love with it forever.
Mikhail Petrovich began his service in the navy in the Baltic Sea. He took part in the war between Russia and Sweden and distinguished himself in a naval battle on August 26, 1808. In 1813, during the war for the liberation of Germany from the Napoleonic yoke, Lazarev took part in the landing operations and bombardment of Danzig, and in this campaign he recommended himself as a brave, resourceful and diligent officer.
After the end of the war, Lieutenant Lazarev was appointed commander of the Suvorov ship, sent to Russian America. This circumnavigation of the Russians enriched geographical science with new discoveries. In the Pacific Ocean, Lazarev discovered a group of unknown islands, which he named after Suvorov.
In the voyage around the world, which was a good practical school for Lazarev, he showed himself to be a talented organizer and commander. And it is not surprising that it was he who was appointed assistant chief of the new round-the-world expedition.
On July 16, 1819, the ships “Vostok” and “Mirny”, which made up the “Southern Division” (see p. 364, “Northern Division”), weighed anchor and left their native Kronstadt roadstead amid the fireworks of artillery coastal batteries. There was a long journey ahead to unknown countries. The expedition was given the task of how to penetrate further to the south in order to finally resolve the question of the existence of the Southern Continent.
In the large English port of Portsmouth, Bellingshausen stayed for almost a month to replenish provisions, purchase chronometers and various seafaring instruments.
In early autumn, with a fair wind, the ships headed across the Atlantic Ocean to the shores of Brazil. The weather was favorable for swimming. Rare and weak storms did not disrupt the routine of life on ships. From the very first days of the voyage, scientific observations were made, which Bellingshausen and his assistants carefully and in detail recorded in the logbook. Every day, under the guidance of prof. Kazan University astronomer Simonov officers were engaged in astronomical observations and calculations of the geographical position of the ship.
After 21 days of sailing, the sloops approached the island of Tenerife. While the ship's crews stocked up on fresh water and provisions, the officers explored the mountainous, picturesque island.
Further sailing took place in the zone of constant northeastern trade winds under a cloudless sky. The progress of sailing ships has accelerated significantly. Having reached 10° N. sh., the sloops entered a zone of calm, usual for equatorial places. Sailors measured air and water temperatures at different depths, studied currents and collected collections of marine animals. The ships crossed the equator, and soon, with a favorable southeast trade wind, the sloops approached Brazil and anchored in a beautiful, convenient bay, on the shores of which the city of Rio de Janeiro lies. It was a big, dirty city, with narrow streets where many stray dogs roamed.
At that time, the slave trade flourished in Rio de Janeiro. With a feeling of indignation, Bellingshausen wrote: “There are several shops here that sell blacks: adult men, women and children. At the entrance to these disgusting shops, one sees in several rows sitting, scabbed blacks, small ones in front, and large ones behind... The buyer, having chosen a slave at his request, takes him out of the rows forward, examines his mouth, feels his whole body, beats him with his hands. different parts, and after these experiments, confident in the strength and health of the black man, he buys him... All this produces disgust towards the inhuman owner of the shop.”
Having stocked up on provisions and checked their chronometers, the ships left Rio de Janeiro, heading south to unknown areas of the polar ocean.
In the temperate zone of the southern Atlantic Ocean, coolness began to be felt in the air, although the southern summer had already begun. The further south you went, the more birds you encountered, especially petrels. Whales swam past in large herds.
At the end of December 1819, the sloops approached South Georgia Island. The sailors began to describe and photograph its southern coast. The northern side of this mountainous island, covered with snow and ice, was mapped by the English navigator James Cook. The ships moved forward slowly, maneuvering very carefully among the floating ice.
Soon, Lieutenant Annenkov discovered and described a small island, which was named after him. On his further journey, Bellingshausen made several attempts to measure the depth of the ocean, but the survey did not reach the bottom. At that time, no scientific expedition had attempted to measure the depth of the ocean. Bellingshausen was many decades ahead of other researchers in this; Unfortunately, the technical means of the expedition did not allow us to solve this problem.
Then the expedition encountered the first floating “ice island.” The further south we went, the more often giant ice mountains - icebergs - began to appear on our way.
At the beginning of January 1820, sailors discovered an unknown island completely covered with snow and ice. The next day, two more islands were seen from the ship. They were also put on the map, named after the expedition members (Leskov and Zavadovsky). Zavadovsky Island turned out to be an active volcano with a height of more than 350 m. Having landed on the shore, members of the expedition climbed the slope of the volcano to the middle of the mountain. Along the way, we collected penguin eggs and rock samples. There were a lot of penguins here. The sailors took several birds onto the ship, which entertained the crews of the ships along the way.
Penguin eggs turned out to be edible and were used as food. The open group of islands was named in honor of the then Minister of the Navy - the Traverse Islands.
On ships making long voyages, people usually suffered from the lack of fresh fresh water. During this voyage, Russian sailors invented a way to obtain fresh water from the ice of icebergs.
Moving further and further south, the ships soon again encountered a small group of unknown rocky islands, which they called the Candlemas Islands. Then the expedition approached the Sandwich Islands discovered by the English explorer James Cook. It turned out that Cook mistook the archipelago for one large island. Russian sailors corrected this error on the map.
Bellingshausen called the entire group of open islands the South Sandwich Islands.
Foggy, cloudy weather made sailing very difficult. The ships were constantly in danger of running aground.
With every mile to the south it became more and more difficult to get through the ice. At the end of January 1820, sailors saw thick broken ice stretching to the horizon. It was decided to bypass it by turning sharply north. Again the sloops passed the South Sandwich Islands.
On some Antarctic islands, sailors encountered huge numbers of penguins and elephant seals. The penguins usually stood in a tight formation, the elephant seals were immersed in deep sleep.
But Bellingshausen and Lazarev did not give up trying to break through to the south. When the ships found themselves in solid ice, they continually turned north and hastily got out of the ice captivity. Great skill was required to save ships from damage. Masses of perennial solid ice were found everywhere.
The expedition's ships nevertheless crossed the Antarctic Circle and on January 28, 1820 reached 69°25′ S. w. In the foggy haze of a cloudy day, the travelers saw an ice wall blocking their further path to the south. These were continental ices. The expedition members were sure that the Southern Continent was hidden behind them. This was confirmed by the many polar birds that appeared above the sloop. And indeed, only a few miles separated the ships from the coast of Antarctica, which the Norwegians called the coast of Princess Martha more than a hundred years later. In 1948, the Soviet whaling flotilla "Slava" visited these places, establishing that only poor visibility prevented Bellingshausen from clearly seeing the entire coast of Antarctica and even the mountain peaks in the interior of the continent.
In February 1820, the sloops entered the Indian Ocean. Trying to break through to the south from this side, they approached the shores of Antarctica two more times. But heavy ice conditions forced the ships to move north again and move east along the ice edge.
In March, with the onset of autumn, the nights became longer, frosts intensified, and storms became more frequent. Navigation among the ice became more and more dangerous, as the general fatigue of the team from the continuous harsh struggle with the elements was taking its toll. Then Bellingshausen decided to take the ships to Australia. In order to cover a wider area with research, the captain decided to send the sloops to Australia in different ways.
On March 21, 1820, a severe storm broke out in the Indian Ocean. Bellingshausen wrote: “The wind roared, the waves rose to an extraordinary height, the sea seemed to mix with the air; the creaking of parts of the sloop drowned out everything. We were left completely without sails at the mercy of the raging storm; I ordered several sailors' berths to be stretched out on the mizzen shrouds in order to keep the sloop closer to the wind. We were consoled only by the fact that we did not encounter any ice during this terrible storm. Finally, at 8 o’clock they shouted from the tank: ice floes ahead; This announcement struck everyone with horror, and I saw that we were being carried onto one of the ice floes; immediately raised the foresail 2 and put the rudder on the side of the wind; but as all this did not produce the desired effect and the ice floe was already very close, we only watched as we were brought closer to it. One ice floe was carried under the stern, and the other was directly opposite the middle of the side, and we expected the blow that was to follow: fortunately, a huge wave that came out from under the sloop pushed the ice floe several fathoms.”
The storm continued for several days. The exhausted team, straining all their strength, fought against the elements.
And the albatross birds with outstretched wings swam between the waves as if nothing had happened.
In mid-April, the sloop Vostok dropped anchor in the Australian harbor of the port of Jaxoi (now Sydney). Seven days later, the sloop Mirny arrived here. Thus ended the first period of research.
Throughout the winter months, the sloops sailed in the tropical Pacific Ocean, among the islands of Polynesia. Here the expedition members carried out many important geographical works: they clarified the position of the islands and their outlines, determined the height of the mountains, discovered and mapped 15 islands, which were given Russian names.
Returning to Zhaksoi, the crews of the sloops began to prepare for a new voyage to the polar seas. The preparation took about two months. In mid-November, the expedition set out to sea again, heading southeast. Soon a leak opened in the bow of the sloop “Vostok”, which was eliminated with great difficulty. Continuing to sail south,* the sloops crossed 60° S. w. Floating ice floes began to come across on the way, and then solid ice appeared. The ships headed east along the ice edge. The weather was noticeably deteriorating:
the temperature was dropping, a cold gusty wind was driving dark snow clouds. Collisions with small ice floes threatened to intensify the leak in the hull of the sloop "Vostok", and this could lead to disastrous consequences.
Suddenly a strong storm broke out. I had to retreat north again. The abundance of floating ice and bad weather prevented advance to the south. The further the sloops moved, the more often icebergs were encountered. At times, up to 100 ice mountains surrounded the ships. Navigating between icebergs in strong winds and snow required enormous effort and great skill. Sometimes only the skill, dexterity and speed of the crew saved the sloops from inevitable death.
At the slightest opportunity, the ships again and again turned straight south and sailed until solid ice blocked the path.
Finally, on January 22, 1821, happiness smiled on the sailors. A black spot appeared on the horizon.
“I knew at first glance through the pipe,” wrote Bellingshausen, “that I could see the shore, but the officers, also looking through the pipes, had different opinions. At 4 o'clock I notified Lieutenant Lazarev by telegraph that we could see the shore. The sloop “Mirny” was then close to us astern and understood the answer... It is impossible to express in words the joy that appeared on everyone’s faces when they exclaimed: “Beach! Shore!".
The island was named after Peter I. Now Bellingshausen was sure that there must still be land somewhere nearby.
Finally his expectations were realized. On January 29, 1821, Bellingshausen wrote: “At 11 o’clock in the morning we saw the shore; its cape, extending to the north, ended in a high mountain, which is separated by an isthmus from other mountains.” Bellingshausen called this land the Coast of Alexander 1.
“I call this finding a shore because” the distance of the other end to the south disappeared beyond the limit of our vision. This coast is covered with snow, but the scree on the mountains and steep cliffs had no snow. A sudden change in color on the surface of the sea suggests that the shore is extensive, or at least does not consist only of the part that was before our eyes.”
The land of Alexander 1 is still insufficiently explored. Its discovery finally convinced Bellingshausen that the Russian expedition had approached the still unknown Southern Continent.
This is how the greatest geographical discovery of the 19th century took place.
Having solved the centuries-old mystery, the sailors decided to go northeast to explore the South Shetland Islands. Having completed the work of surveying their southern coast, the sailors were forced to urgently go north: the leak in the storm-battered ships was getting worse every day. And Bellingshausen sent them to Rio de Janeiro.
At the beginning of March 1821, the sloops anchored in the roadstead of Rio de Janeiro. Thus ended the second stage of a wonderful voyage.
Two months later, after thorough repairs, the ships went to sea, heading towards their native shores.
On August 5, 1821, “Vostok” and “Mirny” arrived in Kronstadt and dropped anchor in the same place from which they left more than two years ago.
They spent 751 days sailing and covered more than 92 thousand km. This distance is two and a quarter times the length of the equator. In addition to Antarctica, the expedition discovered 29 islands and one coral reef. The scientific materials she collected made it possible to form the first idea of Antarctica.
Russian sailors not only discovered a huge continent located around the South Pole, but also conducted important research in the field of oceanography. This branch of spiders was just emerging at that time. F. F. Bellingshausen was the first to correctly explain the causes of sea currents (for example, the Canary), the origin of algae in the Sargasso Sea, as well as coral islands in tropical areas.
The discoveries of the expedition turned out to be a major achievement of Russian and world geographical science of that time.
The entire subsequent life of Bellingshausen and Lazarev after returning from the Antarctic voyage was spent in continuous voyages and combat naval service. In 1839, Bellingshausen was appointed chief commander of the Kronstadt port as an admiral. Under his leadership, Kronstadt turned into an impregnable fortress.
Bellingshausen died in 1852, at the age of 73.
Mikhail Petrovich Lazarev did a lot for the development of the Russian navy. Already with the rank of admiral, commanding the Black Sea Fleet, he achieved complete rearmament and restructuring of the fleet. He raised a whole generation of glorious Russian sailors.
Mikhail Petrovich Lazarev died in 1851. Already in our time, capitalist states sought to divide Antarctica among themselves. The Geographical Society of the Soviet Union expressed a strong protest against the unilateral actions of these states. In the resolution on the report of the late President of the Graphic Society, Acad. L. S. Berg says: “The Russian navigators Bellingshausen and Lazarev in 1819-1821 circumnavigated the Antarctic continent, approached its shores for the first time and discovered in January 1821 the island of Peter I, Alexander I Land, the Traverse Islands and others. In recognition of the services of Russian navigators, one of the southern polar moraines was named the Bellingshausen Sea. And therefore, all attempts to resolve the issue of the Antarctic regime without the participation of the Soviet Union cannot find any justification... The USSR has every reason not to recognize any such decision.”