Polar explorer Otto Sverdrup The old emblem of the Norwegian Polar Institute, the leading scientific organization in the Kingdom of Norway, depicted three silhouettes of the country's famous polar explorers - Fridtjof Nansen, Roald Amundsen and Otto Sverdrup. The first two

Respectively. Navigation has become an important milestone in the history of Russia, in the development of its fleet, it has made a significant contribution to the study of the oceans, many branches of the natural sciences and the humanities.

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From Kronstadt to Japan

The first half of the voyage was marked by the eccentric behavior of Tolstoy the American (who had to be landed in Kamchatka) and conflicts between Krusenstern and N.P. Rezanov, who was officially considered the head of the expedition [ ] .

Rezanov and Kruzenshtern had to share one cabin (6 m²), and relations between them deteriorated to such an extent that they communicated exclusively through notes. One of the reasons for Kruzenshtern’s dissatisfaction was that the retinue, which was supposed to be the ambassador, hampered the team on a small, in fact, ship (the length of the Nadezhda was only 35 meters). After arriving in Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky, Rezanov finally left the cabin and filed a complaint against the recalcitrant crew with the local governor. In his notes, Rezanov writes that Kruzenshtern officially apologized to him for violating subordination on board, while Kruzenshtern, in a letter to the head of the Academy of Sciences, N.N. Novosiltsev, presents the exact opposite picture: Rezanov publicly apologized to Kruzenshtern.

Having taken an honor guard (2 officers, a drummer, 5 soldiers) from the ruler of the Kamchatka region P.I. Koshelev for the ambassador, Nadezhda headed south, arriving in the Japanese port of Dejima near the city of Nagasaki on September 26, 1804. The Japanese forbade entering the harbor, and Kruzenshtern anchored in the bay. The embassy lasted six months, after which everyone returned back to Petropavlovsk. Krusenstern was awarded the Order of St. Anna II degree, and Rezanov, as having completed the diplomatic mission entrusted to him, was released from further participation in the first round-the-world expedition.

From Japan to Kronstadt

"Neva" and "Nadezhda" returned to St. Petersburg by different routes. In 1805 their paths crossed at the port of Macau in southern China. The Neva, after entering Hawaii, assisted the Russian-American Company led by A. A. Baranov in recapturing the Mikhailovskaya Fortress from the natives. After an inventory of the surrounding islands and other studies, the Neva took goods to Canton, but on October 3 she ran aground in the middle of the ocean. Lisyansky ordered rostras and carronades to be thrown into the water, but after that a squall landed the ship on a reef. In order to continue sailing, the crew had to drop even essential items such as anchors into the sea. Subsequently, the goods were picked up. On the way to China, the coral island of Lisyansky was discovered. The Neva returned to Kronstadt before the Nadezhda (July 22).

Leaving the shores of Japan, Nadezhda went north to the Sea of ​​Japan, almost completely unknown to Europeans. On the way, Kruzenshtern determined the position of a number of islands. He passed through the La Perouse Strait between Iesso and Sakhalin, described Aniva Bay, located on the southern side of Sakhalin, the eastern shore and Patience Bay, which he left on May 13. A huge amount of ice that he met the next day at 48 ° latitude prevented him from continuing his navigation to the north and he went down to the Kuril Islands. Here, on May 18, he discovered 4 stone islands, which he called "Stone traps"; near them, he met such a strong current that, with a fresh wind and a course of eight knots, the ship "Nadezhda" not only did not move forward, but she was carried to an underwater reef.

Having barely escaped trouble here, on May 20, Kruzenshtern passed through the strait between the islands of Onnekotan and Haramukotan, and on May 24 he again arrived at the Peter and Paul port. On June 23 he went to Sakhalin to complete the description of its shores; July 3 arrived at Cape Patience. Exploring the shores of Sakhalin, he went around the northern tip of the island, descended between it and the coast of the mainland to a latitude of 53 ° 30 "and in this place on August 1 he found fresh water, according to which he concluded that the mouth of the Amur River was not far, but because of the rapidly decreasing depth, go decided not to move forward.

The next day he anchored in the bay, which he called the Bay of Hope; On August 4, he went back to Kamchatka, where the repair of the ship and replenishment of supplies delayed him until September 23. When leaving Avacha Bay due to fog and snow, the ship almost ran aground. On the way to China, he searched in vain for the islands shown on old Spanish maps, weathered several storms, and on November 15 came to Macau. On November 21, when the Nadezhda was already quite ready to go to sea, the ship Neva arrived with a rich cargo of fur goods and stopped in Whampoa, where the ship Nadezhda also moved. At the beginning of January 1806, the expedition ended its trading business, but was detained by the Chinese port authorities for no particular reason, and only on January 28 did the Russian ships leave the Chinese shores.

Kruzenshtern's voyage was an era in the history of the Russian fleet, enriching geography and the natural sciences with many information about countries little known. Since that time, a continuous series of Russian round-the-world travels begins; In many ways, the management of Kamchatka has changed for the better. Of the officers who were with Kruzenshtern, many later served with honor in the Russian fleet, and the cadet Otto Kotzebue himself later became the commander of a ship that went on a round-the-world trip. Thaddeus Bellingshausen will lead a round-the-world expedition on the sloops Vostok and Mirny and will approach the coast of Antarctica for the first time.

Memory

• In 1993, the Bank of Russia issued a series of commemorative coins.
• 2006 marked the 200th anniversary of the end of the first Russian circumnavigation. By this date, the Russian Geographical Society planned to republish the descriptions of Kruzenshtern and Lisyansky’s travels, Kruzenshtern’s Atlas of the South Sea, for the first time to publish in translation into Russian the work of Grigory Langsdorf, an unknown version of the notes of the merchant Fyodor Shemelin, the unpublished diary of 1795-1816 of Lieutenant Ermolai Levenshtern, unpublished or forgotten diaries and letters of Nikolay Rezanov, Makar Ratmanov, Fyodor Romberg and other participants of the voyage. It was also planned to publish a collection of scientific articles on the main aspects of the preparation, conduct and results of swimming.
• In December 2013, a 4-episode documentary series “Neva” and “Hope” was released on the screens of the Rossiya-1 TV channel. The first Russian voyage around the world, project author Mikhail Kozhukhov.
• Several fiction and non-fiction books are devoted to the voyages of Kruzenshtern and Lisyansky. In particular, he tells in detail about the expedition

Russian travelers. Russia was becoming a great maritime power, and this put forward new tasks for domestic geographers. AT 1803-1806 was undertaken from Kronstadt to Alaska on ships "Hope" and "Neva". It was headed by Admiral Ivan Fedorovich Kruzenshtern (1770 - 1846). He commanded the ship "Hope". By ship "Neva" commanded by Captain Yuri Fedorovich Lisyansky (1773 - 1837). During the expedition, the islands of the Pacific Ocean, China, Japan, Sakhalin and Kamchatka were studied. Detailed maps of the studied places were drawn up. Lisyansky, having traveled independently from the Hawaiian Islands to Alaska, collected rich material on the peoples of Oceania and North America.

Map. The first Russian round-the-world expedition

The attention of researchers around the world has long attracted the mysterious area around the South Pole. It was assumed that there is a vast southern mainland (names "Antarctica" then it was not in use). English navigator J. Cook in the 70s of the XVIII century. crossed the Antarctic Circle, encountered impenetrable ice and declared that navigation further south was impossible. They believed him, and for 45 years no one undertook south polar expeditions.

In 1819, Russia equipped an expedition to the southern polar seas on two sloops under the leadership of Faddey Faddeevich Bellingshausen (1778 - 1852). He commanded a sloop "East". commander "Mirny" was Mikhail Petrovich Lazarev (1788 - 1851). Bellingshausen participated in the voyage of Krusenstern. Lazarev subsequently became famous as a military admiral, who brought up a whole galaxy of Russian naval commanders (Kornilov, Nakhimov, Istomin).

"East" and "Peaceful" were not adapted to polar conditions and differed greatly in seaworthiness. "Peaceful" was stronger and "East"- faster. Only thanks to the great skill of the captains, the sloops never lost each other in stormy weather and poor visibility. Several times the ships were on the verge of destruction.

But still Russian expedition managed to break through to the South much further than Cook. January 16, 1820 "East" and "Peaceful" came very close to the Antarctic coast (in the area of ​​the present-day Bellingshausen Ice Shelf). In front of them, as far as they could see, stretched a gently rolling icy desert. Perhaps they guessed that this was the southern continent, and not solid ice. But there was no other way to obtain evidence than by landing on the shore and making a journey far into the depths of the desert. The sailors did not have such an opportunity. Therefore, Bellingshausen, a very conscientious and accurate person, reported in a report that he had seen "mainland of ice". Subsequently, geographers wrote that Bellingshausen "saw the mainland, but did not recognize it as such". And yet this date is considered the day of the discovery of Antarctica. After that, the island of Peter I and the coast of Alexander I were discovered. In 1821, the expedition returned to their homeland, having made a full voyage around the open continent.

Kostin V. "Vostok and Mirny off the coast of Antarctica", 1820

In 1811, Russian sailors led by Captain Vasily Mikhailovich Golovkin (1776-1831) explored the Kuril Islands and were taken into Japanese captivity. Golovnin's notes about his three-year stay in Japan introduced Russian society to the life of this mysterious country. Golovnin's student Fyodor Petrovich Litke (1797 - 1882) explored the Arctic Ocean, the shores of Kamchatka, South America. He founded the Russian Geographical Society, which played a big role in the development of geographical science.

Major geographical discoveries in the Russian Far East are associated with the name of Gennady Ivanovich Nevelsky (1814-1876). Rejecting the court career that opened before him, he achieved the appointment of a commander of military transport. "Baikal". He is on it in 1848-1849. sailed from Kronstadt around Cape Horn to Kamchatka, and then led the Amur expedition. He opened the mouth of the Amur, a strait between Sakhalin and the mainland, proving that Sakhalin is an island, not a peninsula.

Amur expedition of Nevelsky

Expeditions of Russian travelers, in addition to purely scientific results, were of great importance in the mutual knowledge of peoples. In distant countries, local residents often learned about Russia for the first time from Russian travelers. In turn, Russian people collected information about other countries and peoples.

Russian America

Russian America . Alaska was discovered in 1741 by the expedition of V. Bering and A. Chirikov. The first Russian settlements in the Aleutian Islands and Alaska appeared in the 18th century. In 1799, Siberian merchants engaged in crafts in Alaska united in the Russian-American Company, which was assigned a monopoly right to use the natural resources of this region. The company's board was first in Irkutsk, and then moved to St. Petersburg. The main source of income for the company was the fur trade. For many years (until 1818) the main ruler of Russian America was A. A. Baranov, a native of the merchants of the city of Kargopol, Olonets province.

The Russian population of Alaska and the Aleutian Islands was small (in different years from 500 to 830 people). In total, about 10 thousand people lived in Russian America, mostly Aleuts, inhabitants of the islands and the coast of Alaska. They willingly approached the Russians, were baptized into the Orthodox faith, adopted various crafts and clothing. The men wore jackets and frock coats, the women in cotton dresses. The girls tied their hair with a ribbon and dreamed of marrying a Russian.

Another thing is the Indians who lived in the hinterland of Alaska. They were hostile to the Russians, believing that it was they who brought into their country previously unknown diseases - smallpox and measles. In 1802, the Tlingit Indians ( "koloshey", as the Russians called them) attacked the Russian-Aleutian settlement on about. The Sitha burned everything and killed many of the inhabitants. Only in 1804 the island was recaptured. Baranov founded the Novo-Arkhangelsk fortress on it, which became the capital of Russian America. A church, a shipping yard, and workshops were built in Novo-Arkhangelsk. The library has collected more than 1200 books.

After the resignation of Baranov, the post of chief ruler began to be occupied by naval officers, inexperienced in commercial affairs. Gradually depleted fur wealth. The financial affairs of the company were shaken, she began to receive state benefits. But geographic research expanded. Especially - in the deep regions, which were indicated on the maps with a white spot.

Of particular importance was the expedition of L. A. Zagoskin in 1842-1844. Lavrenty Zagoskin, a native of Penza, was the nephew of the famous writer M. Zagoskin. He described his impressions of the difficult and lengthy expedition in a book. "Pedestrian inventory of part of Russian possessions in America". Zagoskin described the basins of the main rivers of Alaska (Yukon and Kuskokwim), collected information about the climate of these areas, their natural world, and the life of the local population, with whom he managed to establish friendly relations. Written lively and talentedly, "Pedestrian description" combined scientific value and artistic merit.

I. E. Veniaminov spent about a quarter of a century in Russian America. Arriving in Novo-Arkhangelsk as a young missionary, he immediately took up the study of the Aleut language, and later wrote a textbook on its grammar. On about. Unalaska, where he lived for a long time, a church was built by his labors and care, a school and a hospital were opened. He regularly conducted meteorological and other natural observations. When Veniaminov became a monk, he was named Innocent. Soon he became the bishop of Kamchatka, the Kurils and the Aleuts.

In the 50s of the XIX century. The Russian government began to pay special attention to the study of the Amur region and the Ussuri region. Interest in Russian America has noticeably declined. she miraculously survived the capture by the British. In fact, the distant colony was and remained undefended. For the state treasury, devastated as a result of the war, the annual considerable payments of the Russian-American Company became a burden. I had to make a choice between the development of the Far East (Amur and Primorye) and Russian America. The issue was discussed for a long time, and in the end an agreement was concluded with the US government on the sale of Alaska for 7.2 million dollars. On October 6, 1867, the Russian flag was lowered in Novo-Arkhangelsk and the American flag was raised. Russia peacefully withdrew from Alaska, leaving the future generations of its inhabitants with the results of their work on its study and development.

Document: From the diary of F. F. Bellingshausen

January 10 (1821). ... At noon the wind moved to the east and became fresher. Unable to go south of the solid ice we encountered, we had to continue our journey in anticipation of a favorable wind. Meanwhile, the sea swallows gave us reason to conclude that there was a coast in the vicinity of this place.

At 3 o'clock in the afternoon they saw a blackening spot. I knew at a glance through the pipe that I was seeing the shore. The rays of the sun, emerging from the clouds, illuminated this place, and, to the general pleasure, everyone was convinced that they saw a coast covered with snow: only scree and rocks, on which the snow could not hold, turned black.

It is impossible to express in words the joy that appeared on the faces of everyone at the exclamation: “Shore! Shore!" This delight was not surprising after a long-term uniform navigation in incessant fatal dangers, between ice, in snow, rain, slush and fog ... The shore we had acquired gave us hope that there must certainly be other shores, for the existence of only one in such a vast expanse of water we thought it was impossible.

11 January. From midnight the sky was covered with thick clouds, the air was filled with darkness, the wind was fresh. We continued on the same course to the north, in order to turn and lie closer to the shore. In the course of the morning, after clearing the cloudiness that hovered over the coast, when the sun's rays illuminated it, we saw a high island, stretching from N0 61 ° to S, covered with snow. At 5 o'clock in the afternoon, having approached a distance of 14 miles from the coast, we met solid ice, which prevented us from approaching still, to better survey the coast and take something of curiosity and preservation worthy to the museum of the Admiralty Department. Having reached the very ice with the Vostok sloop, I led to another tack to drift in order to wait for the Mirny sloop, which was behind us. As the Mirny approached, we raised our flags: Lieutenant Lazarev congratulated me via telegraph on finding the island; on both sloops they put people on the shrouds and shouted three times a mutual “hurray”. At this time it is ordered to give the sailors a glass of punch. I called Lieutenant Lazarev to me, he informed me that he saw all the ends of the coast clearly and well determined the position of them. The island was quite clearly visible, especially the lower parts, which are made up of steep stone cliffs.

I called this island the high name of the culprit for the existence of a navy in Russia - the island.

When Russia went to sea, found its own fleet and overseas colonies - Russian America - it only had to go forward. It was hard to believe that until quite recently the Russian fleet, created by the will of Peter I, did not exist at all. And now the idea arises of a round-the-world trip, which would be made under the Russian naval flag.

predecessors

Under the phrase of the famous diplomat and traveler N.P. Rezanov “Let the fate of Russia be winged with sails!” Many people would sign - both commanders, and ordinary sailors, and those who, without going to sea themselves, did everything possible to carry out such expeditions. The great Transformer himself dreamed of long-distance sea voyages, Peter's plans included a trip to the West Indies, crossing the equator and establishing trade relations with the "Great Mughals".

These plans were not destined to come true. Nevertheless, in 1725–1726, a Russian ocean expedition to Spain took place under the command of Captain I. Koshelev, who later proposed the idea of ​​a round-the-world trip from St. Petersburg.

In 1776, Catherine II signed a decree on sending ships from the Baltic Sea to the first Russian round-the-world expedition. The campaign was to be led by a young captain G.I. Mulovsky, an experienced and skilled sailor. The expedition had to solve several problems at once: to deliver fortress guns to the Peter and Paul harbor, to establish trade relations with Japan, to take cattle and seed grain, as well as other necessary goods to settlers in Russian America, and in addition, to discover new lands and strengthen the prestige of Russia.

Preparations for a large-scale expedition were in full swing, the factories had already cast iron coats of arms and medals with images of Catherine, which were to be installed in the newly discovered territories. But the Russian-Turkish war began, and all the supplies were ordered to be distributed to the ships going to the Mediterranean Sea. Mulovsky himself was killed in a naval battle. During the reign of Catherine the Russian circumnavigation never materialized, but the idea had already taken hold of the minds.

The first Russian round-the-world expedition

Sometimes life turns out so strangely that in any book such a plot would look like a stretch. On the ship "Mstislav" was a very young midshipman, yesterday's midshipman. Ivan Kruzenshtern was only 17 years old when he entered under the command of Captain Mulovsky. It is difficult to say whether they were talking about the failed expedition, but it was Kruzenshtern who had to do what fate denied his brave predecessor.

I. F. Kruzenshtern and Yu. F. Lisyansky

Ivan Fedorovich Kruzenshtern and his brother in the Naval Corps Yuri Fedorovich Lisyansky, as young sailors who showed significant success, were sent for training in the English fleet. Kruzenshtern became extremely interested in trade with China, visited Chinese ports - and upon returning to Russia, in detail, with figures and calculations, he expressed his opinion that the organization of maritime communications between Russian colonies and China was extremely beneficial and useful for Russia. Of course, the opinion of the young lieutenant was ignored - the proposal was too bold. But suddenly Kruzenshtern was supported by prominent and authoritative nobles - State Chancellor Rumyantsev and Admiral Mordvinov, and soon the Russian-American Company (RAC) made a similar proposal - and so the fate of the first Russian round-the-world expedition was decided.

The generous sponsorship of the RAC made it possible not to wait until ships were built that could withstand the hardships of the journey. Two suitable vessels were purchased in England, improved, named "Nadezhda" and "Neva". The RAC was powerful and wealthy enough to ensure that the expedition was supplied with the very best in record time.

Only volunteers were recruited for a long and dangerous journey - nevertheless, there were so many of them that it would be just right to complete three expeditions. The team included scientists, artists (to sketch landscapes, plants and animals unknown to science), an astronomer. The goal was to deliver the necessary goods to our Russian settlements in America, to take away their furs, to sell or exchange goods in Chinese ports, to prove the benefits of the sea route to Russian America compared to the land route through Siberia. And besides, to deliver an embassy to the shores of Japan under the leadership of chamberlain N. P. Rezanov.

Despite the "commercial" nature of the expedition, the ships sailed under the naval flag. Chamberlain Rezanov was by no means the last person in the RAC, after all, the son-in-law of the head and founder of the company, G. Shelikhov, the heir to the capital of the "Russian Columbus". It was assumed that he was responsible for the scientific and economic part, and Kruzenshtern - for the sea. In August 1803, the Neva and Nadezhda set sail from Kronstadt. After the Hawaiian Islands, the ships, as agreed, dispersed. The Neva, under the direction of Lisyansky, sailed north to the islands of Kodiak and Sitka in the Gulf of Alaska, loaded with goods for the RAC, to rendezvous with the Nadezhda at Macao in September 1805. "Nadezhda" went to Kamchatka - and then - to Japan to fulfill Rezanov's diplomatic mission. On the way, Nadezhda got into a severe storm - and, as it turned out later, into a tsunami zone.

Alas, the mission was a failure - after almost six months of waiting in Nagasaki, the Russians were refused. The Japanese emperor returned gifts (huge framed mirrors), refused to accept the embassy and ordered to leave Japan immediately, however, he supplied the ship with water, food and firewood. In Macau, the captains met, exchanged furs for tea, porcelain and other rare and liquid goods in Europe, and set off for Russia. After the storm, having lost sight of each other, Nadezhda and Neva safely returned to Russia, first the Neva, then, a couple of weeks later, the Nadezhda.

Swimming did not proceed as serenely as we would like. Problems began almost immediately after sailing. Chamberlain Rezanov had a rescript signed by Alexander I, according to which he, Rezanov, was appointed head of the expedition, but with the proviso that all decisions be made jointly with Captain Kruzenshtern.

For the sake of accommodation on the relatively small "Nadezhda" of Rezanov's retinue, a number of people really needed in swimming had to be refused. In addition, Rezanov’s retinue included, for example, Count Fyodor Tolstoy, later nicknamed the American, an absolutely uncontrollable, cruel manipulator and intriguer. He managed to quarrel with the whole team, more than once annoyed Krusenstern personally with his antics - and in the end he was forcibly landed on the island of Sitka.

N. P. Rezanov

On a warship, according to the charter, there could be only one leader, whose orders are carried out unquestioningly. Rezanov, as a non-military man, did not accept discipline at all, and gradually relations between him and Krusenstern heated up to the limit. Forced to share one tiny cabin for a couple of years, Rezanov and Kruzenshtern communicated through notes.

Rezanov tried to force Kruzenshtern to change the route of the expedition in order to immediately go to Kamchatka - in fact, interrupting the trip around the world. Finally, Rezanov allowed himself to be rude towards the captain in the presence of the team - and this, from the point of view of the charter, was completely unforgivable. After a loud scandal, making sure that there was no one on his side, the offended Rezanov practically did not leave the cabin until the Nadezhda reached Petropavlovsk.

Fortunately, the experienced and cold-blooded commandant P. Koshelev sorted out the case, regardless of the faces, trying to ensure that the quarrel between two private individuals could not interfere with the fulfillment of the state duty. Kruzenshtern fully agreed with this, and Rezanov had to back down. At the end of the Japanese mission, Rezanov left Nadezhda - and he and Kruzenshtern did not meet again, to mutual satisfaction.

The further history of N.P. Rezanov, who went to California and met there the 14-year-old beauty Maria Concepción Arguello, the daughter of the commandant of San Francisco, is known as one of the most romantic pages not only in Russian, but probably in world history. The famous rock opera "Juno and Avos" tells about their tragic love, but this is a different, albeit very interesting, story.

Travel Kotzebue

Among the volunteers who went with Kruzenshtern on the Nadezhda was a 15-year-old cabin boy, German Otto Kotzebue. The boy's stepmother was the lieutenant commander's sister, Christina Kruzenshtern. When the Nadezhda returned to the port, Kotzebue was promoted to midshipman, and a year later - to lieutenant, and although he was not a graduate of the naval school, Otto Evstafievich received the best of the naval schools - the school of circumnavigation, and since then he has not thought of life without the sea and serving the Fatherland.

Brig "Rurik" on the stamp of the Marshall Islands

At the end of the circumnavigation, Kruzenshtern worked tirelessly on the results of the expedition, prepared reports, issued and commented on maps and the Atlas of the Southern Seas, and in particular, together with Count Rumyantsev, developed a new circumnavigation expedition. She was tasked with finding the Northeast Sea Passage from the Pacific to the Atlantic Ocean. The expedition was supposed to go on the Rurik brig. The command of the brig, on the recommendation of Krusenstern, was offered to Kotzebue.

This expedition returned after 3 years, having lost only one person and enriched geography with a mass of discoveries. The little-studied or generally unknown islands, archipelagos and coasts of the Pacific Ocean were drawn on the map and described in detail. Meteorological observations, studies of sea currents, ocean depths, temperature, salinity and transparency of water, terrestrial magnetism and various living organisms were an invaluable contribution to science - and had considerable practical benefits.

By the way, the German scientist and romantic poet A. von Shamisso, Pushkin's translator into German, took part in the voyage on the Rurik as a naturalist. His novel Journey Around the World became a classic of adventure literature in Germany, and it was also published in Russia.

O.E. Kotzebue made the third trip around the world in 1823–1826. Prior to that, for a year he guarded the shores of Russian America from pirates and smugglers with his 24-gun sloop "Enterprise". The scientific results of the expedition on the "Enterprise" were almost more significant than the results of sailing on the "Rurik". The physicist E. Lenz, the future academician who went with Kotzebue, designed, together with a colleague, Professor Parrot, a device called a bathometer for taking water samples from various depths, and a device for measuring depths. Lenz studied the vertical distribution of salinity, scrupulously noted the temperature of the Pacific waters and diurnal changes in air temperature at different latitudes.

By the 20s of the 19th century, traveling around the world had ceased to be something unimaginable and out of the ordinary. A number of glorious Russian captains circled the globe, leaving Kronstadt and heading towards the horizon.

Vasily Golovnin - unstoppable and fearless

Vasily Mikhailovich Golovnin, a captain and an excellent seascape writer, was considered a worldly-wise man even among his fellow captains. More than enough adventures fell to his lot. At the age of fourteen, as a midshipman, he participated in naval battles - and was awarded a medal, and then returned to complete his studies, as he was still too young to become an officer.

He made his first independent circumnavigation of the world when he was only a lieutenant. The Admiralty changed its own rules and transferred the Diana sloop under the command of a lieutenant, because everyone understood what kind of person Lieutenant Golovnin was. And indeed, their expectations were justified - an excellent captain, Golovnin fully possessed calmness, courage, and an unbending character. When, due to the outbreak of war, Russian sailors were detained by the British in South Africa, Golovnin managed to escape from captivity and nevertheless completed the mission assigned to the expedition. Round the world trip on the sloop "Diana" in 1808-1809. completed successfully.

The "gentleman's" captivity of the British was not too painful for our sailors, but the conclusion during the second trip turned out to be no laughing matter. This time Golovnin and a number of his comrades ended up in a real prison - to the Japanese. Those did not like the fact that the Russian ship carried out a cartographic survey of the Kuril Islands - in 1811 Golovnin was instructed to describe the Kuril, Shantar Islands and the coast of the Tatar Strait. Japan decided that impudent cartographers violate the principle of isolation of their state - and if so, then the place for criminals is in prison. The captivity lasted two years, because of this incident, Russia and Japan were balancing on a dangerous edge - a war between them was quite possible.

Japanese scroll depicting the capture of Golovnin

Herculean efforts were made to save Golovnin and his people. But only thanks to the actions of Golovnin's friend officer P.I. Rikord and the help of the influential Japanese merchant Mr. Takatai Kaheya, with whom Rikord managed to establish purely human contact, it was possible to accomplish the almost unbelievable - to return Russian sailors from a Japanese prison. On the territory of the natural park "Nalychevo" in Kamchatka there are so-called "peaks of Russian-Japanese friendship" - Kaheya rock, Mount Rikorda and Mount Golovnin. Today, the "Golovnin incident" is one of the textbook cases in the history of world diplomacy.

Golovnin's notes about his adventures were translated into many languages, and became a bestseller in Russia. Returning home, Vasily Golovnin continued to work tirelessly for the benefit of Russian navigation, his knowledge, experience, energy were invaluable, and many young men who later chose the career of a naval officer read Golovnin's books about distant wanderings.

Baron Wrangel - Head of Alaska

In 1816, midshipman Ferdinand Wrangel, who served in Revel, filed a petition to participate in the expedition of Captain Golovnin on the sloop Kamchatka. The youth was refused. Then, having told his superiors that he was ill, he reached St. Petersburg and practically fell at the feet of Golovnin, asking him to take him with him. He strictly noted that unauthorized flight from the ship is desertion and worthy of judgment. The midshipman agreed, but asked to be put on trial after the voyage, on which he was ready to become at least a simple sailor. Golovnin waved his hand and surrendered.

This was the first round-the-world trip of Ferdinand Petrovich Wrangel, after whom the now-famous reserve, Wrangel Island, was later named. On board the Kamchatka, the desperate young man went through not only a maritime school, but also diligently filled in the gaps in his education, and also found true friends - future explorers and tireless travelers Fyodor Litke and yesterday's lyceum student, Pushkin's friend Fyodor Matyushkin.

Traveling on the Kamchatka turned out to be an invaluable forge of personnel for the Russian fleet. Wrangel returned from a voyage as an excellent sailor - and a scientific researcher. It was Wrangel and Matyushkin who were ordered to go on an expedition to explore the northeastern coast of Siberia.

Map showing Wrangel's travel routes

Few people gave so much effort and energy to the study of Alaska and Kamchatka as Ferdinand Petrovich Wrangel. He explored North-Eastern Siberia from the sea and from land, went on a circumnavigation, commanding the Krotkiy military transport, was awarded orders, and in 1829 was appointed chief manager of Russian America, and, among other things, built a magnetic meteorological observatory in Alaska . Under his leadership, Russian America prospered, new settlements were created. The island is named after him, his works for the benefit of Russia were highly appreciated by the state and history. Less than fifty years have passed since the end of the first round-the-world voyage of Kruzenshtern and Lisyansky, and the Russian fleet flourished and developed rapidly - there were so many enthusiasts, truly devoted to their work, there were in its ranks.

Land unknown

“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 can be found, is only near the pole, in places inaccessible to navigation ... The risk associated with swimming in these unexplored and ice-covered seas in search of the southern mainland, is so great that I can safely say that not a single person will ever dare to penetrate south further than I did., - these words of James Cook, the star of navigation of the XVIII century, closed the Antarctic research for almost 50 years. There were simply no people willing to finance projects that were obviously doomed to failure, and in case of success, they were still commercial failures.

It was the Russians who went against common sense and worldly logic. Kruzenshtern, Kotzebue and polar explorer G. Sarychev developed an expedition and presented it to Emperor Alexander. He unexpectedly agreed.

The main task of the expedition was defined as purely scientific: "discoveries in the possible vicinity of the Antarctic Pole" with the aim of "acquisition of the most complete knowledge about our globe". The expedition was charged with duties and was instructed by the instruction to mark and study everything worthy of attention, "not only related to maritime art, but generally serving to spread human knowledge in all parts".

V. Volkov. Discovery of Antarctica by the sloops Vostok and Mirny, 2008

In the summer of the same year, the Mirny sloop and the transport, converted into a sloop, the Vostok, set out towards the South Pole. They were led by two captains who were considered among the best in the Russian fleet - the expedition commander Faddey Faddeevich Bellingshausen, a participant in the round-the-world trip of Kruzenshtern and Lisyansky, and Mikhail Petrovich Lazarev, a young but very promising captain. Subsequently, Lazarev will make three round-the-world trips, but these feats will not overshadow his fame as a polar explorer.

The voyage lasted 751 days, of which 535 days in the Southern Hemisphere, with 100 days in the ice. The sailors went beyond the Antarctic Circle six times. No one has approached the mysterious Antarctica so close and for so long. In February 1820, Bellingshausen wrote: “Here, behind the ice fields of small ice and islands, a mainland of ice is visible, the edges of which are broken off perpendicularly, and which continued as far as we could see, rising to the south, like a coast. Flat ice islands located near this mainland clearly show that they are fragments of this mainland, because they have edges and an upper surface similar to the mainland.. For the first time in the history of mankind, people saw Antarctica. And these people were our Russian sailors.

The story of the first round-the-world expedition of I.F. Kruzenshtern and Yu.F. Lisyansky. About how two captains circled the globe for the first time under the flag of the Russian navy despite the cruel circumstances that prevented their dream.

Background and purpose of the expedition

The petitions of Captain Ivan Kruzenshtern were collecting dust on the tables of the Admiralty officials. The clerks considered Russia a land power and did not understand why it was necessary to go to the ends of the world at all - to draw up herbariums and maps ?! Desperate, Krusenstern surrenders. Now his choice is marriage and a quiet life ... And the project of Captain Kruzenshtern would certainly have been lost in the back drawers of the Admiralty officials, if not for private capital - the Russian-American Company. Its main business is trade with Alaska. At that time, the business was extremely profitable: a sable skin bought in Alaska for a ruble could be sold in St. Petersburg for 600. But the trouble is: the journey from the capital to Alaska and back took ... 5 years. What a trade!

On July 29, 1802, the company turned to Emperor Alexander I - also, by the way, its shareholder - with a request to allow a round-the-world expedition under the Kruzenshtern project. The goals are to deliver the necessary supplies to Alaska, pick up the goods, and at the same time establish trade with China and Japan. Nikolai Rezanov, a member of the board of the company, filed a petition.

On August 7, 1802, just a week after the petition was submitted, the project was approved. It was also decided to send an embassy to Japan with an expedition, headed by Nikolai Rezanov. Captain-Lieutenant Kruzenshtern was appointed head of the expedition.

Left - Ivan Fedorovich Kruzenshtern, right - Yuri Fedorovich Lisyansky

The composition of the expedition, preparation for sailing

In the summer of 1803, two sailing sloops left the harbor of Kronstadt - the Nadezhda and the Neva. The captain of Nadezhda was Ivan Kruzenshtern, the captain of the Neva was his friend and classmate Yuri Lisyansky. The sloops "Nadezhda" and "Neva" are three-masted ships of Kruzenshtern and Lisyansky, capable of carrying up to 24 guns. They were bought in England for 230,000 rubles, originally called Leander and Thames. The length of the "Hope" is 117 feet, i.e. about 35 meters with a width of 8.5 meters, a displacement of 450 tons. The length of the Neva is 108 feet, the displacement is 370 tons.

On board the Nadezhda were:

midshipmen Thaddeus Bellingshausen and Otto Kotzebue, who later glorified the Russian fleet with their expeditions

Ambassador Rezanov Nikolai Petrovich (to establish diplomatic relations with Japan) and his retinue

scientists Horner, Tilesius and Langsdorf, artist Kurlyantsev

in a mysterious way, the famous brawler and duellist Count Fyodor Tolstoy, who went down in history as Tolstoy the American, also got on the expedition.

Ivan Krusenstern. 32 years. A descendant of a Russified German noble family. He was released from the Naval Corps ahead of schedule in connection with the Russian-Swedish war. Repeatedly participated in naval battles. Cavalier of the Order of St. George IV degree. He served as a volunteer on the ships of the English fleet, visited the coasts of North America, South Africa, the East Indies and China.

Yermolai Levenstern. 26 years. Lieutenant of Hope. He was distinguished by poor health, but he carried out his service diligently and accurately. In his diary, he described in detail all the incidents of the expedition, including curious and obscene ones. He gave unflattering characteristics to all his comrades, with the exception of Kruzenshtern, to whom he was sincerely devoted.

Makar Ratmanov. 31 years. First Lieutenant of the sloop Nadezhda. Kruzenshtern's classmate in the Naval Corps. The most senior officer of the expedition. participated in the Russian-Swedish war, then, as part of the squadron of Fyodor Ushakov, in the capture of the fortress of Corfu and the Ionian Islands. He was distinguished by rare courage, as well as directness in his statements.

Nikolay Rezanov. 38 years. From an impoverished noble family. He served in the Izmailovsky Life Guards Regiment, then as a secretary of various offices. Arousing the jealousy of the favorite of the Empress Platon Zubov, he was sent to Irkutsk to inspect the activities of the entrepreneur Grigory Shelikhov. He married the daughter of Shelikhov and became a co-owner of a huge capital. He obtained permission from Emperor Paul to establish the Russian-American Company and became one of its leaders.

Count Fyodor Tolstoy, 21 years old. Guard lieutenant, member of Rezanov's retinue. He became famous in St. Petersburg as an intriguer, adventurer and sharpie. He got on the expedition by accident: he challenged his regiment commander to a duel, and in order to avoid trouble, by decision of the family, he ended up on the voyage instead of his cousin.

Wilhelm Theophilus Tilesius von Tilenau. 35 years. German physician, botanist, zoologist and naturalist. An excellent draftsman who compiled a drawn chronicle of the expedition. Subsequently, he will make a name for himself in science. There is a version that many of his drawings were copied from the works of his colleague and rival Langsdorf.

Baron Georg-Heinrich von Langsdorf, 29 years old. M.D. He worked as a doctor in Portugal, in his spare time he conducted natural science research, collected collections. Active member of the Physical Society of the University of Göttingen. St. Petersburg Academy of Sciences.

Johann-Kaspar Horner, 31 years old. Swiss astronomer. Called from Zurich to participate in the expedition as a staff astronomer. He was distinguished by a rare calmness and endurance.

Sloop "Hope"

Sloop "Neva": Commander - Lisyansky Yuri Fedorovich.

The total number of the ship's crew is 54 people.

Yuri Lisyansky. 29 years. Since childhood, I dreamed of the sea. At the age of 13, he was prematurely released from the St. Petersburg Naval Corps in connection with the Russian-Swedish War. Participated in several battles. At the age of 16 he was promoted to midshipman. Cavalier of the Order of St. George 4th degree. He was distinguished by exceptional demands on himself and his subordinates.

Preparing for the expedition

At the beginning of the 19th century, spots were whitening on the maps of the Atlantic and, most importantly, the Pacific Oceans. Russian sailors had to cross the Great Ocean almost blindly. The ships were supposed to go through Copenhagen and Falmouth to the Canary Islands, then to Brazil, then to Easter Island, the Marquesas Islands, Honolulu and Kamchatka, where the ships would separate: the Neva would go to the shores of Alaska, and the Nadezhda to Japan. In Canton (China), the ships should meet and return together to Kronstadt. The ships sailed according to the regulations of the Russian navy. Twice a day - in the morning and in the late afternoon - exercises were held: setting and cleaning sails, as well as alarms in case of a fire or a hole. For the team's lunch, suspended tables attached to the ceiling were lowered in the cockpit. For lunch and dinner, they gave one dish - cabbage soup with meat or corned beef or porridge with butter. Before meals, the team received a glass of vodka or rum, and those who did not drink were paid nine kopecks a month for each glass they did not drink. At the end of the work, it was heard: “To the team to sing and have fun!”

The sloops "Neva" and "Nadezhda" during a round-the-world voyage. Artist S.V.Pen.

Expedition route of Kruzenshtern and Lisyansky

The expedition left Kronstadt on July 26, old style (August 7, new style), heading for Copenhagen. Then the route followed the scheme Falmouth (Great Britain) - Santa Cruz de Tenerife (Canary Islands) - Florianopolis (Brazil) - Easter Island - Nukuhiwa (Marquesas Islands) - Honolulu (Hawaiian Islands) - Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky - Nagasaki (Japan) - Hokkaido Island (Japan) - Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk - Sitka (Alaska) - Kodiak (Alaska) - Guangzhou (China) - Macau (Portugal) - Saint Helena - Corvo and Flores Islands (Azores) - Portsmouth (Great Britain). On August 5 (17), 1806, the expedition returned to Kronstadt, having completed the entire journey in 3 years and 12 days.

Sailing Description

Equator

On November 26, 1803, ships under the Russian flag "Nadezhda" and "Neva" crossed the equator for the first time and entered the Southern Hemisphere. According to the maritime tradition, the feast of Neptune was arranged.

Cape Horn and Nuka Hiva

The Neva and Nadezhda entered the Pacific Ocean separately, but the captains foresaw this option and agreed in advance on the meeting place - the Marquesas Archipelago, Nukuhiva Island. But Lisyansky decided on the way to also go to Easter Island - to check if Nadezhda had been brought here. The Nadezhda safely rounded Cape Horn and on March 3, 1804 entered the Pacific Ocean, and in the early morning of Easter Sunday, April 24, 1804, on the 235th day of sailing, the land appeared in a sunny haze. Nuka Hiva today is a small sleepy island. There are only two roads and three villages, one of which is the capital called Taiohae. There are 2,770 souls on the whole island, who are slowly engaged in the production of copra and auxiliary households. In the evenings, when the heat subsides, they sit by the houses or play petanque, an entertainment for adults brought by the French ... The center of life is a tiny pier, the only place where you can see several people at once at once, and even then in the early morning on Saturday, when fishermen bring fresh fish. On the 4th day of the stay at Nuku Hiva, a messenger from the king arrived to the captain with urgent news: at dawn from the mountain they saw a large ship far out to sea. It was the long-awaited "Neva".

Equator

Alaska

From 1799 to 1867, Russian America was the name given to the possessions of the Russian Empire in North America - the Alaska Peninsula, the Aleutian Islands, the Alexander Archipelago and some settlements on the Pacific coast. "Neva" safely reached the goal and crept up to the shores of Alaska on July 10, 1804. Destination - Pavlovskaya Bay on Kodiak Island, the capital of Russian America. After Cape Horn and the island of cannibals, this part of the voyage seemed quiet and boring to sailors ... But they were wrong. In 1804, the crew of the Neva ended up here in the very center of hostilities. The warlike Tlingit tribe rebelled against the Russians, killing the small garrison of the fort.

The Russian-American Trading Company was founded in 1799 by the "Russian Columbus" - merchant Shelikhov, father-in-law of Nikolai Rezanov. The company traded in mined furs, walrus tusks, whalebone, and blubber. But its main task was to strengthen the distant colonies... Alexander Baranov was the manager of the company. The weather in Alaska, even in summer, is changeable - sometimes rain, sometimes sunshine ... It's understandable: the north. The cozy town of Sitka lives today by fishing and tourism. Here, too, much reminds of the times of Russian America. Here, to help Baranov, Lisyansky hurried. The detachment under the command of Baranov, who went to Sitka, consisted of 120 fishermen and about 800 Aleuts and Eskimos. They were opposed by several hundred Indians, fortified in a wooden fortress ... In those cruel times, the tactics of the opponents were the same everywhere: they did not leave anyone alive. After several attempts at negotiations, Baranov and Lisyansky decide to storm the fortress. A landing force landed on the shore - 150 people - Russians and Aleuts with five guns.

Russian losses after the assault amounted to 8 people killed (including three sailors from the Neva) and 20 wounded, including the head of Alaska, Baranov. The Aleuts also counted their losses... For several more days, the Indians, besieged in the fortress, self-confidently fired at Russian longboats and even at the Neva. And then suddenly a messenger was sent asking for peace.

Sloop "Neva" off the coast of Alaska

Nagasaki

The Russian embassy of Nikolai Rezanov and Ivan Krusenstern was waiting for the answer of the shogun off the coast of Japan. Only two and a half months later, Nadezhda was allowed to enter the port and approach the shore, and Kruzenshtern's ship with Ambassador Rezanov entered the harbor of Nagasaki on October 8, 1804. The Japanese announced that in 30 days a "big man" would arrive from the capital and announce the will of the emperor. But week after week passed, and still there was no "big man" ... After a month and a half of negotiations, the Japanese finally allocated a small house to the envoy and his retinue. And then they fenced off a garden for exercise near the house - 40 by 10 meters.

The ambassador was told that there was no possibility of receiving him at court. Also, the shogun cannot accept gifts, because he will have to respond in kind, and Japan does not have large ships to send them to the king ... The Japanese government cannot conclude a trade agreement with Russia, because the law prohibits communication with other nations ... And for the same reason, all Russian ships were henceforth forbidden to enter Japanese harbors ... However, the emperor ordered that the sailors be provided with provisions. And he gave out 2000 bags of salt, 2000 silk rugs and 100 bags of millet. Rezanov's diplomatic mission was a failure. For the crew of the Nadezhda, this meant that after many months in the Nagasaki roadstead, they could finally continue sailing.

Sakhalin

"Nadezhda" went around the entire northern tip of Sakhalin. On the way, Kruzenshtern called the open capes the names of his officers. Now Sakhalin has Cape Ratmanov, Cape Levenstern, Mount Espenberga, Cape Golovachev ... One of the bays was named after the ship - Nadezhda Bay. Only 44 years later, Lieutenant Commander Gennady Nevelskoy will be able to prove that Sakhalin is an island by navigating a ship through a narrow strait, which will receive his name. But even without this discovery, Krusenstern's research on Sakhalin was very significant. He mapped a thousand kilometers of Sakhalin coast for the first time.

To Macau

The next meeting point for the Neva and Nadezhda was the nearby port of Macau. Krusenstern arrived in Macau on November 20, 1805. A warship could not stay in Macau for long, even with a load of mechs on board. Then Kruzenshtern announced that he intended to buy so many goods that they would not fit on his ship, and he needed to wait for the arrival of the second ship. But week after week went by, and still there was no Neva. In early December, when the Nadezhda was about to go to sea, the Neva finally appeared. Her holds were filled with furs: 160 thousand skins of a sea beaver and a fur seal. This amount of "soft gold" was quite capable of bringing down the Canton fur market. February 9, 1806 "Nadezhda" and "Neva" left the Chinese coast and headed home. "Neva" and "Nadezhda" went together for quite a long time, but on April 3, at the Cape of Good Hope, in cloudy weather, they lost each other. Kruzenshtern appointed the island of St. Helena as the meeting place for such a case, where he arrived on April 21.

Bypassing the English Channel

Krusenstern, in order to avoid meeting with French privateers, chose a detour: around the northern tip of Scotland to the North Sea and further through the Kiel Strait to the Baltic. Lisyansky in the Azores region learned about the beginning of the war, but still went across the English Channel, risking meeting the French. And he became the first captain in world history who made a non-stop passage from China to England in 142 days.

What Ivan Kruzenshtern and Yuri Lisyansky discovered

New islands, straits, reefs, bays and capes were drawn on the world map

Fixed inaccuracies in Pacific Ocean maps

Russian sailors made a description of the coast of Japan, Sakhalin, the Kuril ridge and many other areas
Kruzenshtern and Lisyansky conducted a comprehensive study of ocean waters Russian navigators managed to study various currents and discover trade wind countercurrents in the Atlantic and Pacific oceans

The expedition collected rich information about the transparency, specific gravity, density and temperature of sea water at various depths.

The expedition collected rich information about climate, atmospheric pressure, tides in various regions of the oceans and other data that laid the foundation for a new marine science - oceanography, which studies phenomena in the World Ocean and its parts.

The significance of the expedition for the development of geography and other sciences

The first Russian round-the-world expedition made a huge contribution to geographical science: it erased non-existent islands from the world map and specified the coordinates of the real islands. Ivan Kruzenshtern described part of the Kuril Islands, the islands of Japan and the coast of Sakhalin. A new science appeared - oceanology: no one before Kruzenshtern had conducted research into the depths of the sea. The expedition members also collected valuable collections: botanical, zoological, ethnographic. Over the next 30 years, another 36 Russian circumnavigations were made. Including, with the direct participation of the officers of the Neva and Nadezhda.

Records and Awards

Ivan Kruzenshtern was awarded the Order of St. Anna II degree

Emperor Alexander I royally awarded I.F. Kruzenshtern and all members of the expedition. All officers received the following ranks:

commanders of the Order of St. Vladimir 3rd degree and 3000 rubles each.

lieutenants by 1000

midshipmen for 800 rubles of a life pension

the lower ranks, if desired, were dismissed and awarded a pension of 50 to 75 rubles.

By the highest command, a special medal was knocked out for all participants in this first round-the-world trip.

Yuri Lisyansky became the first captain in world history to make a non-stop passage from China to England in 142 days.

Brief information about the life of the expedition participants after its completion

Participation in this campaign changed the fate of Langsdorf. In 1812, he will be appointed Russian consul in Rio de Janeiro and organize an expedition to the interior of Brazil. The herbariums he collected, descriptions of the languages ​​and traditions of the Indians are still considered a unique, unsurpassed collection.

The first crossing of the equator by Russian sailors

Of the officers who circumnavigated the world, many served with honor in the Russian Navy. Cadet Otto Kotzebue became the commander of the ship and later made a trip around the world in this capacity. Thaddeus Bellingshausen later led a round-the-world expedition on the sloops Vostok and Mirny and discovered Antarctica.

For participation in the round-the-world trip, Yuri Lisyansky was promoted to captain of the second rank, received from the emperor a lifetime pension of 3,000 rubles and a one-time award from the Russian-American Company of 10,000 rubles. After returning from the expedition, Lisyansky continued to serve in the Navy. In 1807 he led a squadron of nine ships in the Baltic and went to Gotland and Bornholm to watch the English warships. In 1808 he was appointed commander of the Emgaten ship.

And I would love to write letters to you,