Attachments for bellingshausen faddey faddeevich. F. Bellingshausen - discoverer of Antarctica Thaddeus bellingshausen years
(1779-1852)
The outstanding Russian navigator Faddey Faddeevich Bellingshausen, who together with M.P. Lazarev discovered the continent of Antarctica and thereby confirmed the priority of our Motherland in this remarkable geographical discovery, was born on September 20, 1779 near Kingisepp (Ahrensburg) on the island of Saaremaa (Ezel), now part of Estonia.
From childhood, which young F.F. Bellingshausen spent on the shores of the Gulf of Riga, either in Ahrensburg or in its vicinity, he dreamed of becoming a sailor and constantly said to himself: “I was born in the middle of the sea, and as a fish cannot live without water - so and I cannot live without the sea. " It is not surprising, therefore, that when he was 10 years old, in 1789 he was appointed a cadet in the Naval Corps, then located in Kronstadt. So they found his dream come true, and subsequently, until his advanced years, he was sailing almost every year.
Thanks to the brilliant abilities of F. F. Bellingshausen in the Marine Corps, it was easy to study, but, according to his biographers, he was distinguished by a "somewhat playful disposition", as a result of which, at the end of the Marine Corps, he was not among the first in his graduation. In 1796 F. F. Bellingshausen was promoted to midshipmen and, continuing to be in the corps, set off on his first long overseas voyage to the shores of England. After being promoted to the first officer rank of midshipman in 1797, he was assigned to the Revel squadron, in which he sailed on various ships in the Baltic Sea for six years.
The young officer tried to improve his knowledge in the field of naval sciences and diligently carried out his service activities. With these qualities, F. F. Bellingshausen attracted the attention of the fleet commander, Admiral Khanykov, who recommended him for appointment to the first Russian round-the-world expedition of Kruzenshtern-Lisyansky. In 1803 he was transferred to the ship "Nadezhda", which was commanded by the head of the expedition, the lieutenant captain. Under the leadership of the head of the expedition, F.F. IF Kruzenshtern gives the following assessment of his hydrographic and cartographic works: “Almost all the maps are drawn by this last skillful officer, who at the same time shows the ability of a good hydrographer; he also drew up a general map ”. The Central Naval Museum contains a whole atlas with numerous original maps of the young F.F. Bellingshausen.
During his voyage around the world FF Bellingshausen received the rank of lieutenant, and upon his return from the voyage - the rank of lieutenant commander.
After returning from the expedition, F. F. Bellingshausen sailed until 1810 in the Baltic Sea, successively commanding various frigates. In 1809, he took part in the Russian-Swedish war, commanding the frigate "Melpomene" and carrying a continuous six-month patrol in the Gulf of Finland to observe the actions of the enemy, Swedish and British fleets. In 1811 F. F. Bellingshausen was transferred to the Black Sea Fleet, in which he remained until 1819 as the commander of the first frigate "Minerva" and then the frigate "Flora", and took part in the hostilities off the Caucasian coast. On the Black Sea, he paid great attention to the issues of hydrography and contributed a lot to the compilation and correction of maps, determining the coordinates of the main points of the eastern coast of the Black Sea. In 1816 F. F. Bellingshausen was promoted to captain of the 2nd rank.
In 1819 he was urgently summoned by the naval minister to St. Petersburg to receive a responsible appointment.
At that time in St. Petersburg two expeditions were urgently equipped, each consisting of two ships: one of them, the so-called first division, consisting of the sloops "Vostok" and "Mirny" was intended for research in the South Pole region; second expedition. representing the second division, consisting of the sloops "Otkrytme" and "Blagonamerenny" - in the North Pole area. The main task of both expeditions was scientific geographical research and discoveries, and the first Russian Antarctic expedition was intended to verify the statement of the English navigator James Cook, who, on the basis of his own navigation, denied the possibility of the existence of the continent in high southern latitudes, in places accessible for navigation. This opinion of Cook was accepted by geographers and navigators around the world as an immutable truth, and his mistake was the reason for refusing for more than 40 years from further scientific expeditions to the Antarctic regions.
Outstanding seafarers of that time took part in organizing these expeditions, starting with the older generation in the person of the famous hydrograph Admiral Gavrila Andreevich Sarychev and ending with the young lieutenant OE Kotsebu, who had just returned from his circumnavigation in the brig "Rurik". A detailed note on this matter, referring mainly to the Antarctic expedition, was also compiled by I.F. Kruzenshtern considered the Antarctic expedition a great Russian patriotic deed and dedicated the following words to it in his note: "We must not allow the glory of such an enterprise to be taken away from us: it will certainly go to the British or French for a short time." IF Kruzenshtern further drew attention to the need for the most thorough all-round preparation of the expedition, including its scientific part and the appointment of a suitable leader. The most worthy chief of the "first division" intended for discoveries in the Antarctic region, IF Kruzenshtern, considered the outstanding navigator, captain of the 2nd rank V.M. ... In view of this, IF Kruzenshtern proposed to appoint FF Bellingshausen instead, characterizing him with the following words: “he has special merits for the leadership of such an expedition: an excellent naval officer and has rare knowledge in astronomy, hydrography and physics. Our fleet, of course, is rich in enterprising officers, however, of those whom I know, no one except Golovnin can compare with Bellingshausen. " The appointment of F. F. Bellingshausen took place: on June 4, 1819, he took command of the sloop "Vostok" and at the same time assumed command of the "first division".
At that time he was 40 years old, and he was in the full bloom of his powers and abilities. Service in his younger years under the command of an experienced old sailor Admiral Khanykov, participation in the first Russian round-the-world voyage under the leadership of IF Kruzenshtern, and finally, 13-year independent command of ships developed the basic business and personal qualities of FF Bellingshausen. His contemporaries portray him as a bold, decisive, knowledgeable commander, an excellent sailor and a learned hydrograph navigator, a true Russian patriot. Recalling the joint voyage, MP Lazarev subsequently did not call him anything other than "a skillful fearless sailor", and added to this that "he was an excellent, warm-hearted man." Such a high assessment, coming from the mouth of one of the largest Russian naval commanders, MP Lazarev, is worth a lot. FF Bellingshausen was a strict but humane boss. He manifested his humanity many times in the cruel age of the Arakcheevschina and during his voyage around the world never used corporal punishment against the sailors subordinate to him, he took care of their living conditions and health.
FF Bellingshausen had very little time left for the final preparation of the expedition for going on a dangerous and responsible long voyage - a little more than a month. The commander of the second of them - "Mirny" - Lieutenant Mikhail Petrovich Lazarev, who was appointed much earlier and was a worthy subordinate and associate of FF Bellingshausen, did a lot to properly supply both sloops.
In view of the urgent preparation of the expedition, ships that were not specially built for sailing in ice were included in its composition, but those already under construction and intended for other purposes. The sloop "Vostok", built at the Okhtenskaya shipyard in St. Petersburg, was of the same type as the sloop "Kamchatka", already sailing around the world under the command of V. M. Golovnin (the latter gives the following data on the size of these sloops: a displacement of about 900 tons , length 39.5 m, width 10 m, draft at full load 4.5 m). "Vostok" had a number of design flaws (excessive height of the masts, insufficient strength of the hull, poor material, careless work), of which FF Bellingshausen directly blames the builder V. Stoke. The second ship of the expedition, commanded by MP Lazarev, was originally built as a transport for navigation in the Baltic Sea; It was built at the shipyard in Lodeynoye Pole by the Russian master Kolodkin. In preparation for the campaign, Lazarev made a number of changes to the design of the Mirny, as a result of which it turned out (according to his commander) “the most comfortable in terms of its strength, spaciousness and peace,” his only drawback was its slow speed, which required a special maritime art. P. Lazarev, so as not to part with the faster "Vostok" during the voyage (dimensions of the "Mirny" sloop: displacement 530 tons, length 36.5 m, width 9.1 m, draft 4.3 m). The personnel of the expedition included 9 officers and 117 sailors on the Vostok sloop, and 7 officers and 72 sailors on the Mirny sloop. In addition, the astronomer, professor of Kazan University I. Simonov and painter P. Mikhailov were on the sloop "Vostok".
There was not a single foreigner on the ships of F.F.Bellingshausen and M.P. Lazarev. This circumstance is emphasized by a member of the expedition, Professor Simonov, who, in his speech delivered at a ceremonial meeting of the university after returning in July 1822, stated that all the officers were Russian, and although some of them bore foreign surnames, “being children of Russian subjects born and brought up in Russia cannot be called foreigners. "
Among the officers of the expedition there were many advanced representatives of the Russian liberal intelligentsia, including the future participant in the Decembrist uprising, Lieutenant K.P. Thorson.
Despite the great haste with the expedition's equipment, it was generally well supplied. Particularly great attention was paid to providing ships with the best seaworthy and astronomical instruments for that time.
The expedition was well supplied with all kinds of antiscorbutic foodstuffs, which included coniferous essence, lemons, sauerkraut, dried and canned vegetables; in addition, on every suitable occasion, the commanders of the sloops bought and exchanged (on the islands of Oceania from local residents) a large amount of fresh fruits, which were partly prepared for future use for the forthcoming voyage in Antarctica, and partly provided for use by the personnel. A stock of rum was available to warm sailors who froze while working on masts and yards during icy winds and frosts in Antarctica; red wine was also purchased to add to drinking water when sailing in hot climates. All personnel, on the basis of special instructions, were obliged to observe the strictest hygiene; living quarters were constantly ventilated and, if necessary, heated, frequent washing in the bath was provided, requirements were imposed on constant washing of linen and beds, and on airing clothes, etc.; Thanks to the above measures and the high qualifications of ship doctors, there were no serious illnesses on the sloops, despite the harsh climatic conditions of navigation and frequent transitions from heat to cold and back.
Each of the sloops had a significant library containing all published descriptions of sea voyages in Russian, English and French, nautical astronomical yearbooks, essays on geodesy, astronomy and navigation, sailing directions and instructions for sailing, various nautical tables, essays on earth magnetism , celestial atlases, notes of the Admiralty Department, etc.
The main goal of the expedition was determined by the instructions of the Minister of the Sea as follows: Bellingshausen should, after exploring the island of New Georgia and the area of the so-called "Sandwich land", "go south" and "continue his research to the remote latitude that he could reach", use "every possible diligence and the greatest effort to reach as close to the pole as possible, looking for unknown lands ", and he was allowed to stop these searches only" with insurmountable obstacles. "
The sloops "Vostok" and "Mirny" left Kronstadt on July 16, 1819 and after a short stay in Copenhagen, Portsmouth and the Canary Islands arrived on November 14 in Rio de Janeiro, where they spent three weeks for the crew to rest before a tiring and difficult voyage in Antarctica, to prepare sloops for storm voyages and to take fresh provisions.
According to the instructions received, the expedition was to begin its research work from the island of South Georgia and the "Sandwich Land" discovered by Cook, the nature and size of which were not determined. FF Bellingshausen surveyed the southern coast of New Georgia Island and plotted it on a map, marking a number of geographical points with Russian names in honor of the expedition members.
Further, the expedition headed to the notorious "Land of Sandwich" on the way to this "Land" was made on January 3, 1820, the first major discovery - a group of islands was discovered, which was named by Bellingshausen by the name of the then Russian naval minister, the islands of the Marquis de Traversay, and its individual islands - by the names of the expedition participants (Zavadovsky Island, Leskov Island and Torson Island, renamed Vysokiy Island after the Decembrist uprising). On January 11, the expedition approached the Sandwich Land area and discovered that the points that Cook considered its capes were in fact separate islands. FF Bellingshausen showed exceptional tact, keeping for the islands discovered by Russian navigators the names that Cook gave to the capes, and for the whole group - the name of Sandwich (South Sandwich Islands). Then the expedition began those "attempts" to reach the mainland, which were prescribed by the instructions.
With the entry of the ships of the expedition into the high southern latitudes, the sailing conditions became very difficult, requiring from the Russian navigators the greatest art of sailing ships, attention, observation, endurance and perseverance in achieving the set goal. From the beginning of January 1820 the ships entered the zone of Antarctic floating ice and icebergs, maneuvering between them under conditions of fog and snow, with stormy winds, strong waves and swell required great skill and courage. The joint navigation was very difficult because of the difference in speed between the two sloops: "Vostok" had to reduce its speed all the time, and "Mirny", on the contrary, in spite of stormy winds, to force sails. FF Bellingshausen in his reports repeatedly notes the merits of MP Lazarev, only thanks to the maritime skill of which the ships never parted even in poor visibility and all dangerous areas passed together. The sloops were repeatedly close to death when, in stormy winds and in fog, they made their way at a great speed between huge floating ice and icebergs, swaying on the swell, determining the location of the latter only by the noise of the breakers. Despite his exceptional courage and experience, MP Lazarev believed that Bellingshausen was taking too much risk, maneuvering large passages between ice fields in poor visibility. In his remarks, MP Lazarev said: "although we looked ahead with the greatest diligence, it seemed to me not entirely prudent to go 8 miles per hour on a cloudy night." F. F. Bellingshausen replied to this remark: “I agree with this opinion of Lieutenant Lazarev and was not very indifferent during such nights, but I thought not only about the present, but arranged my actions so as to have the desired success in our enterprises and not remain in the ice during the coming equinox ”(during the equinox violent storms are common). This was, perhaps, the only disagreement during the voyage between him and his companion, with whom he had cordial friendly relations.
Both sloops still did not avoid collision with ice fields and received serious damage to the hulls. Especially serious damage was sustained to the Vostok, the condition of this sloop by the end of the expeditions generally aroused fears: its hull was very loose and took in a lot of water, dampness and rot developed in the interior, the crew had to continuously pump out the water entering the ship through the hole with hand pumps. FF Bellingshausen, describing his voyage, writes on this occasion that he found "one consolation in the thought that courage sometimes leads to success."
During the voyage, the members of the expedition used every opportunity to determine their position astronomically. In addition to navigators and astronomer Simonov, both commanders took part in the observations. The accuracy of the observations of Russian sailors still surprises the participants of modern Antarctic expeditions.
The Russian expedition first came close to the mainland of Antarctica on January 16, 1820, during its first "attempt" to penetrate south, and we consider this day as the date of its discovery. The visibility conditions, however, were not good enough, and the exceptional honesty and exactingness to the issues of the reliability of the discovery did not allow the Russian sailors to claim that they actually saw the low-lying part of the continent, and not the ice coastal fast ice. Now, however, no one doubts that FF Bellingshausen and MP Lazarev on this very day discovered the sixth part of the world. For the second time, the expedition was close to the mainland on February 2, 1820. In the same place in 1948, there was the Soviet whaling expedition "Slava", which, given excellent visibility, clearly saw all the coast and mountain peaks in the interior of the continent. He describes his impressions of the ice, which F.F.Bellingshausen saw in front of him from 17 to 18 February at the next approach to the mainland, with the following words: as far as our sight, towering to the south like a coast. " This characterization shows that F. F. Bellingshausen himself doubted whether he could see the shore in front of him. The very description of the ice, made by the Russian navigator, is quite consistent with the view of the Antarctic coast in this area, as we know it from later studies. Many of the expedition officers were confident in the proximity of the coast. Perhaps the most convincing in this regard is the conclusion of F. F. Bellingshausen, made by him at the end of the voyage, after the discovery of the island of Peter I by the expedition. This conclusion is, as it were, the result of his idea of the circumpolar regions. He writes: “The huge ice, which rises into sloping mountains as it approaches the South Pole, I call mature, assuming that when the frost is 4 ° on the best summer day, then, of course, the cold does not decrease further to the south, and therefore I conclude that this ice goes through the pole and must be motionless, touching in places shallow water, or islands like the island of Peter I, which are undoubtedly located in large southern latitudes and also adjoins the coast, which exists (in our opinion) in the vicinity of that latitude and longitude , in which we met sea swallows ”[vol. e. 5-7 February 1820].
During this period, the expedition crossed the South Arctic Circle three times.
At the beginning of March 1820, due to unfavorable weather and the need to stock up on fresh provisions and firewood and give rest to the personnel, F.F. long stay, and after that, according to the instructions, during the winter of the southern hemisphere, to start exploring the southeastern part of the Pacific Ocean.
After a month's stay in Sydney, both sloops on May 22, 1820 headed for the Tuamotu archipelago and the Society Islands. To the east of the island of Tahiti, a Russian expedition in June 1820 discovered a whole group of islands, called the islands of the Russians (the islands of Kutuzov, Lazarev, Raevsky, Ermolov, Miloradovich, Greig, Volkonsky, Barclay de Tolly, Wittgenstein, Osten-Saken, Moller, Arakcheev ). After that, the sloops Vostok and Mirny visited the island of Tahiti and set off again for Sydney to rest, repair and receive various supplies before a new voyage to Antarctic waters. On the way to Sydney, the expedition discovered a number of islands (Vostok, Grand Duke Alexander Nikolaevich, Ono, Mikhailov and Simonov).
At the beginning of September 1820, the expedition returned to Sydney, where they began the most thorough repairs of both ships, in particular the sloop Vostok. The expedition stayed in Sydney for almost two months and on November 11, 1820 again set out to sea to reach high latitudes in other, not yet visited sectors of Antarctica. Since the end of November, the expedition has resumed its attempts to reach the mainland of Antarctica. "Attempts" to penetrate as far south as possible during this period were made four times, and three times the ships penetrated the southern polar circle.
However, in this sector of Antarctica, the continent does not reach the southern polar circle, and only the fourth attempt was crowned with success: on January 21, 1821, the island of Peter I was discovered, and on January 18 - the Alexander I Coast, about which F. F. Bellingshausen writes: “I I call this finding the shore because the remoteness of the other end to the south has disappeared beyond our sight. " On February 1, Bellingshausen headed for the South Shetland Islands, the discovery of which he learned while in Australia. From 5 to 8 February, the expedition surveyed the southern shores of the archipelago, finding that it consists of a dozen larger islands and many smaller ones. All the South Shetland Islands were put on the map, and all of them were given names (Borodino, Maly Yaroslavets, Smolensk, Berezina, Polotsk, Leipzig, Waterloo, the island of Vice Admiral Shishkov, etc.). After exploring the South Shetland Islands, the expedition headed back to their homeland, calling in Rio de Janeiro, where the sloops were again thoroughly repaired, and to Lisbon.
Finally, on July 6, 1821, the sloops "Vostok" and "Mirny" anchored in the Small Kronstadt roadstead in the places from which they set off on their glorious and dangerous journey more than two years ago.
The expedition lasted 751 days (of which 527 sailing days and 224 anchored days); the ships traveled about 49,000 nautical miles, which is 2.25 times the length of the equator.
What were the results of the first Russian Antarctic expedition? The expedition discovered the mainland of Antarctica and walked around it. In addition, it rediscovered 29 previously unknown islands, including 2 in Antarctica, 8 in the southern temperate zone and 19 in the hot zone.
The tremendous merit of the Expedition consisted in the precise determination of the geographical position of the islands, capes and other points and the compilation of a large number of maps, which was the favorite specialty of FF Bellingshausen himself. These definitions have not lost their meaning and differ very little from the latest definitions produced on the basis of more accurate methods and more advanced seaworthy instruments. The map of the South Shetland Islands was the most accurate until the second half of the twentieth century, and sketches of the islands made by the artist Mikhailov are still used today. Astronomer Simonov made systematic observations of changes in air temperature, navigators - over the elements of terrestrial magnetism. The expedition carried out many important oceanographic studies; she was the first to get water samples from the depth with a primitive bottle made from improvised means; experiments were carried out with lowering the bottle to a depth; for the first time, the transparency of water was determined by lowering a white plate to a depth; the depths were measured as far as the length of the available lotlin would allow (apparently, up to 500 m); an attempt was made to measure the temperature at depth; studied the structure of sea ice and freezing of water of different salinity; the deviation of compasses at different courses and the direction of the wind at different heights were determined using balloons, which was then a novelty.
The expedition collected rich ethnographic, zoological and botanical collections, which were then transferred to various museums in Russia, where they are still kept.
The expedition was greeted at home with great solemnity. Great importance was attached to her discoveries. In foreign countries, the priority of the Russian discovery was indisputably recognized.
Only more than 20 years later, the first foreign expedition to Antarctic waters was sent. The leader of this English Antarctic expedition of 1839-1843. James Ross wrote: "The discovery of the southernmost known continent was valiantly conquered by the fearless Bellingshausen, and this conquest remained with the Russians for over 20 years."
In 1867, the German geographer Peterman, noting that the merits of the Russian Antarctic expedition were not appreciated at all in the world geographical literature, points to the fearlessness of F.F. Bellingshausen can be placed alongside the names of Columbus, Magellan and James Ross, with the names of those people who did not give up before the difficulties and imaginary impossibilities created by their predecessors, with the names of people who went their own independent path, and therefore were destroyers of obstacles to discoveries, who epochs are indicated. "
Academician Yu. M. Shokalsky, comparing the achievements of the Antarctic expeditions of Cook and Bellingshausen, made the following calculation: the first of them was located south of parallel 60 ° for 75 days, the second - 122 days; Cook was in the ice for 80 days, Bellingshausen - 100 days; Cook's ships parted, and both Russian sloops under the most difficult conditions sailed together all the time.
FF Bellingshausen himself showed himself in this voyage not only as a talented head of the expedition, an outstanding sailor and an excellent comrade, but as a highly educated scientist and observer.
FF Bellingshausen solved many complex physical and geographical problems, however, unfortunately, the scientific fame went not to him, but to foreign scientists who dealt with the same issues much later. Thus, long before Darwin, F. F. Bellingshausen completely correctly explained the origin of the coral islands, which was a mystery before him; he gave a correct explanation of the origin of algae in the Sargasso Sea, challenging the opinion of such an authority in the field of geographical science of the time as A. Humboldt; he has many correct thoughts on the theory of ice formation, which have not lost their significance; he also solved many questions of oceanography. Finally, one cannot ignore the statements of F. F. Bellingshausen, directed directly against the racial theory and concerning the Australians (in describing his voyage, he says: “the consequence showed that the natural inhabitants of Australia are capable of education, despite the fact that many Europeans in their offices deprived them of all their abilities ”).
As a reward for the successful fulfillment of the order, F. F. Bellingshausen “was promoted to captain-commander and received a number of other awards. From 1822 to 1825 he held coastal positions, apparently to be able to process the materials of his voyage for publication. For this purpose, he used his diaries and notes, the page journals of the sloops "Vostok" and "Mirny" and the notes of all members of the expedition, as well as the observations of the astronomer Simonov and the maps and drawings of the artist Mikhailov. This work was completed in 1824, when the author presented to the Admiralty Department the manuscript, including 10 notebooks. However, this work was published under the title "Two-fold surveys in the South Arctic Ocean and voyages around the world during 1819, 1820 and 1821, performed on the sloops" Vostok "and" Mirny "only in 1831. This first edition consisted of two volumes without all illustrations, and all the maps and drawings were collected in the attached "Atlas" (19 maps, 13 species. 2 types of ice islands and 30 different drawings depicting various animals, birds and fish, etc.).
All further service of F. F. Bellingshausen proceeded in almost continuous voyages, combat and combat service and in the highest command positions. In 1821-1827. we see him commanding a squadron of ships in the Mediterranean. In 1828, being a rear admiral and commander of a guards crew, he, together with the latter, set out from St. Petersburg by dry route and went to the Danube to participate in the war with Turkey. On the Black Sea, he played a leading role in the siege of the Turkish fortress of Varna, and then, having his rear admiral's flag on the ships Parmen and Paris, and in the capture of this fortress, as well as a number of other cities and fortresses. In 1831, already Vice-Admiral F. F. Bellingshausen was the commander of the 2nd naval division and annually cruises with it in the Baltic Sea.
In 1839, the last stage of his life and career begins: he was appointed to the highest combat post on the Baltic Sea - the chief commander of the Kronstadt port and the Kronstadt military governor. This position was combined with the annual appointment of the commander of the Baltic Fleet during his summer voyages and until his death (at the age of 73) F. F. Bellingshausen continued to go out to sea for combat training of the fleet entrusted to him.
As the chief commander of the port of Kronstadt, Admiral (since 1843) F.F. former co-sailor Admiral MP Lazarev in the south - in Sevastopol. FF Bellingshausen diligently trained his fleet and to improve the quality of artillery fire developed and calculated special tables published under the title "On Aiming Artillery Guns at Sea". As already noted, F. F. Bellingshausen was an excellent sailor and until the end of his days skillfully trained his commanders in maneuvering and evolution. Contemporaries who participated in these evolutions gave him the certification of "master of their craft", and the Swedish admiral Nordenskjold, who was present at the naval maneuvers of 1846, exclaimed: "I bet anyone that no fleet in Europe will make these evolutions." To the old admiral's credit, it must be said that he highly appreciated the courage and initiative of young commanders, and when (in 1833), during an autumn voyage at the mouth of the Gulf of Finland on a stormy autumn night, the commander of the frigate "Pallada", the future renowned naval commander P.S. Nakhimov raised the signal to his admiral "the fleet is heading for danger", the latter unquestioningly changed the course of the wake column, thanks to which the squadron was saved from an accident on the rocks.
FF Bellingshausen all his life was interested in geographical questions, re-read all the descriptions of voyages around the world and transferred all new discoveries to his map. His name appears among the first elected full members of the Russian Geographical Society.
During his tenure as the chief commander in Kronstadt, he showed many concerns about raising the cultural level of naval officers; in particular, he was the founder of one of the largest Russian libraries of that time - the Kronstadt Maritime Library. His great practical experience owes much of their success to the Russian round-the-world expeditions of the period when he was in charge of their equipment in Kronstadt.
FF Bellingshausen was also engaged in ship architecture: during the overhaul of ships in Kronstadt, their contours were improved, and he himself was the author of the project of the large military schooner "Whirlwind", for which he himself made all the drawings and calculations.
FF Bellingshausen is characterized by his humanity in relation to the sailors and constant concern for him. In Kronstadt, he significantly improved the living conditions of the teams by building barracks, setting up hospitals, and greening the city; he did especially much to improve the nutrition of the sailors in the sense of increasing the meat ration and the wide development of vegetable gardens to supply them with vegetables. After the death of the admiral, a note was found on his desk with the following content: "Kronstadt must be planted with such trees that would bloom before the fleet goes to sea, so that the sailor gets a particle of summer woody smell."
Faddey Faddeevich Bellingshausen died on January 25, 1852 in Kronstadt and was buried here. In 1870 a monument was erected in Kronstadt in memory of F.F.Bellingshausen. Subsequently, the following geographical objects were named after F.F.Bellingshausen: 1) Bellingshausen Sea - in Antarctica, in the area of Peter I Island and Alexander I Land discovered by the Russian expedition, and 2) Bellingshausen Island - in the South Sandwich Islands group. Bellingshausen left a noticeable mark on the history of the Russian fleet and raised the world authority of Russian sailors and Russian oceanographic and hydrographic science to a high level with his remarkable voyage to the shores of Antarctica.
Bibliography
- Shvede EE Faddey Faddeevich Bellingshausen / EE Shvede // People of Russian Science. Essays on outstanding figures in natural science and technology. Geology and Geography. - Moscow: State publishing house of physical and mathematical literature, 1962. - pp. 419-431.
Bellingshausen Faddey Faddeevich (Fabian Gottlieb) (1778-1852), Russian navigator.
Born on September 20, 1778 on the Pilguse family estate on the Baltic island of Ezel (now Saaremaa, Estonia). From childhood Bellingshausen dreamed of becoming a sailor: “I was born in the middle of the sea; just as fish cannot live without water, so I cannot live without the sea. "
In 1789 he entered the Naval Cadet Corps in Kronstadt. After his graduation (1797), he sailed across the Baltic for six years on the ships of the Revel squadron.
Bellingshausen's abilities were noticed by the commander of the Kronstadt port, who recommended him to I.F.Kruzenshtern, under whose leadership in 1803-1806. Bellingshausen made the first round the world voyage on the ship "Nadezhda", having drawn up almost all the maps included in the "Atlas for a voyage around the world of Captain Krusenstern."
When preparing a new round-the-world expedition, organized with the approval of Alexander I, Kruzenshtern already recommended Bellingshausen as its leader. The main task of the expedition was defined by the Maritime Ministry as purely scientific: "the discovery in the possible proximity of the Antarctic Pole" with the aim of "acquiring the fullest knowledge about the globe."
On July 16, 1819, the sloops "Vostok" under the command of Bellingshausen and "Mirny" under the command of MP Lazarev left Kronstadt, and on January 28, 1820 reached the shores of Antarctica. Bellingshausen led the ships to the east, trying at every opportunity to move further south, but, before reaching 70 ° south latitude, invariably met the "ice continent". Three times during this Antarctic summer, Russian sailors crossed the Antarctic Circle. On February 11, when it became clear that the Vostok was leaking, Bellingshausen turned north, stopping at Rio de Janeiro and Lisbon. On August 5, 1821 he arrived in Kronstadt. For 751 days of sailing, the expedition discovered 29 islands in the Pacific and Atlantic oceans and 1 coral reef, covered 92,000 km.
In 1826 Bellingshausen led a flotilla in the Mediterranean, took part in the siege and capture of the fortress of Varna during the Russian-Turkish war of 1828-1829.
From 1839 until the end of his life (he died on January 25, 1852) Bellingshausen was the military governor of Kronstadt and did a lot to strengthen and improve it. In 1843, the navigator was promoted to admiral. The sea in the Pacific Ocean, a promontory, an island, a hollow, and an ice shelf are named in his honor.
Bellingshausen Faddey Faddeevich (1778-1852) was from the island of Ezel (Estonia). Descended from a family of Ostsee nobles. Known as a navigator who has twice circumnavigated the world. The main merit of the traveler, who was continuously at sea from early youth until his death, was the discovery of Antarctica together with M.P. Lazarev.
Ivan Constantinovich Aivazovski. Ice mountains in Antarctica 1870
Dreams of voyages originated in Thaddeus from childhood; Bellingshausen himself said that he could not live without the sea, like a fish without water. After graduating from the Kronstadt Naval Cadet Corps, he becomes a midshipman. The first major voyage, in which the young officer took part, took place in 1796. Then Thaddeus felt the spirit of distant sea crossings for the first time and visited distant England.
Bellingshausen was 25 years old when he was accepted into the crew for the first round the world voyage of Russian ships. He served on the ship "Nadezhda". The expedition was commanded by Adam Johann von Kruzenshtern (more familiar - Ivan Kruzenshtern). Since Bellingshausen was passionate about the sciences, he was entrusted with mapping on this journey. Later, all the maps compiled as a result of the expedition were included in the Atlas for a Journey Around the World, compiled by Kruzenshtern. After the successful completion of the trip, Bellingshausen in the Krusenstern team conducts cartographic research in the Black and Baltic Seas, makes astronomical maps. Geography was his passion, he wrote and sketched everything new with great enthusiasm.
In the 20s of the XIX century, a new round-the-world voyage is being prepared in Russia. Kruzenshtern recommends the appointment of Bellingshausen, the "enterprising and skillful officer", as the leader. And at the beginning of 1819 he leads the expedition. Its goal was designated as "the search for the sixth continent." Together with Bellingshausen, the outstanding navigator Mikhail Petrovich Lazarev took part in the voyage. And in June 1819 the sloops "Mirny" and "Vostok" departed from Kronstadt and set off in search of the mysterious continent. Bellingshausen took command of Vostok. At that time he was 40 years old, and behind him was almost thirteen years of sea experience.
Bellingshausen is heading for Rio de Janeiro. Further, his path lies to the south. The expedition explores the Sandwich Islands, New Georgia Island, previously discovered by James Cook. By January, the ships arrive at the shores of an unknown southern ice-covered continent.
The date of the discovery of Antarctica is considered January 16, 1820. It was on this day that the expedition approached the continent in the area of the present Princess Martha Coast. Bellingshausen called the land he saw the Ice Continent. For the second time, the sailors saw the coast on January 21. Huge ice walls, which constantly collapsed into the water - January - the height of the Antarctic summer, did not allow to land. During the summer, sailors explored the coastal shelf of Antarctica. They managed to cross the Antarctic Circle several times. The mainland was bypassed in a circle. In early February, during bad weather, Bellingshausen came close to the Princess Astrid Coast. Constant blizzards and snow drifts did not allow to see the coast properly. By March, with a gradual decrease in air temperature and coastal waters, the accumulation of ice increased off the coast of Antarctica, and navigation became at first difficult, and then simply impossible. Bellingshausen's ships headed for Australia.
However, this research was not completed, they continued in the Pacific Ocean. Bellingshausen explored the Tuamotu archipelago, where 29 islands were discovered. All of them were named in honor of prominent statesmen and military leaders of Russia.
In September 1820, studies of Antarctica were resumed. The Shore of Alexander I was discovered, the island of Peter I got its name. After that, the expedition arrived to the South Shetland Islands. At this time, a group of islands was discovered, which received the names of the battles of the Patriotic War of 1812 and outstanding Russian navigators.
July 1821 ended. Bellingshausen's expedition headed for Kronstadt. Behind the shoulders of the heroic sailors were 50 thousand miles and 751 days of travel. Deep climatic and hydrographic studies have been carried out, unique collections valuable for zoology, ethnography and botany have been collected. Bellingshausen carefully entered into his diary all sorts of information - information about the customs of local peoples and everything that he and his team happened to see, and provided the Admiralty with a collection of his travel notes with attachments of various drawings and maps; the manuscript was published in 1831.
Bellingshausen has become a real idol for many travelers and explorers. Comrades spoke of him as a brave and decisive person. In an extreme situation, the experienced sailor showed amazing composure. He knew his job well and was distinguished by his humanity - he never used corporal punishment, he treated his subordinates with care. The success of the expedition and the well-being of his subordinates were his priorities. However, he was inclined to take risks. So, Lazarev noted that Bellingshausen endangers the ship by maneuvering between ice fields with large passages. Bellingshausen argued that at such a time he was in a hurry because he thought only about not getting stuck with the team in the ice with the onset of spring.
After the discovery of North and South America and Australia, Antarctica was the final Great Geographical Discovery. Before that, no one seriously assumed that there was a whole continent waiting to be discovered. After the voyage of the Russian discoverers Bellingshausen and Lazarev, there are no undiscovered large continents in the world.
For the greatest services to the Motherland, Bellingshausen first received the title of Rear Admiral, then, in 1826, became the head of the Mediterranean flotilla. From 1839 he was appointed to the post of the military governor of Kronstadt and the chief commander of the Kronstadt fleet, and towards the end of his life he became an admiral and took part in the war with Turkey, leading the naval siege.
Bellingshausen is known for his significant contribution to the construction of new harbors, ports, docks, as well as for taking care of the personnel of the fleet. First of all, he took care of the sailors. On his initiative, the meat ration was significantly increased in the fleet. After the death of the admiral, a document was found in which it was proposed to plant trees with early flowering in the harbors so that those leaving the sea could see the spring. To raise the cultural level of sailors, he created a library in the port. Bellingshausen attached great importance to training, improved artillery shooting skills, transferred maneuvering skills to the sailors responsible for navigation.
The great navigator died in 1852. Bellingshausen was buried in Kronstadt, where a monument was erected to him 18 years later. The name of the great discoverer was given to the islands in the Pacific and Atlantic oceans, the sea, a cape on Sakhalin Island, and an ice shelf in Antarctica. In 1968, the opening of the first Soviet scientific station on the West Coast of Antarctica took place at Cape Fildes. She also received the name Bellingshausen.
Prepared based on materials:
http://www.peoples.ru
http://www.hrono.ru
http://www.kronstadt.ru
Shikman A.P. Workers of the patriotic. M, 1997
Russian navigator, participant of round-the-world voyages
He headed the first Russian Antarctic (round-the-world) expedition on the sloops Vostok and Mirny, which discovered Antarctica and several islands in the Atlantic and Pacific oceans in January 1820.
Named after him Cape on Sakhalin, Russian scientific Bellingshausen polar station on King George Island (Waterloo), a member of the South Shetland Islands (discovered 22 February 1968 on the southwestern tip of the island of Cape Fiddles), Bellingshausen sea(marginal sea of the Southern Ocean off the coast of Antarctica, between the Antarctic and Thurston peninsulas), shelf Bellingshausen glacier(located on the eastern coast of Princess Martha (East Antarctica)), Bellingshausen Basin(lowering of the bottom in the southeast of the Pacific Ocean between the continental slope of Antarctica, South America and the West Chilean uplift), island in the Tuamotu archipelago, and Thaddeus Islands and Thaddeus Bay in the Laptev Sea.
"I was born in the midst of the sea; just as a fish cannot live without water, so I cannot live without the sea."
(Faddey Faddeevich Bellingshausen)
"Our fleet, of course, is rich in enterprising and skillful officers, but of all these, whom I know, no one, except Golovnin, can equal Bellingshausen."
(Ivan Fedorovich Kruzenshtern)
Brief chronology
1789 entered the Kronstadt Naval Cadet Corps
1797 promoted to warrant officer - first officer rank
1803-06 took part in the first round-the-world voyage of Russian ships on the frigate "Nadezhda" under the command of Ivan Kruzenshtern
1810-19 commanded various ships in the Baltic and Black Seas
1819-21 as a captain of the 2nd rank, he headed a new round-the-world expedition, sent to the South Pole seas, on the sloops "Vostok" and "Mirny". For 751 days of sailing, the expedition discovered 29 islands in the Pacific and Atlantic oceans and Antarctica, including a new continent called "ice continent" by Bellingshausen. The first descriptions of Antarctica were made, and rich collections of plants and animals were collected.
1828-29 as a rear admiral participated in the siege and capture of the fortress of Varna during the Russian-Turkish war
1839-52 made the military governor of Kronstadt and in this post received the rank of admiral and the order of Vladimir I Art.
1845 Thaddeus Bellingshausen was elected a full member of the Russian Geographical Society
1848 the great navigator was appointed an honorary member of the Marine Scientific Committee
Life story
F.F. Bellingshausen was born on September 20, 1778 on a Baltic island Ezel(now Saarema) near the town of Kuressare (Ahrensburg). The childhood of the great navigator was spent in the family estate of Pilguse, where all the dreams of young Bellingshausen were associated with the sea and the profession of a sailor.
In 1789 F.F. Bellingshausen entered the Naval Cadet Corps in Kronstadt. After his graduation in 1797, with the rank of midshipman, he sailed in the Baltic for 6 years on the ships of the Revel squadron.
Love for science was noticed by the commander of the Kronstadt port, who recommended Bellingshausen to Ivan Kruzenshtern, under whose leadership in 1803-06 F.F. Bellingshausen made the first round-the-world voyage on the frigate "Nadezhda". Completed most of the maps included in " Atlas of Captain Krusenstern's Journey Around the World". FF Bellingshausen received the rank of lieutenant commander in 1806. After returning from the expedition, he commanded various ships in the Baltic and Black Seas, conducted important hydrographic research.
In 1819-1821 he headed round the world expedition on the sloops "Vostok" (under the command of F.F. Bellingshausen) and "Mirny" (under the command of Mikhail Petrovich Lazarev). The purpose of the expedition was defined by the Maritime Ministry as scientific - the discovery in the possible proximity of the Antarctic Pole in order to "acquire the fullest knowledge about our globe."
On July 4, 1819, the ships left Kronstadt. On January 16, 1820 the ships of Bellingshausen and Lazarev in the area of the Princess Martha Coast approached the unknown "ice continent". Dates this day discovery of Antarctica... Three more times this summer they crossed the Antarctic Circle, in early February they again approached Antarctica near the Princess Astrid Coast, but due to snowy weather they could not see it well. In March, when sailing off the coast of the mainland became impossible due to the accumulation of ice, the ships parted by agreement to meet in the port of Jackson (now Sydney). Bellingshausen and Lazarev went there by different routes. Accurate surveys of the Tuamotu archipelago were made, and a number of inhabited atolls were discovered, including the Russians. In November 1820, the ships sailed to Antarctica for the second time, circling it from the Pacific Ocean. The islands of Shishkov, Mordvinov, Peter I, the Land of Alexander I were discovered. On January 30, when it turned out that the sloop "Vostok" was leaking, Bellingshausen turned north and through Rio de Janeiro and Lisbon on July 24, 1821 arrived in Kronstadt, completing his second voyage around the world.
The members of the expedition spent 751 days in the voyage, covered more than 92,000 km. 29 islands and 1 coral reef were discovered. F.F. Bellingshausen and M.P. Lazarev compiled descriptions of the islands and maps, collected ethnographic, botanical and zoological collections.
Upon his return from a round-the-world expedition, F.F. Bellingshausen commanded a naval crew for 2 years, held staff positions for 3 years, in 1826 he led a flotilla in the Mediterranean Sea, took part in the siege and storm of Varna during Russian-Turkish war.
In 1831-38 he led a naval division in the Baltic, from 1839 until the end of his life he was a military man Governor of Kronstadt, and during the summer voyages he was annually appointed commander of the Baltic Fleet. During his service, he carried out scientific work in the field of artillery, later he wrote the work "On Aiming Artillery Guns at Sea".
In 1843 he was promoted to admiral. It should be noted that F.F. Bellingshausen did a lot to strengthen and improve Kronstadt; in a fatherly way he took care of his subordinates, seeking to improve the nutrition of the sailors; founded the marine library. Bellingshausen's biographers noted his benevolence and composure: he retained his presence of mind both under enemy fire and in the fight against the elements.
F.F. Bellingshausen was married and had four daughters. The great navigator died on January 25, 1852 in Kronstadt, where a monument was erected to him in 1870.
Discovery of Antarctica
Most geographers and mariners did not doubt that a vast land could be located beyond the Antarctic Circle. Another thing is that it was extremely difficult to swim in these icy latitudes. And after in 1773, James Cook himself, confident of the existence of land there, declared its inaccessibility, attempts to break through to it ceased for a long time. Only at the beginning of the nineteenth century, English sailors discovered several small islands between 50 and 55 degrees south latitude. Captain W. Smith, passing in 1819 south of the Drake Passage, discovered an island there, which he named South Shetland.
By this time, Russia, inspired by the victory over the Napoleonic coalition and the increased influence in Europe and the world, realized itself as a great maritime power. Experienced navigators I.F. Kruzenshtern, O.E. Kotzebue and the polar explorer Admiral G prix du cialis. Sarychev took the initiative to equip a Russian expedition to search for the southern continent. After the highest approval of the project by Alexander I, the naval ministry already at the beginning of February 1819 formulated the scientific task of the expedition: "discovery in the possible proximity of the Antarctic Pole" in order to "acquire the fullest knowledge about our globe."
Then everything was done in the "best" traditions of the Russian authorities. It turned out that "the deadline is yesterday!" The start was scheduled for the summer of the same year. The sloop, a three-masted warship with cannons on the upper deck, was recognized as the most suitable for carrying out such a serious state assignment. Such ships were in the Russian navy in the first half of the nineteenth century. In an administrative hurry, the expedition was made up of the sloop "Vostok" (with a displacement of 985 tons) and a transport, which was urgently converted into a sloop with a displacement of 884 tons under the name "Mirny". At the same time, both ships were not adapted to sailing in polar waters. In addition, Vostok and Mirny had different travel speeds - 18.5 and 14.8 km / h, respectively.
"Vostok" and "Mirny" left Kronstadt on July 4, 1819. During December, exploring the vicinity of South Georgia Island, Russian sailors discovered several islands and gave them the names of the members of the expedition officers M.D. Annenkova, A.S. Leskov, K.P. Thorson and I.I. Zavadovsky. The Marquês de Traversay group of islands got its name in honor of the Minister of the Navy. Southeast of the ships went to the Sandwich Land, discovered by D. Cook, and found out that it is an archipelago. It was named the South Sandwich Islands. After the discovery of an underwater ridge stretching for 3.5 thousand km in the western part of the Atlantic Ocean, midshipman of Mirny Pavel Mikhailovich Novosilsky wrote: George, Clarke stones, Marquis de Traversay, Sreteniya and Sandwich islands; the volcanic nature of this ridge is undeniable: smoking craters on the Zavadovsky and Sanders islands are clear evidence of this. Now this underwater ridge is called the South Antilles and is supposedly considered an underwater continuation of the Andes.
The voyage took place in the most difficult weather conditions. For long weeks and months it was snowing incessantly, it was replaced by continuous fogs, the ships were forced to maneuver almost blindly between huge ice floes and whole ice mountains - icebergs. During snow storms, the temperature dropped to -5 ° C, which with a hurricane wind corresponds to a temperature of minus twenty degrees and below. The clear weather, which delighted the sailors on January 3, 1820, made it possible to approach South Tula, the land closest to the pole, discovered by D. Cook, and discover that it consists of three rocky islands covered with eternal snow and ice. This gave reason to assume that there should be new islands or even a mainland behind them.
“Do not hit your face in the mud” On January 15, Russian sailors crossed the Arctic Circle for the first time, and the next day, as MP wrote. Lazarev, “We reached latitude 69 ° 23ў8І, where we met hardened ice of extraordinary height, and on that beautiful evening ... it stretched as far as sight could only reach, but we did not enjoy this amazing spectacle for long, for soon it again became dark and went as usual snow ... From here we continued our way to the east, attempting at every opportunity to the south, but always met ice continent not reaching 70 °. Cook gave us such a task that we were forced to be exposed to the greatest dangers, so that, as they say, "not to fall on our face in the mud." What did the future admiral Mikhail Petrovich Lazarev understand by this "not to hit his face in the mud"? The famous English navigator, a representative of a country that not without reason called itself the title of "mistress of the seas", argued that there is a southern land, but inaccessibility does not allow confirming the reality of its existence. What follows from this? Yes, young Russia does not call itself the ruler of the seas, and its navy is still very young. But only she, Russia, was able to repel the invasion of the united troops of Europe under the command of Napoleon. And the victories of the Russians in the battles on the seas forced all the maritime powers of the world to reckon with this new force. Of course, it was the Russian sailors who had to solve the geographical and nautical problem, which the great Briton Cook considered insoluble. And it was done. The ships of Bellingshausen and Lazarev came closer than 3 km to the northeastern ledge of that section of the coast of the "ice continent", which more than a century later Norwegian whalers called the Princess Martha Coast. During that Antarctic "summer" "Vostok" and "Mirny" crossed the Arctic Circle three more times, trying to move closer to the pole.
Having approached on February 5 and 6, 3 km to the northeastern ledge of the Princess Astrid Coast (above 69 degrees south latitude), the sailors discovered an ice shelf in this area (now bearing the name of M. Lazarev). On modern maps, it is located to the south, since as a result of melting, Antarctica's ice shelves are gradually retreating to the south.
The weather conditions remained extremely harsh, the sun very rarely pleased the northerners who always missed it. M.P. Lazarev wrote: “Running between the ice islands in clear weather and hoping for the continuation of this, they sometimes climbed into such a thicket that at one time there were up to one and a half thousand of them, and suddenly a clear day turned into the darkest one, the wind grew stronger and it snowed, - our horizon was sometimes limited no further than 20 fathoms ... ".
When the Antarctic so-called "summer" ended, Bellingshausen and Lazarev took "Vostok" and "Mirny" to the north and agreed to spend some time on an autonomous voyage in order to explore in more detail the southeastern part of the Indian Ocean, which was shown very approximately on the maps of that time. ... In the second half of April, the ships met in Sydney, where they stayed for a month. In July, captains, exploring the Tuamotu archipelago, found a number of inhabited atolls unknown to Europeans, not yet mapped, and gave them the names of Russian statesmen, generals and naval commanders. North of Tahiti, sailors discovered the island of Vostok, and southeast of Fiji named the newly discovered islands in honor of the members of the expedition of the artist P.N. Mikhailov and astronomer I.M. Simonov.
After resting for about 2 months, the expedition in November 1820 again headed for the "ice continent". Having passed the Macquarie Island, in mid-December, the ships withstood a severe storm with "such a great gloom that you could barely see 30 fathoms ... Gusts of wind ran terrible, waves rose into the mountains ..." (FF Bellingshausen). Again the sloops crossed the Arctic Circle three times, and for the third time clear signs of land appeared.
Finally, on January 10, 1821, when the expedition, advancing south to 69 ° 53 ", turned east, the Russian sailors saw the coast in a few hours. P. Soon the gloom set in again, the wind began to cool, and the island that appeared to us disappeared like a ghost. On January 11 in the morning ... we clearly saw a high island covered with snow, blackening headlands and rocks on which it could not hold. Open island ... named named ... Peter I "
On January 15, 1821, the sky over Antarctica was unusually clear and clear, the sun was bright and the air was transparent. Everything came together as if specifically so that polar sailors could see the land in the south. From Mirny one could clearly see a very high promontory, which was connected by a narrow isthmus with a chain of low mountains stretching to the southwest. The Vostok sailors surveyed the mountainous coast, covered with snow, except for the talus on the mountains and steep cliffs. The head of the expedition F.F. Bellingshausen called it "The Shore of Alexander I", explaining: "A sudden change in color on the surface of the sea suggests that the shore is vast." On January 30, 1821, it turned out that the Vostok was in need of major repairs, and the expedition turned north. On July 24, 1821, the sloops returned to Kronstadt. According to the authors of Essays on the History of Geographical Discoveries, sailors spent 751 days off their home shores, and during this time 527 days were under sail, including 122 days south of 60 degrees south latitude, never parting against the will of the commanders. They sailed around the world in high southern latitudes.
Since historians of geographical discoveries do not mention cases of illness in the expedition with scurvy, this can be explained by the peculiarities of Russian cuisine: as you know, people in Russia did not winter without stocks of sauerkraut. Therefore, the commanders of Vostok and Mirny did not have, like Cook, to figure out how to get the sailors to eat this yummy. So there was enough vitamin C in the naval diet.
But people die not only from scurvy, and during more than two years of sailing, the ship's priest twice buried dead comrades, sending their bodies into the depths of the sea. Of the 190 members of the expedition, 188 returned home. Such statistics, for all the severity of the conditions of polar navigation and the rigor of discipline in the Russian navy, was simply unprecedented at that time.
And in general, according to the achieved geographical results first Russian Antarctic expedition- the greatest in the 19th century. A new part of the world was discovered ("ice continent", "ice continent", "ice bulwark"), later called Antarctica, to the shores of which Russian sailors approached nine times, including four times at a distance of 3 to 15 km; for the first time, large water areas adjacent to the new continent were characterized; the ice of the Antarctic was described and classified for the first time and the correct characterization of its climate was given in general terms; 28 objects that have received Russian names are plotted on the map of Antarctica; in the high southern latitudes and in the tropics, 29 islands have been discovered. The course of the expedition and its results were presented by F.F. Bellingshausen in the book "Double Surveys in the South Arctic Ocean and Sailing Around the World ...".
BELLINSHAUSEN, FADDEI FADDEEVICH (1778-1852), Russian naval leader, navigator, admiral (1843), discoverer of Antarctica.
Born on the island of Ezel (now - the island of Saaremaa, Estonia) on September 9, 1778 in a family of Eastsee nobles. Since childhood, he dreamed of becoming a sailor, writing about himself: “I was born in the middle of the sea; just as fish cannot live without water, so I cannot live without the sea. "
In 1789 he entered the Kronstadt Naval Cadet Corps. He became a midshipman and in 1796 sailed to the shores of England. He successfully sailed across the Baltic on the ships of the Revel squadron, in 1797 he was promoted to warrant officer (first officer rank). Love for science was noticed by the commander of the Kronstadt port, who recommended Bellingshausen to IF Kruzenshtern.
In 1803-1806 Bellingshausen served on the ship "Nadezhda", which took part in the expedition of Kruzenshtern and Yu.F. Lisyansky, which made the first Russian voyage around the world. On this journey, he compiled and graphically executed almost all the maps included in the Atlas for the journey around the world of Captain I.F. Kruzenshtern.
In 1810-1819 he commanded a corvette and a frigate in the Baltic and Black Seas, where he also conducted cartographic and astronomical research.
When preparing a new round-the-world expedition, Kruzenshtern recommended Bellingshausen, who had already become a captain of the 2nd rank, as its leader: “Our fleet, of course, is rich in enterprising and skillful officers, but of all these, whom I know, no one, except Golovnin, can equal him ". In early 1819 Bellingshausen was appointed "head of the expedition to search for the sixth continent," organized with the approval of Alexander I.
In June 1819 the sloops "Vostok" under the command of Bellingshausen and "Mirny" under the command of the young naval lieutenant MP Lazarev left Kronstadt. On November 2, the expedition arrived in Rio de Janeiro. From there Bellingshausen headed south. Having skirted the southwestern coast of New Georgia Island, discovered by Cook (about 56 degrees south latitude), he surveyed the southern Sandwich Islands. On January 16, 1820 the ships of Bellingshausen and Lazarev in the area of the Princess Martha Coast approached the unknown "ice continent". The discovery of Antarctica dates from this day. Three more times this summer, the expedition explored the coastal shelf of the open sixth continent, crossing the Arctic Circle several times. In early February 1820, the ships approached the Princess Astrid Coast, but due to snowy weather they could not see it well.
In March 1820, when sailing off the coast of the mainland became impossible due to the accumulation of ice, both ships headed for Australia by different routes and met at the port of Jackson (now Sydney). From there, they went to the Pacific Ocean, where they discovered 29 islands in the Tuamotu archipelago, which were named after prominent Russian military and statesmen.
In September 1820 Bellingshausen returned to Sydney, from where he again went to explore Antarctica in part of the Western Hemisphere.
In January 1823, he discovered the island of Peter I and the coast called the Shore of Alexander I. Then the expedition reached the group of the South Shetland Islands, where a new group of islands was discovered and explored, named after the major battles of the Patriotic War of 1812 (Borodino, Smolensk, etc.) , as well as the names of prominent maritime figures of Russia. At the end of July 1821 the expedition returned to Kronstadt, having covered 50 thousand miles in two years and carried out extensive hydrographic and climatic research. She brought with her valuable botanical, zoological and ethnographic collections. The success of the expedition was largely determined by the outstanding personality of the leader of the trip. He brilliantly mastered the pen and vividly described in his diary both his scientific discoveries and the customs of the peoples he met. His book "Two-fold explorations in the Southern Arctic Ocean and voyages around the world during 1819-1821, performed on the sloops" Vostok "and" Mirny ", awakened a passion for travel in many future explorers of Antarctica.
Bellingshausen's expedition to this day is considered one of the most difficult: the famous Cook, who was the first to reach the South Pole ice in the 70s of the 18th century, having faced them, even believed that it was impossible to move further. Almost half a century after Cook's expedition, Bellingshausen proved the inaccuracy of his statement and sailed to Antarctica on two small sailing ships, not adapted for navigation in ice.
After the expedition, Bellingshausen was awarded the rank of Rear Admiral. He commanded a naval crew for two years, held staff positions for three years, and in 1826 led a flotilla in the Mediterranean. Taking part in the Turkish campaign of 1828-1829, he was among those who besieged and took from the sea the fortress of Varna. After that he commanded a division of the Baltic Fleet. In 1839 he was appointed military governor of Kronstadt, chief commander of the Kronstadt port. In this position, he did a lot for the port, founded the naval library, and by the end of his life he rose to the Order of Vladimir I degree and the rank of admiral. In personal communication, he was benevolent, in extreme situations he was cold-blooded. He married late but had four daughters
On May 11, 1852, he died and was buried in Kronstadt, in 1870 a monument was erected to him there. Bellingshausen was named after the sea and an island in the Pacific Ocean, a cape on Sakhalin Island, an island in the Atlantic Ocean, an Antarctic ice shelf, as well as Cape Faidles (62 ° 12 | S, 58 ° 56 | W) is a research station in the South Shetland Islands group. It was the first Soviet station off the coast of West Antarctica.
