Vitus Ionassen Bering (born 12 August 1681 - death 8 (19) December 1741) - Dane navigator, captain-commander of the Russian fleet (1730) Was the leader of the 1st and 2nd (1725-30 and 1732-41) of the Kamchatka expedition. He passed between the Chukchi Peninsula and Alaska, reached North America and discovered a number of islands in the Aleutian ridge. The strait between Eurasia and North America, an island in the Commander Islands group (also named after him) and the sea in the north of the Pacific Ocean were named after Bering. 1741, December - on the way back during the winter, Bering died on an island (later named after him), located east of Kamchatka.
Service in the Dutch and Russian fleets
He was born in the seaside town of Horsens in Jutland in 1681. Before moving to Russia, in his youth, Bering went to the East Indies twice on Dutch ships. 1703 - graduated from the naval cadet corps in Amsterdam and was accepted to serve in the Russian fleet as a lieutenant. 1710 - as a lieutenant commander he was transferred to the Azov fleet and took part in the Prut campaign of Peter 1 (1711). In 1712-1723, rising in ranks and commanding various ships, he served in the Baltic. 1724, February 26 - resigned. And after 5 months he turned to Peter I with a request to re-accept him for service. The petition was granted, and in the rank of captain of the 1st rank, that is, with a promotion, Bering returned to the fleet.
Reasons for expeditions
But Vitus Bering was able to become famous not for his service in the Baltic and Azov Seas and for military merit. Glory came to him after two major marine scientific expeditions in the Pacific and Arctic oceans, the last of which is justly called the Great. Bering volunteered to command the first, hoping to rise to the rank of Rear Admiral and provide for his family and his old age.
Peter I, having far-reaching plans, decided to find out if there was a passage between Eurasia and America (the yard did not know about the voyage of Semyon Dezhnev). In the event of its discovery, the plans were to start sailing by the Northern Sea Route to the eastern shores of Russia, to China and India.
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The first Kamchatka expedition
Vitus Bering began to carry out the tsar's order. Two weeks later, on January 25, 1725, the first members of the expedition were sent from St. Petersburg to Kamchatka. The group included two more naval officers (Alexey Chirikov and Martyn Shpanberg), and a team of about 100 people.
The road turned out to be difficult and difficult. I had a chance to get there in different ways: by carts, by sleigh with dogs, river boats. Upon arrival in Okhotsk in 1727, the construction of ships began to fulfill the main tasks of the expedition. On these ships Bering reached the western coast of Kamchatka. In Nizhnekamchatsk, the warship "Saint Gabriel" was rebuilt, on which the sailors set off further. The ship passed through the strait between Alaska and Chukotka, but due to bad weather the sailors were unable to see the coast of the American continent.
The purpose of the expedition was partially fulfilled. But, returning to St. Petersburg in 1730, Vitus, submitting a report on the work done, drew up a draft of the next expedition. For the most part, the top officials of the state and academicians did not understand, like the navigator himself, what he discovered. But the main thing was proved - Asia and America do not connect. And Vitus Bering received the rank of captain-commander.
Second Kamchatka expedition
Upon the return of the traveler, his words, records and maps were treated with a certain distrust. He had to defend his honor and justify the highest confidence placed in him. So, a second expedition was appointed, under the command of Bering. According to a biography written by the navigator's contemporaries, it is said that, shortly before the first trip to the shores of Kamchatka, a certain Shestakov discovered the strait and even the Kuril Islands. But all these discoveries had no documentary evidence. And Bering was educated, he could structure and analyze the result, and he made maps well.
The second expedition had the following tasks: to explore the sea from Kamchatka to Japan and the mouth of the Amur, to map the entire northern coast of Siberia, reach the American coast and establish trade with the natives, if any are found there.
Despite the fact that Anna Ioannovna already reigned, Russia was still faithful to the Peter's behests. Therefore, the Admiralty became interested in the project. The decree on the second expedition was issued in 1732. Having reached Okhotsk, in 1740 the navigator builds two packet boats - "St. Peter" and "St. Paul". "St. Peter" was taken under his command by Vitus Bering himself, and "St. Paul" was commanded by Chirikov. On them, the expedition went to the coast of Kamchatka, rounded its southern end and went to Avacha Bay. Here they stopped for the winter and founded the port city of Petropavlovsk, named after both ships.
1741, June 5 - the voyage continued. The ships sailed together for about three weeks, and then lost sight of each other. Finally, they both reached the American coast. The first was “Saint Paul”.
"Saint Peter" was able to reach the shores of America a day later, on July 17, 1741 at latitude 58 ° 14?.. None of the Europeans were there yet. The sailors saw mountain ranges with snowy peaks. The highest was named Mount Saint Elijah. Then we moved along the coast to about. Kayak.
From here began the return voyage, which ended tragically. The crew was exhausted by scurvy, storms and fogs. The first to die was the sailor Shumagin, and the nearby newly discovered islands were named after him. The forces of the sailors were melting. The 60-year-old captain-commander himself fell ill.
Vitus Bering and Alexey Chirikov in Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky in 1740.
Death
In the end, the coast appeared, which was mistaken for Kamchatka. There "St. Peter" crashed. It turned out that this is an uninhabited island from a group named later in honor of Commander Bering the Commander Islands. I had to spend the winter there. 19 people have died. Vitus Bering was one of the first to die on December 8, 1741, completing his 38-year track record for the benefit of Russia by discovering and exploring the coasts of Alaska and the extreme northeastern tip of Asia, never before seen by Europeans. The survivors of the following summer dismantled the ship and built a small ship, on which they were able to reach Kamchatka in August 1742.
Vitus Bering's expedition got caught in a storm off the Aleutian Islands - 1741 year.
Heritage
The merits of the captain-commander were not soon able to gain recognition. Only in 1778, at the suggestion of James Cook, who completed the work of the commander on the coast of Northeast Asia, the strait between Cape Dezhnev and Alaska was named the Bering Sea, and the southern marginal sea of the Pacific Ocean - the Bering Sea. Bering's ship's logs were published only in 1922 in New York (the materials of the expedition were considered secret).
And now fierce disputes over the assessment of Bering's actions on both expeditions do not subside. Many of the scientists consider the discovery (a second time after Dezhnev) of the Bering Strait and the shores of America adjacent to Asia, the merit of Chirikov. The commander is accused of being too careful and prudent. But whatever the mistakes of the head of the expedition, real or imaginary, he was, is and will be one of the most significant figures in the entire history of geographical discoveries.