Everyone knows the names of travelers during the Great Geographical Discoveries. What about those who are not so lucky who have not returned from their grandiose expeditions? We consider it our duty to tell about the sailors who did not cope with the difficulties of the journey. Make yourself comfortable.
From the North Sea to the Pacific Ocean, 1553
The expedition under the command of Hugh Willoughby sailed off the coast of England on June 23, 1553. It consisted of three ships: "Edward Bonaventura", "Bona Esperanza" and "Bona Confidenza". All of them went in search of the northeastern passage from the North Sea to the Pacific Ocean (along the northern possessions of Russia).
"Eduard Bonaventure" at the Nikolskoye estuary.
Hugh Willoughby was a fine soldier, but a mediocre sailor. On August 3, after a severe storm at sea, the ship "Edward Bonaventure" disappeared, two other ships managed to reach Novaya Zemlya. But no further - the ice stopped them.
The expedition turned back to spend the winter near the Kola Peninsula. The places seemed to be quite good - near the Varzina river, a lot of fish and game, but something unexpected happened.
Left: Sir Hugh Willoughby. Right: Expedition members disembark.
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It is difficult to say what exactly happened, but in the spring the fishermen found two ships - one of them was empty, the second hid 63 corpses. Moreover, they looked like statues - someone was opening a wardrobe, someone was eating, someone was sitting at a desk, the same was true for the dogs.
What happened to them is a mystery. It is difficult to imagine how so many people could be comprehended by simultaneous death. According to one version, it was carbon monoxide. But that's just a guess.
By the way, the missing "Edward Bonaventure" was much more fortunate. The ship moored to the mainland near Arkhangelsk, and its captain Richard Chancellor set off for Moscow, having received an audience with Ivan the Terrible. Subsequently, he became the founder of an English company, which received monopoly rights to trade with Russia.
Left: Ivan the Terrible's Chancellor. Right: Chancellor in Kholmogory.
From Russia to India, 1717
Prince Alexander Bekovich-Cherkassky, by order of Peter I, went to India in order to incline the Khiva and Bukhara khans to loyalty. The prince himself was a descendant of the Kabardian nobility and before baptism bore the name Devlet-Girey-Murza.
Left: Alexander Bekovich-Cherkassky. Right: Bekovich's map compiled for the Khiva campaign.
The path began from Astrakhan, the team had to cross the Caspian Sea. The expedition consisted of 100 ships and 6000 people, nothing boded trouble. But then a storm came. A significant part of the ships went to the bottom, including the ship with the wife and two daughters of the prince.
However, the survivors continued their work. On the way to Khiva, the expedition was attacked by the Khan's troops, there were 5 times more of them, but this did not give them the advantage they deserve. The fighting lasted 3 days, and after that the khan called the prince for negotiations. Khan managed to persuade Bekovich to divide the army into five detachments and send them to different cities for temporary residence. Of course, the detachments were killed.
The surviving soldiers were sold into slavery, and the prince himself was beheaded. However, evil tongues assured that Bekovich was not beheaded - for surrendering the army, he received a pardon from the khan and lived the rest of his life at his court. Whether this is true or not is not known for certain.
Left: Russian detachment holding the defense. Right: execution of Bekovich-Cherkassky.
Expedition around the world, 1788
French navigator Jean-François de La Pérouse disappeared along with all members of the expedition in the area of the island of Vanikoro of the Santa Cruz group in the western part of the Pacific Ocean.
Jean-Francois de La Perouse.
In the voyage went 220 people on two ships - "Astrolabe" and "Bussol", and the expedition itself was organized personally by Louis XVI. The travelers sailed on September 1, 1785 and rounded Cape Horn, visited Easter Island and California, and then moved to the northwest. But then only misfortunes awaited them.
Off the coast of Alaska during a storm at sea, a boat with 21 members of the expedition was carried away, followed by a skirmish on the island of Samoa between the team and local residents - 12 people were killed, including the captain of the Astrolabe.
Astrolabe and Boussol.
In January 1788, the ships met the British squadron off the coast of Australia and sent letters home. There was no further news of the expedition. It is said that when Louis XVI went to his execution in 1793, he asked if there was any news from La Perouse.
By the way, in 1826, the remains of a French ship were discovered on the island of Vanikoro. Perhaps it was the Astrolabe. Locals talked about four sailors who survived and stayed on the island, the last of them died in 1825.
Death of ships.
From the Atlantic to the Pacific, 1845
Perhaps the phrase "what you call a yacht, so it will float" makes sense. The ships that set off on this expedition were called "Darkness" and "Horror". The voyage was led by John Franklin, an experienced sailor and polar explorer (he was already 59 years old), who had the goal of developing the Arctic Ocean.
"Darkness" and "Horror".
The expedition went to sea on May 19, 1845 and disappeared, there were 129 people on board. When it became clear that the sailors would not return, rescue missions were organized. As many as 39 pieces - from 1848 to 1854. All of them were unsuccessful, but over time, terrible finds began to appear: skeletons, graves, notes that a little clarified the essence of what happened.
Sir John Franklin.
Both ships were frozen into the ice in September 1846. They could not budge for a whole year and a half. On April 22, 1848, the surviving sailors decided to go to the mainland, converting the boats into sledges. There were 2,000 km ahead - none of the 105 members of the expedition who set out on the journey survived.
A temporary dwelling next to a ship frozen in the ice.
The rescue mission found the remains of the expedition at the mouth of the Bak River. It became clear that soon the food for the sailors ran out and people began to eat their dead comrades. However, this did not help them.
Search team.
Franklin himself died on the ship "Darkness" on June 11, 1847 - so it was said in the note. The ship was found in 2014, and in 2016 the "Horror" was also found - the ships themselves escaped the captivity of the ice, but soon sank.
An inventory of the belongings of the dead crew members.
