Brief biography of Vitus Bering. Kamchatka expeditions of Vitus Bering Bering what he discovered and in what year

The birth of the future navigator is not marked by any important events. No one imagined that the child would become not just a sailor, but a great discoverer, and even in the service of another state. It is difficult to say what reasons prompted the boy to enter the naval service in Russian Empire: our state was not so powerful at that time. Perhaps Bering was able to see certain prospects for himself. Which, to some extent, contributed to the discoveries made by him, which had practical, geographical, and historical significance. Bering not only discovered new lands and islands in the north of the country, but also made maps of the coast, which was extremely important.

First years of life

Vitus Bering was born on August 12, 1681 in Jutland (modern Denmark) in the city of Horsens. The town did not differ in anything special: several churches and monasteries - that's all the sights. It began to develop only after 1442, when a trading charter was issued to it, and gradually turned into a commercial center.

The city was located on the seashore and had a port. The hero of our story from the first years of his life admired the waves and dreamed of traveling. Although his father was, according to some historians, a customs officer, and never left his native place. It is not very clear for what reason, but at the very beginning of his career as a sailor, the teenager took his mother's surname.

The sea attracted the boy, so it is not surprising that, having reached adolescence, he entered the Amsterdam Marine cadet corps, and in 1703, at the age of 22, successfully completed it. But before that, Vitus Bering made a short trip to the East Indies on a Dutch ship. Apparently, after this, the future traveler Bering made a firm decision to link his fate with the sea.

In the service of Peter I

How did Vitus Bering get into the Russian fleet? His biography does not contain exact information on this matter. It is only known that at that time, on the orders of the Russian sovereign Peter the Great, Admiral of the Russian fleet Kornely Ivanovich Kruys was recruiting experienced sailors for service. Sievers and Senyavin introduced the boy, saying that he had already been to the East Indies, therefore, he still had some kind of experience. From other sources it is known that Vitus wanted to serve, like his cousin Sievers, in the Navy, and certainly in the Russian Empire. Whatever it was, but his dream came true, and Bering went to St. Petersburg. There he was assigned to manage a ship that transported timber for the construction of the Kronstadt fortress. Not God knows what, but still the sea!

Soon Vitus Bering received the rank of lieutenant and began to carry out more responsible and complex assignments. He took part in the Azov campaign, tracked the movement of Swedish ships in the Gulf of Finland, participated in the campaign from Arkhangelsk to Kronstadt, served on the Pearl ship during its transfer from Hamburg to St. Petersburg. And suddenly, not having reached the rank of captain of the first rank, Bering leaves military service.

The track record of Vitus Bering

If we compile in chronological order all the ranks and titles that the navigator Bering received during his military career, we get the following table:

	Admission to the naval service of the Russian fleet
	Received the rank of lieutenant (the current rank of lieutenant)
	Vitus Bering transferred to serve in the troops on the Sea of ​​Azov Promoted to the rank of Lieutenant Commander Entrusted with the command of the shnyavy "Munker"
	Service in the Azov Fleet, participation in the war with Turkey
	Transfer to service in the Baltic Fleet
	Vyborg, marriage to Anna Kristina
	Obtained the rank of captain of the 4th rank
	Bering takes command of the ship "Pearl", which he must deliver from Hamburg to Russia
	Captain Rank 3
	Takes command of the ship Selafail
	The future navigator receives the rank of captain of the 2nd rank Transferred to the command of the ship Malburg
	Vitus Bering retires with the rank of captain 2nd rank

These are the titles and honors awarded to Vitus Bering for 20 years of service. short biography, however, does not at all reveal all the merits of the navigator. For historians and geographers, the subsequent part of his life is more interesting.

Development and accession of Kamchatka to the Russian Empire

The ever-increasing oppression of serfdom could not but affect the history of Russia. The runaway peasants were looking for lands that would serve as a refuge from persecution. So gradually people got to Siberia, and then to Kamchatka. But the territory was already inhabited, so campaigns were organized to seize and develop lands rich in furs, etc. In 1598, it was defeated, and the territory became part of the Russian Empire.

The need to explore Kamchatka

The development of Kamchatka and other Siberian lands was a matter of national importance. First of all, it was necessary to replenish the treasury. But the pioneers were mostly poorly educated people who first of all looked for minerals, discovered new territories and taxed the local population. The state needed maps of new lands, as well as a sea route.

In 1724, Peter the Great issues a decree on organizing a campaign against Kamchatka, led by Vitus Bering. The traveler was ordered to get to Kamchatka, build two ships and go to the North on them, find the place where America connects with Siberia, and find a way to the cities of Europe from there.

The first Kamchatka expedition of Vitus Bering

Having received the position of leader and title, the future traveler began to fulfill the order of the sovereign. After 2 weeks - January 25, 1725 - the first members of the expedition set off from St. Petersburg to Kamchatka. The group included two more naval officers (Alexey Chirikov and Martyn Shpanberg), surveyors, shipbuilders, navigators, rowers, sailors, cooks. Total number reached 100 people.

The road turned out to be difficult and difficult. I had to get there in various ways: carts, sledges with dogs, river boats. Arriving in Okhotsk in 1727, they began building ships to fulfill the main tasks of the expedition. On these ships, Vitus Bering traveled to the Western coast of Kamchatka. In Nizhnekamchatsk, the warship "Saint Gabriel" was rebuilt, on which the navigator and the crew went further. The ship passed through the strait between Alaska and Chukotka, but due to weather conditions, the sailors could not see the shores of the American continent.

Partially, the goals of the expedition were fulfilled. However, returning in 1730, he submits a report on the work done and draws up a project for the next expedition. Most of the first persons of the state and academicians did not understand, like Vitus Bering himself, what he had discovered. But the main thing was proved - Asia and America are not connected. And the traveler received the rank of captain-commander.

Second expedition to Kamchatka

After the navigator returned, his words, records and maps were treated with a certain distrust. It was necessary to defend his honor and justify the highest trust placed in him. And the goals have not yet been achieved. You can't stop half way. So, the second expedition is appointed, and Vitus Bering commands it. A biography written by the traveler's contemporaries claims that, shortly before the first trip to the shores of Kamchatka, a certain Shestakov discovered both the strait and even the Kuril Islands. Yes, but all these discoveries have not been documented. The Dane was lucky - he was educated, knew how to structure and analyze the results obtained, and made good maps.

The second expedition of Vitus Bering had the following goals: exploring the sea from Kamchatka to Japan and the mouth of the Amur, mapping the entire northern coast of Siberia, reaching the American coast and trading with the natives, if any were found there.

Despite the fact that Anna Ioannovna sat on the imperial throne, Russia still remained faithful to Peter's precepts. Therefore, influential officials from the Admiralty became interested in the project. The decree on the campaign was issued in 1732. Having reached Okhotsk, in 1740, Bering builds two packet boats - St. Peter and St. Paul. On them, the researchers went to the eastern coast of Kamchatka.

Expedition results

This time it was more successful. But at the same time tragic - during the wintering in 1741, Vitus Bering died. What he discovered could only be appreciated later. After all, then it was difficult to verify the reliability of the results of his work - the road to Siberia was still too dependent on the vagaries of nature. But even then, travelers had already begun to use the maps compiled by Vitus Bering. The discoveries of the great pioneer made it possible to engage in the development and exploitation of new lands.

So the following has been done:

• Petropavlovsk was founded in the Achinsk Bay.
• Through the modern Bering Sea, the coast of Alaska is reached.
• On the way back, the Aleutian and Shumaginsky Islands were discovered.
• The Aleutian Range is mapped.
• Evdokeevsky Islands and Chirikov Island (Misty) were discovered and mapped.
• Bering Island was discovered, on which the navigator died in 1741.
• The territories of northern and eastern Russia, the interior territories of Siberia are plotted on the map.
• The Kuril Islands are mapped.
• Found a way to Japan.

If you carefully study the history of geographical discoveries, you will find that this expedition was only part of a larger campaign. It was completed only a few years after Bering's death, and even then only thanks to his organizational talent. After all, it was he who divided the participants of the Northern Expedition into groups, giving each of them certain tasks. Despite the human losses, the campaign was completed very successfully.

What did Vitus Bering look like?

The appearance of the discoverer is questionable by some biographers. It turns out that the familiar paintings depicting Vitus Bering (there was no photo then) do not correspond to reality. These are portraits of his uncle. The controversy was resolved by examining the skull and recreating the appearance through modeling. As a result, the real face of the traveler was obtained. Indeed, Vitus Bering (photos are presented in the article) had a completely different appearance. But this does not detract from the importance of his discoveries.

Character of the great navigator

According to reports, the navigator had a somewhat mild character, which was not at all suitable for the head of the expedition. Nevertheless, Bering was twice appointed to this position. It should be noted one more oddity. The explorer of Siberia did not like to bring things to the end result - he could stop at the moment when the goal was within easy reach. This feature of Bering was noted by both friends and participants in the campaigns. And yet it was he who was recommended as a leader and organizer to both Peter the Great and Anna Ioannovna. How can this be explained? It must be that, despite all his shortcomings, Vitus Bering was an experienced navigator. He knew how to follow orders, was very responsible and executive, and, no less important, devoted to the state in whose service he was. Yes, most likely, it was for these qualities that he was chosen to carry out such important geographical research.

Grave of the explorer of Kamchatka

After Vitus Bering met his death on the island, which he also discovered, he was buried and, according to the traditions of that time, a wooden cross was erected. It is clear that over time the tree decayed and crumbled. However, in 1864, at the place where, according to the records of Bering's associates, his grave was located, a new wooden cross was erected. This was the merit of the Russian-American Company, founded under Emperor Paul.

In 1991, a search expedition was organized to the burial places of the researcher of Siberia. The grave of not only Bering, but also five more sailors was discovered on the island. The remains were recovered and sent to Moscow for research. By bones and skull was restored appearance traveler. Also, scientists were able to find out that he died not from scurvy, as previously assumed, but from another disease (which one, exactly, is not known for certain). After the research was completed, the remains were returned to the island and reburied.

Objects that bear the name of the great navigator

In memory of the traveler and his contribution to geographical research, the following objects are named after him:

• Streets in Moscow, St. Petersburg, Astrakhan, Nizhny Novgorod, Murmansk, Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky, Tomsk, Yakutsk.
• Island, strait, cape, glacier, sea.
• Icebreaker and diesel-electric ship.
• State University in Kamchatka.
• Plants that grow in the Far East.

In addition, the film "The Ballad of Bering and His Friends" was shot about the traveler.

The value of the navigator's discoveries

One cannot fail to recognize the importance of Vitus Bering's sea voyages. It was thanks to him that the first competently drawn maps of Siberia appeared. Subsequently, this greatly helped the development of the Asian part of the Russian Empire. Thanks to his expeditions, active development of the region began. They began to extract minerals, the mining and foundry industries began to develop.

The Russian Empire received an influx of money into the treasury and new territories, its global importance and influence. And most importantly, the country got the opportunity to trade with those countries that could not be reached by the already mastered routes. After all, these territories were under the jurisdiction of other states, which charged a considerable fee for their crossing. Nevertheless, despite all his merits, Vitus Bering received recognition posthumously, only after other travelers confirmed his discoveries. So, the well-known now got its name from the light hand of James Cook.

Captain-Commander of the Russian Navy, polar navigator and explorer Vitus Jonassen Bering was born on August 12, 1681 in the Danish city of Horsens.

In 1710-1712 he served in the Russian Azov Fleet and participated in the war with Turkey. In 1712 he was transferred to the Baltic Fleet, in 1715 he was promoted to captain of the fourth rank. In 1712-1723 he commanded various ships in the Baltic.

In January 1724, Bering submitted a letter of resignation. In February, the Admiralty Board signed a report, but in August the navigator was reinstated by order of Peter I with the rank of captain of the first rank.

In 1725, Bering was appointed leader of the first Kamchatka expedition. According to the instructions drawn up by Peter I, the expedition was ordered to follow the ships along the coast of Kamchatka to the north in order to find out the existence of a strait between Asia and America.

In the winter of 1725, Bering with a group of associates set off from St. Petersburg to the shores of the Sea of ​​Okhotsk. At the end of 1726, the expedition reached the shores of the Sea of ​​Okhotsk, and from July to September 1728, the boat "Saint Gabriel" worked at sea. Bering explored the eastern coast of Kamchatka, the southern and eastern shores of Chukotka, discovered the island of St. Lawrence. Having passed through the strait, later called Bering, to a latitude of 67 ° 18 "and seeing that "the land no longer extends to the north," Bering considered the question of the existence of a strait between Asia and America resolved positively and turned back. On the way back, the Ratmanov and Kruzenshtern, the southern cape of Kamchatka Lopatka was marked on the map.

Petersburg, the results of the expedition were considered unsatisfactory. In May 1732, the Senate issued a decree on the beginning of the Great Northern Expedition (the second Kamchatka expedition), which was also entrusted to lead Bering. The work of the expedition continued from 1733 to 1743. They were attended by 13 ships and more than 600 people.

In June 1740, two two-masted packet boats, St. Peter and St. Paul, were built and launched in Okhotsk. In September of the same year, both ships crossed to Kamchatka and wintered in the Avacha Bay. Bering named the harbor where the expedition spent the winter, Petropavlovsk, later the city of Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky grew up here.

In June 1741, packet boats left the Peter and Paul harbor. Bering commanded "St. Peter", and "St. Paul" was headed by Alexei Chirikov.

Going in parallel courses, the ships lost each other two weeks later due to constant fogs. "St. Paul" reached the shores of North America and in October 1741 returned to Avacha Bay.

Bering's ship "Saint Peter" reached the coast of North America in July 1741 near Kayak Island. On the way back, Bering discovered Ukamok Island, small islands called Evdokeevsky, part of the Shumaginsky and some of the Aleutian Islands. Chirikov, who reached the coast of Alaska earlier, also discovered part of the Aleutian Islands.

In November 1741, Bering's ship landed on unknown islands, mistaken for Kamchatka (now Commander Islands), and was badly damaged during the stay. The crew moved to the island (now Bering Island) and settled down for the winter, during which some of the people, including Vitus Bering himself, died of scurvy. The surviving 40 people moved to Kamchatka the following summer on a boat built from the remains of a ship.

Not a single lifetime image of Bering has survived. In the 1940s, Bering's great-granddaughter donated to the Central Naval Museum a portrait that had been kept in her family for a long time. Later, this portrait began to be reproduced as the indisputable image of the captain-commander. Meanwhile, back in the 1940s, Danish scientists concluded that it depicts the Danish historian and poet Vitus Pedersen Bering, the navigator's uncle. The discovery in 1991 of Bering's grave made it possible to recreate the appearance of the commander from the skull.

The remains of Bering and his companions, a year after their discovery, were solemnly reburied in Commander Bay in Kamchatka, in a specially constructed memorial.

A sea in the North Pacific Ocean is also named after Bering.

The material was prepared on the basis of information from open sources

At the beginning of the 18th century, Russia completed its "meeting the Sun" movement. The extreme eastern points of its Pacific coast were plotted on the map. The most important role in the design of the eastern borders of the state was played by two expeditions led by Vitus Bering (1681 - 1741). The talented naval officer showed himself not only as a capable captain, but also as an excellent organizer and supplier. The achievements of the two expeditions became a real breakthrough in the exploration of Siberia and the Far East and brought fame to the native of Denmark as a great Russian navigator.

1. In honor of Bering, not only the Commander Islands, the sea, the cape, the village, the strait, the glacier and the island are named, but also a huge biogeographic region. Beringia includes the eastern part of Siberia, Kamchatka, Alaska and numerous islands.

2. The famous Danish watch brand is also named after Vitus Bering.

3. Vitus Bering was born, grew up in Denmark, received a maritime education in Holland, but served, with the exception of a few youthful years, in the Russian fleet.

4. Like many foreigners in the Russian service, Bering came from a noble but ruined family.

5. For eight years, Bering jumped in the ranks of all four captain ranks that existed then in the Russian fleet. True, in order to become a captain of the 1st rank, he had to submit a letter of resignation.

6. The first Kamchatka expedition was the first expedition in the history of Russia, which had exclusively scientific goals: to explore and map the sea shores and discover the strait between Eurasia and America. Prior to this, all geographical research was carried out as a secondary part of the campaigns.

7. Bering was not the initiator of the First Expedition. She was ordered to equip and send Peter I. Bering was offered to the leaders in the Admiralty, the emperor did not mind. He wrote the instructions to Bering with his own hand.

8. The Bering Strait would be more appropriate to call the Strait of Semyon Dezhnev, who discovered it back in the 17th century. However, Dezhnev's report got stuck in bureaucratic millstones and was found only after Bering's expeditions.

9. The sea part of the First Expedition (transition from Kamchatka to the Bering Strait, navigation in the Arctic Ocean and back) lasted 85 days. And in order to get by land from St. Petersburg to Okhotsk, Bering and his team took 2.5 years. But it was compiled detailed map ways from the European part of Russia to Siberia with a description of roads and settlements.

10. The expedition was very successful. The map of sea coasts and islands compiled by Bering and his subordinates was very accurate. It was generally the first map of the northern part of the Pacific Ocean, compiled by Europeans. It was re-released in Paris and London.

11. In those days, Kamchatka was explored extremely poorly. In order to get to the Pacific Ocean, the expedition's cargo was transported by dogs overland across the entire peninsula for a distance of more than 800 kilometers. To the southern tip of Kamchatka from the place of transfer there were some 200 km, which could well have been passed by sea.

12. The second expedition was entirely Bering's initiative. He developed its plan, controlled the supply and dealt with personnel issues - more than 500 specialists were expected to participate.

13. Bering was distinguished by fanatical honesty. Such a trait was not to the liking of the authorities in Siberia, who expected to profit considerably while supplying such a large expedition. Because of this, Bering had to spend time refuting the denunciations that came against him and controlling the entire supply process for his wards.

14. The second expedition was more ambitious. Her plan to explore Kamchatka, Japan, the shores of the Arctic Ocean and the North American Pacific coast was called the Great Northern Expedition. Only the preparation of supplies for it took three years - each nail had to be transported through all of Russia.

15. The city of Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky was founded during the Second Bering Expedition. Before the expedition, there were no settlements in the Peter and Paul Bay.

16. The results of the Second Expedition can be considered a disaster. Russian sailors reached America, but due to the depletion of supplies, they were forced to immediately turn back. The ships have lost each other. The ship, captained by A. Chirikov, although having lost part of the crew, managed to get to Kamchatka. But the "St. Peter", on which Bering went, crashed in the Aleutian Islands. Bering and most of the crew died of starvation and disease. Only 46 people returned from the expedition.

17. The second expedition was ruined by the decision to search for the non-existent Companian Islands, allegedly consisting of pure silver. Because of this, the ships of the expedition instead of the 65th parallel went along the 45th, which almost doubled their journey to the American shores.

18. The weather also played a role in the failure of Bering and Chirikov - the sky was covered with clouds throughout the voyage and the sailors could not determine their coordinates.

19. Bering's wife was Swedish. Of the ten children born in marriage, six died in infancy.

20. After the discovery of Bering's grave and the exhumation of the remains of the sailor, it turned out that, contrary to popular belief, he did not die from scurvy - his teeth turned out to be intact.

I like it I don't like it

Bering Vitus Jonassen (Ivan Ivanovich) (1681-1741), Russian navigator, captain-commander (1730).

A native of Denmark. He was born on August 12, 1681 in the city of Horsens in the family of a customs officer. Together with his cousin Sven and comrade Sivere (the future admiral of the Russian fleet T. Sanders) went to the East Indies on a Dutch ship.

After school he entered the Naval Cadet Corps. In 1695-1696. participated in the Azov campaign of Peter I, in 1701-1703. - sailing to the shores of the East Indies. Then he met with Vice-Admiral of the Russian Navy K.I. Kruys (Norwegian by origin), with whose assistance he was soon enrolled as a non-commissioned lieutenant in the Russian Navy. In 1706 he was promoted to lieutenant.

Later, Peter I included Bering among the commanders who were to lead the first ships under the Russian flag around Europe from the ports Sea of ​​Azov to the Baltic, and then approved him as the commander of the then largest warship in Russia - the 90-gun battleship Lesnoy.

In 1725, on behalf of the emperor, Bering led the 1st Kamchatka expedition, sent to Pacific Ocean in search of a land isthmus between Asia and America. The expedition went overland through Siberia to Okhotsk. In Nizhnekamchatsk, the ship "Saint Gabriel" was built, on which Bering went around the shores of Kamchatka and Chukotka, discovered the island of St. Lawrence and the strait (now the Bering Strait), entered the Chukchi Sea and reached a latitude of 67 ° 18 ′.

In 1730, Bering returned to St. Petersburg, where he was awarded the rank of captain-commander. In 1733 he was entrusted with the leadership of the 2nd Kamchatka, or Great Northern, Expedition, the purpose of which was to describe the northern and eastern coasts of Asia and to get acquainted with the coasts of North America and Japan. Having left St. Petersburg in 1733, Bering reached Okhotsk in 1737, and only in 1741, on the ships St. Peter and St. Paul built there, did he set off to sea. The ships parted in the storm. Bering reached Alaska, explored and mapped its shores, several Aleutian Islands, a number of Kuril Islands. On the way back, he met a group of unknown islands (now the Commander Islands). On one of them (now Bering Island), the ship's crew spent the winter. Here, many, including Bering himself, died of scurvy.

The rest of the team in the summer of 1742 returned to Kamchatka. Of the 38 years that Bering lived in Russia, for 16 years he led the Kamchatka expeditions. In addition to the strait and islands, the sea, a cape on the coast of the Sea of ​​​​Okhotsk, etc. bear the name of Bering.

Few travelers were lucky enough to leave their names on the map of our planet. One of those who received such an honor is Vitus Bering. His difficult fate and geographical discoveries, which changed the ideas of contemporaries about the location of continental lines and islands in the most northern latitudes, this article is devoted to.

Parents

Vitus Bering was born in 1681. It is authentically known that this happened in Denmark. According to some reports, the traveler's birthplace is the city of Horsens, where he was baptized in a Lutheran church, as evidenced by a document that is still kept in an old church book. The boy was named after his mother's brother, who was a famous Danish historian and served as a chronicler at the Royal Court. As for the surname, he got it from his mother - Anna Pederdatter Bering, who came from a noble noble family, which, however, had already gone bankrupt by the time Vitus was born.

The father of the future traveler, Jonas Svendsen, worked in customs and was a highly respected person in Horsens. From his previous marriage and his marriage to Anna, he had a total of 9 children. The salary of the customs officer was not enough, the family could hardly make ends meet, but all the children, including Vitus Jonassen Bering, were pious and were able to get a good education at that time.

Childhood

The Bering-Svendsen family lived in Horsens on Sendergade Street. In the neighborhood there was a school owned by P. Dahlhoff, which was attended by the children of Anna and Jonas. In 1695 Dahlhoff's son, who served in the Royal Navy, married Jonas Svendsen's eldest daughter. Since then, young Bering has constantly heard fascinating stories about sea voyages and battles from new relatives.

Thanks to her sister's husband, Vitus often began to visit ships and make friends with sailors. He was fascinated by the romance of their lives. He was especially interested in expeditions to various unexplored corners of the planet. Already at a young age, Vitus studied in great detail the materials of the expeditions of the Danish traveler Jens Munch, who made cruise to Greenland and traveled to India.

The beginning of a maritime career

Bering's parents did not spare their meager means to give their children the best education. Thanks to their efforts, Vitus' older brothers were able to enter the University of Copenhagen. However, young Bering was not attracted to a career as a lawyer or doctor. After graduating from school, at the age of 14, together with his cousin Sven, he signed up as a sailor on a Dutch ship.

First travels

Together with Sven and childhood friend Sievers, who many years later became a Russian admiral, Vitus Bering twice sailed to the East Indies, crossed the Atlantic Ocean, visited the Caribbean and the North American European colonies.

Being already quite an experienced sailor, the young man realized that he lacked theoretical knowledge, and entered the Naval Cadet Corps in Amsterdam, which was considered one of the best in the world. During his studies, he earned the praise of teachers who unanimously claimed that Vitus Jonassen Bering would make an excellent captain.

Fateful Proposal

In 1703, Vitus Bering met Cornelius Kruys. The latter, although he was a Norwegian by origin, had served in the Russian Navy for more than 10 years and had the rank of vice admiral. By order of Peter the Great, Kruys traveled around Europe and hired intelligent foreign specialists. He saw in the young cadet, who was in his last year of study, a future famous researcher and offered to join the Russian fleet. Vitus Jonassen Bering immediately appreciated the prospects that opened up before him, and accepted the proposal of Kruys.

The first years of service in Russia

On the recommendation of Kruys, Vitus Bering was enrolled in the Baltic Navy, having been promoted to the rank of second lieutenant. In 1704 he arrived in Russia, which from now on became his new homeland. First, Vitus Bering began to command a ship that delivered timber to the island of Kotlin, where, on the orders of Peter the Great, the construction of the Kronstadt fortress was carried out. The diligence and zeal of the young Dane did not go unnoticed - after 4 years, Bering was awarded the rank of lieutenant.

Later career

In the next few years, Bering's career went on the rise.

In 1710, his ship was sent to the coast of the Gulf of Finland to monitor the Swedish flotilla. A few months later he was awarded the rank of lieutenant commander, he was sent to the Azov Fleet, where he commanded the Munker sailing ship.

In 1711, Bering took part in the campaign of Peter the Great to Moldavia, which was a vassal of the Ottoman Empire. After the unsuccessful completion of this company, he was sent to the Baltic Fleet. In 1715 he was promoted to the rank of captain of the 4th rank and sent to Arkhangelsk to command the ship Selafail. On this ship Bering visited Copenhagen. This trip was the last visit to his native Denmark in the life of a navigator who spent most of his life in Russia.

In 1716, Vitus Bering, whose biography this article is devoted to, took command of the Pearl sailing ship. On this ship he went to Bronkholm.

By 1720, Bering already had the rank of captain of the 2nd rank, and under his command was the Marlburg frigate with 90 guns.

Resignation

Despite all his career achievements, Bering considered himself undeservedly overlooked by awards. In particular, he was very hurt by the fact that for 17 years of service he did not receive the rank of captain of the first rank.

In 1724, the navigator wrote a letter of resignation and was sent to rest. When Peter the Great found out about this, he expressed extreme displeasure to F. M. Apraksin, who at that time was Admiral General of the Russian fleet. The tsar ordered to announce at the College that Bering had been returned to the navy with the appointment of a captain of the first rank. A few days after this conversation, Vitus was recalled from retirement and approved as commander of the Selafail frigate.

First expedition to Kamchatka

As is known, one of the achievements of the tsar-reformer was the creation of conditions for the scientific study of the geography of the country and adjacent lands. At the end of 1724, he signed a decree on the organization of the Kamchatka expedition. According to this document, the Board of the Admiralty was instructed to find a candidate for its leader. After long discussions, it was decided to appoint Vitus Bering as the commander of the expedition.

Tasks

According to the orders of Peter I, the First Kamchatka expedition of Vitus Bering was supposed to answer several questions that worried all navigators who plied the northern latitudes.

To do this, she was ordered:

• go to Kamchatka;
• build one or two deck boats;
• advance on them along the coast in a northerly direction in search of the American continent;
• establish the place where this mainland connects with Asia;
• land on the territory of America;
• put all the received data on geographical maps.

Expedition progress

The traveler Vitus Bering, together with the rest of the explorers of Kamchatka, left Petersburg at the beginning of 1725. For almost 2 years, on river boats, on foot, in carts and sledges, they traveled to Okhotsk. After waiting for spring, Bering and his team went to the mouth of Kamchatka on dog sleds and boats. In the summer of 1728, on the east coast of the peninsula, they completed the construction of the St. Gabriel boat. Immediately after launching, the ship moved to the northeast along the coast of the mainland. During this expedition, the following appeared on the world map:

• Karaginsky Bay;
• Bay of Providence;
• the island of st. Lawrence;
• Anadyrsky and Cross Bay.

The most important discovery of the expedition was the Bering Strait. Vitus Bering, together with his comrades, entered the Chukchi Sea through it and turned back home. Although he could not reach the coast of North America, he considered his task completed, since he established that this mainland did not connect with Asia. Rounding Kamchatka from the south, Bering mapped the ice-free Avacha Bay, as well as the Kamchatka Bay. In the spring of 1730, the navigator arrived with a team in Okhotsk and returned to St. Petersburg in the same way that the expedition had overcome, starting 5 years ago.

In the capital

Upon the return of Vitus Bering (which was discovered by the traveler in Kamchatka, see above), he was presented with a report in which the navigator claimed that Kamchatka and North America were in close proximity to each other, which made it possible to organize trade with local merchants. In addition, the traveler called for an active economic development of Siberia, where, according to his assumptions, iron could be mined and arable farming.

Second Kamchatka expedition: preparation

Bering was not going to stop there. He submitted to the Admiralty plans for exploration of the northeast Russian Asian coast and reconnaissance of sea routes to America and the Japanese islands.

Although the task of Peter the Great (to visit the shores of America) was not completed, the navigator received a 1000-ruble bonus and the rank of captain-commander.

In 1733, Vitus Bering was appointed leader of the Second Kamchatka Expedition, which was supposed to complete what had not been possible during the first trip.

At the beginning of 1734, the newly-made captain-commander went to Yakutsk, where he organized the expedition for three years. The local authorities put spokes in his wheels, so only in 1740 two packet boats "Saint Paul" and "Saint Peter" set off from Okhotsk to the east of Kamchatka.

Expedition progress

In July 1741, the ships approached the coast of North America. On the way back, they followed the Aleutian Ridge and continued their journey, exploring the southern coastline of Alaska. During the expedition, the following islands were discovered:

• St. Stephen;
• Kodiak;
• Shumaginsky;
• St. John;
• St. Marcian;
• Evdokeevsky.

Death

The way back of the Second Kamchatka Expedition was very difficult. For many months, "Saint Peter" was at sea, as there was a heavy fog, because of which it was not possible to determine its location even by the stars. The members of the expedition developed scurvy, from which some of the sailors died. For many years it was believed that Bering himself was affected by this disease, however, a study of his remains, performed in the 90s of the last century, showed that the commander's teeth were not damaged by scurvy.

After some time, the ship became practically uncontrollable, especially since the crew was very thin, and Bering himself led it, already being seriously ill.

In the first days of November 1741, the sailors of the expedition saw a snow-covered land in front of them, which later became known as the Bering Islands. They decided to spend the winter on land, but a month later most of the sick crew members died. Among them was Vitus Bering.

End of expedition

After Bering's death, navigator Sven Waxel took command. Together with 46 surviving crew members, he built a hukor named "St. Peter", on which in August 1742 he reached the Avacha Bay. It took a long time for the expedition members to reach St. Petersburg and report the death of Bering.

Merit recognition

Geographical features named after Vitus Bering are known to everyone today. However, the merits of the navigator were appreciated only many years after his death. In particular, the Bering Strait was so named at the insistence of James Cook.

The Englishman reached the Aleutian Islands in early October 1778. There he met Russian hunters and received from them a map drawn up by members of the Bering expedition. Cook redrawn it, naming the strait separating Asia and America after his deceased predecessor Bering.

Personal life

In 1713, Vitus Bering (which you already know) married Anna Christiana Pulse, who was the daughter of a merchant from Sweden. Three years later, the couple had their first child, named after their father, but the child died in infancy. After that, Bering's wife gave birth many times, but only daughter Anna and three sons survived from the Bering children.

Memory

The first monument to Vitus Bering was erected in Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky. The exact date of its construction has not been preserved, but its description was given in 1827 by an English traveler who visited this city.

In 2016, a monument to Vitus Bering was erected on the island named after the commander. It is a full-length bronze sculpture by the sculptor I. P. Vyuev.

In addition to geographical objects in honor of the traveler were named:

• streets in many Russian cities: St. Petersburg, Murmansk, Yakutsk, Nizhny Novgorod, Tomsk, Astrakhan, Artem, Nakhodka and Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky;
• diesel-electric ship;
• one of Aeroflot aircraft.

In addition, in the city of Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky, there is the KAMGU named after Vitus Bering. And the name of the navigator has become a brand of Danish wrist watch Bering.

Now you know the biography of Vitus Bering. This Danish navigator, who devoted his life to serving Russia, entered world history forever thanks to his geographical discoveries, which put him on a par with the greatest travelers of all time.