Thaddey Faddeevich Bellingshausen Antarctica. Thaddeus Bellingshausen - discoverer of Antarctica. Forced voyage across the Pacific Ocean

Only 120 years have passed since people began to explore the continent known as Antarctica (1899), and nearly two centuries have passed since sailors first saw its shores (1820). Long before Antarctica was discovered, most early explorers were convinced that there was a large southern continent. They called it Terra Australis incognita - Unknown Southern Land.

The origins of ideas about Antarctica

The idea of ​​its existence came to the minds of the ancient Greeks, who had a penchant for symmetry and balance. There must be a large continent in the South, they postulated, to balance the large land mass in the Northern Hemisphere. Two thousand years later, great experience geographical research gave Europeans enough reason to turn their attention to the South to test this hypothesis.

16th century: first erroneous discovery of the Southern Continent

The history of the discovery of Antarctica begins with Magellan. In 1520, after sailing through the strait that now bears his name, the famous navigator suggested that its southern shore (now called the island of Tierra del Fuego) might be the northern edge of the great continent. Half a century later, Francis Drake established that Magellan's supposed "continent" was only a series of islands near the tip of South America. It became clear that if there really was a southern continent, it was located further south.

XVII century: one hundred years of approaching the goal

Subsequently, from time to time, sailors, carried off course by storms, again discovered new lands. They often lay further south than any previously known. Thus, while attempting to navigate around Cape Horn in 1619, the Spaniards Bartolomeo and Gonzalo García de Nodal veered off course, only to discover tiny pieces of land they called the Diego Ramírez Islands. They remained the southernmost of the discovered lands for another 156 years.

The next step on a long journey, the end of which was to be marked by the discovery of Antarctica, was taken in 1622. Then the Dutch navigator Dirk Gerritz reported that in the region of 64° south latitude he allegedly discovered a land with snow-capped mountains, similar to Norway. The accuracy of his calculation is doubtful, but it is possible that he saw the South Shetland Islands.

In 1675, the ship of the British merchant Anthony de La Roche was carried far to the southeast of the Strait of Magellan, where, at latitude 55°, he found refuge in an unnamed bay. During his stay on this landmass (which was almost certainly the island of South Georgia) he also saw what he thought was the coast of the Southern Continent to the southeast. In reality it was most likely the Clerk Rocks Islands, which lie 48 kilometers southeast of South Georgia. Their location corresponds to the shores of Terra Australis incognita, placed on the map of the Dutch East India Company, which at one time studied the reports of de La Roche.

18th century: the British and French get down to business

The first truly scientific search, the purpose of which was the discovery of Antarctica, took place at the very beginning of the 18th century. In September 1699, the scientist Edmond Halley sailed from England to establish the true coordinates of the ports in South America and Africa, take measurements of the Earth’s magnetic field and look for the mysterious Terra Australis incognita. In January 1700, he crossed the border of the Antarctic Convergence Zone and saw icebergs, which he wrote down in the ship's log. However, cold stormy weather and the danger of colliding with an iceberg in the fog forced him to turn north again.

Next, forty years later, was the French navigator Jean-Baptiste Charles Bouvet de Lozières, who saw an unknown land at 54° south latitude. He named it "Cape of Circumcision", suggesting that he had found the edge of the Southern Continent, but it was actually an island (now called Bouvet Island).

The Fatal Misconception of Yves de Kergoulin

The prospect of discovering Antarctica attracted more and more sailors. Yves-Joseph de Kergoulin sailed with two ships in 1771 with specific instructions to search for the southern continent. On February 12, 1772, in the southern Indian Ocean, he saw land shrouded in fog at 49° 40", but was unable to land due to rough seas and bad weather. A firm belief in the existence of the legendary and hospitable southern continent blinded him to believe that that he actually discovered it, although the land he saw was an island. Returning to France, the navigator began to spread fantastic information about the densely populated continent, which he modestly called “New Southern France.” His stories convinced the French government to invest in another expensive expedition. Kergulen returned to the mentioned object with three ships, but never set foot on the shore of the island that now bears his name. Worse, he was forced to admit the truth and, returning to France, spent the rest of his days in disgrace.

James Cook and the search for Antarctica

Geographical discoveries of Antarctica in to a large extent are also associated with the name of this famous Englishman. In 1768 he was sent to the South Pacific to search for a new continent. He returned to England three years later with a variety of new information of a geographical, biological and anthropological nature, but found no signs of the southern continent. The sought-after shores were again moved further south from their previously assumed location.

In July 1772, Cook sailed from England, but this time, on instructions from the British Admiralty, the search for the southern continent was the main mission of the expedition. During this unprecedented voyage, which lasted until 1775, he crossed the Antarctic Circle for the first time in history, discovered many new islands and went south to 71° south latitude, which no one had previously achieved.

However, fate did not give James Cook the honor of becoming the discoverer of Antarctica. Moreover, as a result of his expedition, he became confident that if there was an unknown land near the pole, then its area was very small and was of no interest.

Who was lucky enough to discover and explore Antarctica?

After the death of James Cook in 1779, European countries stopped searching for the great southern continent of the Earth for forty years. Meanwhile, in the seas between the previously discovered islands, near the still unknown continent, whalers and hunters of sea animals were already in full swing: seals, walruses, fur seals. Economic interest in the circumpolar region grew, and the year of the discovery of Antarctica was steadily approaching. However, only in 1819, Russian Tsar Alexander I ordered an expedition to be sent to the southern circumpolar regions, and thus the search was continued.

The head of the expedition was none other than Captain Thaddeus Bellingshausen. He was born in 1779 in the Baltic states. Began his career as a naval cadet at the age of 10, graduating Naval Academy in Kronstadt at the age of 18. He was 40 when he was called to lead this exciting journey. His goal was to continue Cook's work during the voyage and move as far south as possible.

The then famous navigator Mikhail Lazarev was appointed deputy head of the expedition. In 1913-1914 He made a trip around the world as a captain on the sloop Suvorov. What else is Mikhail Lazarev known for? The discovery of Antarctica is a striking, but not the only impressive episode from his life dedicated to serving Russia. He was the hero of the Battle of Navarino at sea with the Turkish fleet in 1827, and for many years he commanded the Black Sea Fleet. His students were famous admirals - heroes of the first Sevastopol defense: Nakhimov, Kornilov, Istomin. His ashes deservedly rest with them in the tomb of the Vladimir Cathedral in Sevastopol.

Preparation of the expedition and its composition

Its flagship was the 600-ton corvette Vostok, built by English shipbuilders. The second ship was the 530-ton sloop Mirny, a transport ship built in Russia. Both ships were made of pine. The Mirny was commanded by Lazarev, who was involved in the preparations of the expedition and did a lot to prepare both ships for sailing in the polar seas. Looking ahead, we note that Lazarev’s efforts were not in vain. It was the Mirny that showed excellent performance and endurance in cold waters, while the Vostok was taken out of sailing a month ahead of schedule. Vostok had a total of 117 crew members, and 72 were on board Mirny.

Beginning of the expedition

She started on July 4, 1819. In the third week of July, the ships arrived in Portsmouth, England. During a short stay, Belingshausen went to London to meet with the President of the Royal Society, Sir Joseph Banks. The latter sailed with Cook forty years ago and now supplied the Russian sailors with books and maps left over from the campaigns. On September 5, 1819, Bellingshausen's polar expedition left Portsmouth, and by the end of the year they were near the island of South Georgia. From here they headed southeast to the South Sandwich Islands and conducted a thorough survey of them, discovering three new islands.

Russian discovery of Antarctica

On January 26, 1820, the expedition crossed the Antarctic Circle for the first time since Cook in 1773. The next day, her log shows that the sailors sighted the Antarctic continent while 20 miles away. The discovery of Antarctica by Bellingshausen and Lazarev took place. Over the next three weeks, the ships continuously cruised in the coastal ice, trying to approach the mainland, but they were unable to land on it.

Forced voyage across the Pacific Ocean

On February 22, “Vostok” and “Mirny” suffered from the most severe three-day storm during the entire voyage. The only way to save the ships and crews was to return to the north, and on April 11, 1820, the Vostok arrived in Sydney, and the Mirny entered the same harbor eight days later. After a month of rest, Bellingshausen took his ships on a four-month research voyage to the Pacific Ocean. Arriving back in Sydney in September, Bellingshausen was informed by the Russian consul that an English captain named William Smith had discovered a group of islands at the 67th parallel, which he named South Shetland and declared them part of the Antarctic continent. Bellingshausen immediately decided to take a look at them himself, hoping at the same time to find a way to continue further movement to the south.

Return to Antarctica

On the morning of November 11, 1820, the ships left Sydney. On December 24, the ships crossed the Antarctic Circle again after an eleven-month break. They soon encountered storms that pushed them north. The year of the discovery of Antarctica ended hard for Russian sailors. By January 16, 1821, they had crossed the Arctic Circle at least 6 times, each time a storm forced them to retreat north. On January 21, the weather finally calmed down, and at 3:00 am they noticed a dark speck against the background of the ice. All the telescopes on the Vostok were aimed at him, and, as the daylight grew, Bellingshausen became convinced that they had discovered land beyond the Arctic Circle. The next day, the land turned out to be an island, which was named after Peter I. Fog and ice did not allow landing on land, and the expedition continued its journey to the South Shetland Islands. On January 28, they were enjoying fine weather near the 68th parallel when land was once again sighted about 40 miles to the southeast. Too much ice lay between the ships and land, but a number of mountains free of snow were seen. Bellingshausen called this land the Alexander Coast, and it is now known as Alexander Island. Although it is not part of the mainland, it is nevertheless connected to it by a deep and wide strip of ice.

Completion of the expedition

Satisfied, Bellingshausen sailed north and arrived in Rio de Janeiro in March, where the crew remained until May, making major repairs to the ships. On August 4, 1821 they dropped anchor in Kronstadt. The journey lasted two years and 21 days. Only three people were lost. The Russian authorities, however, turned out to be indifferent to such a great event as the discovery of Antarctica by Bellingshausen. Ten years passed before the reports of his expedition were published.

As with any great achievement, Russian sailors found rivals. Many in the West doubted that it was our compatriots who first discovered Antarctica. The discovery of the mainland was once attributed to the Englishman Edward Bransfield and the American Nathaniel Palmer. However, today practically no one questions the primacy of Russian navigators.

IN early XIX V. ships of the Russian fleet made a number of trips around the world. These expeditions enriched world science with the largest geographical discoveries, especially in the Pacific Ocean. However, the vast expanses of the Southern Hemisphere still remained a “blank spot” on the map. The question of the existence of the Southern Continent was also unclear.

Sloops "Vostok" and "Mirny"

In 1819, after long and very careful preparation, a south polar expedition set off from Kronstadt on a long voyage, consisting of two military sloops - “Vostok” and “Mirny”. The first was commanded by Thaddeus Faddeevich Bellingshausen, the second by Mikhail Petrovich Lazarev. The crew of the ships consisted of experienced, experienced sailors.

The Maritime Ministry appointed Captain Bellingshausen, who already had extensive experience in long-distance sea voyages, as head of the expedition.

Bellingshausen was born on Ezel Island (Sarema Island in the Estonian SSR) in 1779. “I was born in the middle of the sea,” he later said about himself, “just as a fish cannot live without water, so I cannot live without the sea.” "

The boy was ten years old when he was sent to study at Morskaya cadet corps in Kronstadt. As a cadet, young Bellingshausen during summer internship sailed to the shores of England. After graduating from the Marine Corps at age 18, he received the rank of midshipman.

In 1803-1806. the young sailor took part in the first Russian trip around the world on the ship “Nadezhda” under the command of the talented and experienced navigator I. F. Krusenstern. During the expedition, Bellingshausen was mainly engaged in mapping and astronomical observations. These works were highly appreciated.

The commander of the sloop "Mirny" M.P. Lazarev was born in 1788 in the Vladimir province. Together with his two brothers, he also entered the Naval Corps. During his training, he visited the sea for the first time and fell in love with it forever.

Mikhail Petrovich began his service in the navy in the Baltic Sea. He took part in the war between Russia and Sweden and distinguished himself in a naval battle on August 26, 1808. In 1813, during the war for the liberation of Germany from the Napoleonic yoke, Lazarev took part in the landing operations and bombardment of Danzig, and in this campaign he recommended himself as a brave, resourceful and diligent officer.

After the end of the war, Lieutenant Lazarev was appointed commander of the Suvorov ship, sent to Russian America. This circumnavigation of the Russians enriched geographical science with new discoveries. In the Pacific Ocean, Lazarev discovered a group of unknown islands, which he named after Suvorov.

In the voyage around the world, which was a good practical school for Lazarev, he showed himself to be a talented organizer and commander. And it is not surprising that it was he who was appointed assistant chief of the new round-the-world expedition.

On July 16, 1819, the ships “Vostok” and “Mirny”, which made up the “Southern Division” (see p. 364, “Northern Division”), weighed anchor and left their native Kronstadt roadstead amid the fireworks of artillery coastal batteries. There was a long journey ahead to unknown countries. The expedition was given the task of how to penetrate further to the south in order to finally resolve the question of the existence of the Southern Continent.

In the large English port of Portsmouth, Bellingshausen stayed for almost a month to replenish provisions, purchase chronometers and various seafaring instruments.

In early autumn, with a fair wind, the ships headed across the Atlantic Ocean to the shores of Brazil. The weather was favorable for swimming. Rare and weak storms did not disrupt the routine of life on ships. From the very first days of the voyage, scientific observations were made, which Bellingshausen and his assistants carefully and in detail recorded in the logbook. Every day, under the guidance of prof. Kazan University astronomer Simonov officers were engaged in astronomical observations and calculations of the geographical position of the ship.

After 21 days of sailing, the sloops approached the island of Tenerife. While the ship's crews stocked up on fresh water and provisions, the officers explored the mountainous, picturesque island.

Further sailing took place in the zone of constant northeastern trade winds under a cloudless sky. The progress of sailing ships has accelerated significantly. Having reached 10° N. sh., the sloops entered a zone of calm, usual for equatorial places. Sailors measured air and water temperatures at different depths, studied currents and collected collections of marine animals. The ships crossed the equator, and soon, with a favorable southeast trade wind, the sloops approached Brazil and anchored in a beautiful, convenient bay, on the shores of which the city of Rio de Janeiro lies. It was a big, dirty city, with narrow streets where many stray dogs roamed.

At that time, the slave trade flourished in Rio de Janeiro. With a feeling of indignation, Bellingshausen wrote: “There are several shops here that sell blacks: adult men, women and children. At the entrance to these disgusting shops, one sees in several rows sitting, scabbed blacks, small ones in front, and large ones behind... The buyer, having chosen a slave at his request, takes him out of the rows forward, examines his mouth, feels his whole body, beats him with his hands. different parts, and after these experiments, confident in the strength and health of the black man, he buys him... All this produces disgust towards the inhuman owner of the shop.”

Having stocked up on provisions and checked their chronometers, the ships left Rio de Janeiro, heading south to unknown areas of the polar ocean.

In the temperate zone of the southern Atlantic Ocean, coolness began to be felt in the air, although the southern summer had already begun. The further south you went, the more birds you saw, especially petrels. Whales swam past in large herds.

At the end of December 1819, the sloops approached South Georgia Island. The sailors began to describe and photograph its southern coast. The northern side of this mountainous island, covered with snow and ice, was mapped by the English navigator James Cook. The ships slowly moved forward, very carefully maneuvering among the floating ice.

Soon, Lieutenant Annenkov discovered and described a small island, which was named after him. On his further journey, Bellingshausen made several attempts to measure the depth of the ocean, but the survey did not reach the bottom. At that time, no scientific expedition had attempted to measure the depth of the ocean. Bellingshausen was many decades ahead of other researchers in this; Unfortunately, technical means The expedition was not allowed to solve this problem.

Then the expedition encountered the first floating “ice island.” The further south we went, the more often giant ice mountains - icebergs - began to appear on our way.

At the beginning of January 1820, sailors discovered an unknown island completely covered with snow and ice. The next day, two more islands were seen from the ship. They were also put on the map, named after the expedition members (Leskov and Zavadovsky). Zavadovsky Island turned out to be an active volcano with a height of more than 350 m. Having landed on the shore, members of the expedition climbed the slope of the volcano to the middle of the mountain. Along the way, we collected penguin eggs and rock samples. There were a lot of penguins here. The sailors took several birds onto the ship, which entertained the crews of the ships along the way.

Penguin eggs turned out to be edible and were used as food. The open group of islands was named in honor of the then Minister of the Navy - the Traverse Islands.

On ships making long voyages, people usually suffered from a lack of fresh fresh water. During this voyage, Russian sailors invented a way to obtain fresh water from the ice of icebergs.

Moving further and further south, the ships soon again encountered a small group of unknown rocky islands, which they called the Candlemas Islands. Then the expedition approached the Sandwich Islands discovered by the English explorer James Cook. It turned out that Cook mistook the archipelago for one large island. Russian sailors corrected this error on the map.

Bellingshausen called the entire group of open islands the South Sandwich Islands.

Foggy, cloudy weather made sailing very difficult. The ships were constantly in danger of running aground.

With every mile to the south it became more and more difficult to get through the ice. At the end of January 1820, sailors saw thick broken ice stretching to the horizon. It was decided to bypass it by turning sharply north. Again the sloops passed the South Sandwich Islands.

On some Antarctic islands, sailors encountered huge numbers of penguins and elephant seals. The penguins usually stood in a tight formation, the elephant seals were immersed in deep sleep.

But Bellingshausen and Lazarev did not give up trying to break through to the south. When the ships got into solid ice, they continually turned north and hastily got out of the ice captivity. Great skill was required to save ships from damage. Masses of perennial solid ice were found everywhere.

The expedition's ships nevertheless crossed the Antarctic Circle and on January 28, 1820 reached 69°25′ S. w. In the foggy haze of a cloudy day, the travelers saw an ice wall blocking their further path to the south. These were continental ice. The expedition members were sure that the Southern Continent was hidden behind them. This was confirmed by the many polar birds that appeared above the sloop. And indeed, only a few miles separated the ships from the coast of Antarctica, which the Norwegians called the coast of Princess Martha more than a hundred years later. In 1948, the Soviet whaling flotilla "Slava" visited these places, establishing that only poor visibility prevented Bellingshausen from clearly seeing the entire coast of Antarctica and even the mountain peaks in the interior of the continent.

In February 1820, the sloops entered the Indian Ocean. Trying to break through to the south from this side, they approached the shores of Antarctica two more times. But heavy ice conditions forced the ships to move north again and move east along the ice edge.

In March, with the onset of autumn, the nights became longer, frosts intensified, and storms became more frequent. Navigation among the ice became more and more dangerous, as the general fatigue of the team from the continuous harsh struggle with the elements was taking its toll. Then Bellingshausen decided to take the ships to Australia. In order to cover a wider area with research, the captain decided to send the sloops to Australia in different ways.

On March 21, 1820, a severe storm broke out in the Indian Ocean. Bellingshausen wrote: “The wind roared, the waves rose to an extraordinary height, the sea seemed to mix with the air; the creaking of parts of the sloop drowned out everything. We were left completely without sails at the mercy of the raging storm; I ordered several sailors' berths to be stretched out on the mizzen shrouds in order to keep the sloop closer to the wind. We were consoled only by the fact that we did not encounter any ice during this terrible storm. Finally, at 8 o’clock they shouted from the tank: ice floes ahead; This announcement struck everyone with horror, and I saw that we were being carried onto one of the ice floes; immediately raised the foresail 2 and put the rudder on the side of the wind; but as all this did not produce the desired effect and the ice floe was already very close, we only watched as we were brought closer to it. One ice floe was carried under the stern, and the other was directly opposite the middle of the side, and we expected the blow that was to follow: fortunately, a huge wave that came out from under the sloop pushed the ice floe several fathoms.”

The storm continued for several days. The exhausted team, straining all their strength, fought against the elements.

And the albatross birds with outstretched wings swam between the waves as if nothing had happened.

In mid-April, the sloop Vostok dropped anchor in the Australian harbor of the port of Jaxoi (now Sydney). Seven days later, the sloop Mirny arrived here. Thus ended the first period of research.

Throughout the winter months, the sloops sailed in the tropical Pacific Ocean, among the islands of Polynesia. Here the expedition members accomplished many important geographical works: they clarified the position of the islands and their outlines, determined the height of the mountains, discovered and mapped 15 islands, which were given Russian names.

Returning to Zhaksoi, the crews of the sloops began to prepare for a new voyage to the polar seas. The preparation took about two months. In mid-November, the expedition set out to sea again, heading southeast. Soon a leak opened in the bow of the sloop “Vostok”, which was eliminated with great difficulty. Continuing to sail south,* the sloops crossed 60° S. w. Floating ice floes began to come across on the way, and then solid ice appeared. The ships headed east along the ice edge. The weather was noticeably deteriorating:

the temperature was dropping, a cold gusty wind was driving dark snow clouds. Collisions with small ice floes threatened to intensify the leak in the hull of the sloop "Vostok", and this could lead to disastrous consequences.

Suddenly a strong storm broke out. I had to retreat north again. The abundance of floating ice and bad weather prevented advance to the south. The further the sloops moved, the more often icebergs were encountered. At times, up to 100 ice mountains surrounded the ships. Navigating between icebergs in strong winds and snow required enormous effort and great skill. Sometimes only the skill, dexterity and speed of the crew saved the sloops from inevitable death.

At the slightest opportunity, the ships again and again turned straight south and sailed until solid ice blocked the path.

Finally, on January 22, 1821, happiness smiled on the sailors. A black spot appeared on the horizon.

“I knew at first glance through the pipe,” wrote Bellingshausen, “that I could see the shore, but the officers, also looking through the pipes, had different opinions. At 4 o'clock I notified Lieutenant Lazarev by telegraph that we could see the shore. The sloop “Mirny” was then close to us astern and understood the answer... It is impossible to express in words the joy that appeared on everyone’s faces when they exclaimed: “Beach! Shore!".

The island was named after Peter I. Now Bellingshausen was sure that there must still be land somewhere nearby.

Finally his expectations were realized. On January 29, 1821, Bellingshausen wrote: “At 11 o’clock in the morning we saw the shore; its cape, extending to the north, ended in a high mountain, which is separated by an isthmus from other mountains.” Bellingshausen called this land the Coast of Alexander 1.

“I call this finding a shore because” the distance of the other end to the south disappeared beyond the limit of our vision. This coast is covered with snow, but the scree on the mountains and steep cliffs had no snow. A sudden change in color on the surface of the sea suggests that the shore is extensive, or at least does not consist only of the part that was before our eyes.”

The land of Alexander 1 is still insufficiently explored. Its discovery finally convinced Bellingshausen that the Russian expedition had approached the still unknown Southern Continent.

This is how the greatest geographical discovery of the 19th century took place.

Having solved the centuries-old mystery, the sailors decided to go northeast to explore the South Shetland Islands. Having completed the work of surveying their southern coast, the sailors were forced to urgently go north: the leak in the storm-battered ships was getting worse every day. And Bellingshausen sent them to Rio de Janeiro.

At the beginning of March 1821, the sloops anchored in the roadstead of Rio de Janeiro. Thus ended the second stage of a wonderful voyage.

Two months later, after thorough repairs, the ships went to sea, heading towards their native shores.

On August 5, 1821, “Vostok” and “Mirny” arrived in Kronstadt and dropped anchor in the same place from which they left more than two years ago.

They spent 751 days sailing and covered more than 92 thousand km. This distance is two and a quarter times the length of the equator. In addition to Antarctica, the expedition discovered 29 islands and one coral reef. Collected by her scientific materials gave us the opportunity to get our first impression of Antarctica.

Russian sailors not only discovered a huge continent located around the South Pole, but also conducted important research in the field of oceanography. This branch of spiders was just emerging at that time. F. F. Bellingshausen was the first to correctly explain the causes of sea currents (for example, the Canary), the origin of algae in the Sargasso Sea, as well as coral islands in tropical areas.

The discoveries of the expedition turned out to be a major achievement of Russian and world geographical science of that time.

All future life Bellingshausen and Lazarev, after returning from the Antarctic voyage, she carried out continuous voyages and combat naval service. In 1839, Bellingshausen was appointed chief commander of the Kronstadt port as an admiral. Under his leadership, Kronstadt turned into an impregnable fortress.

Bellingshausen died in 1852, at the age of 73.

Mikhail Petrovich Lazarev did a lot for the development of Russian navy. Already with the rank of admiral, commanding the Black Sea Fleet, he achieved complete rearmament and restructuring of the fleet. He raised a whole generation of glorious Russian sailors.

Mikhail Petrovich Lazarev died in 1851. Already in our time, capitalist states sought to divide Antarctica among themselves. Geographical Society Soviet Union expressed strong protest against the unilateral actions of these states. In the resolution on the report of the late President of the Graphic Society, Acad. L. S. Berg says: “The Russian navigators Bellingshausen and Lazarev in 1819-1821 circumnavigated the Antarctic continent, first approached its shores and discovered in January 1821 the island of Peter I, Alexander I Land, the Traverse Islands and others. In recognition of the services of Russian navigators, one of the southern polar moraines was named the Bellingshausen Sea. And therefore, all attempts to resolve the issue of the Antarctic regime without the participation of the Soviet Union cannot find any justification... The USSR has every reason not to recognize any such decision.”

By the beginning of the 19th century, there were still many corners of the earth where no human had set foot. It seemed that the Great Geographical Discoveries were left behind: the last triumph of travelers - the discovery of Australia - took place in 1606. People suspected that somewhere beyond the Antarctic Circle there was an unknown land back in the 16th century. But it was impossible to swim to it - the climatic conditions were too harsh, and the ships were not built the strongest at that time.

For many years extreme point For many restless travelers, the subantarctic island of South Georgia remained.

James also wanted to try to discover the unknown Southern Land. He failed to do this - multi-year ice prevented him, although Cook continued to believe in the existence of open continent. A couple of years later, the famous captain set off to meet his fate: in 1779, Cook was killed by the natives of the Hawaiian Islands. And the next attempts to discover an unknown continent will fail.

In 1819, the admiral sent to the Naval Ministry Russian Empire a letter in which he stated the need to prepare expeditions to reach the South and North Poles, respectively. The sloops Mirny and Vostok were supposed to reach the South Pole. The first was commanded by lieutenant, and the second by captain 2nd rank Thaddeus Bellingshausen.

"Vostok" was built by British engineers and was quite inferior to "Mirny" in terms of characteristics. the main problem consisted of insufficient hull density and low speed.

On July 15, 1819, both sloops left Kronstadt. This daring attempt to reach the South Pole went down in history as the First Russian Antarctic Expedition.

Russian sailors set off in the direction Latin America. Already in early November, Mirny and Vostok arrived in Rio de Janeiro. Here the sailors were horrified by the slave trade that flourished in those parts. However, in Russia at that time, not all was well with personal freedoms: at that time there were still 42 years left before the abolition of serfdom. From the coast of Brazil, the expedition set off towards the island of South Georgia. The researchers managed to map that part of the island that James Cook failed to reach.

The further course of the expedition was rich in minor geographical discoveries. For example, sailors discovered Annenkov Island, named after Vostok crew member Mikhail Annenkov.

In general, the Russians saw a lot of interesting things on this expedition. Along the way, the sailors increasingly came across giant icebergs. They also saw whales.

On the island, named after the assistant commander of the sloop “Vostok” Ivan Zavadovsky, the sailors managed to feast on penguin eggs.

Russian sailors managed to refute, or rather expand, one of James Cook’s discoveries: Sandwich Island turned out to be a group of 11 small islands. Subsequently, the crews of “Vostok” and “Mirny” had to perform miracles of navigation every now and then, rescuing ships from seemingly hopeless captivity in the ice. Despite deteriorating conditions, the expedition continued.

And on January 28, 1819, the sloops reached 69°25′ south latitude. And Bellingshausen and Lazarev discovered Antarctica.

“I call this finding a shore because the distance of the other end to the south disappeared beyond the limit of our vision. This coast is covered with snow, but the scree on the mountains and steep cliffs had no snow. A sudden change of color on the surface of the sea gives the idea that the coast is extensive or, at least, does not consist only of the part that was before our eyes,” Thaddeus Bellingshausen wrote in the logbook the next day.

The first Russian Antarctic expedition lasted 751 days. Its participants mapped 29 new islands. And most importantly, they were the first to discover a new continent.

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Thaddeus Bellingshausen
On the sloops “Vostok” and “Mirny” to the South Pole. The first Russian Antarctic expedition

© Bellingshausen F. F., 2017

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Shwede E. E. The first Russian Antarctic expedition of 1819–1821

The first three decades of the 19th century. were marked by numerous Russian expeditions around the world, most of which were caused by the presence of Russian possessions in the Aleutian Islands, Alaska and the bordering coasts of North America.

These trips around the world were accompanied by major geographical discoveries in the Pacific Ocean, which placed our Motherland in first place among all other states in the field of Pacific research of that time and oceanographic science in general. Already during the first seven Russian voyages around the world - I. F. Kruzenshtern and Yu. F. Lisyansky on the ships "Neva" and "Nadezhda" (1803–1806), V. M. Golovnin on the sloop "Diana" (1807–1809) , M. P. Lazarev on the ship “Suvorov” (1813–1816), O. E. Kotzebue on the brig “Rurik” (1815–1818), L. A. Gagemeister on the ship “Kutuzov” (1816–1819), 3 . I. Ponafidina on the ship “Suvorov” (1816–1818) and V. M. Golovnina on the sloop “Kamchatka” (1817–1819) - vast areas of the Pacific Ocean were explored and numerous discoveries of new islands were made.

However, the vast expanses of the three oceans (Pacific, Indian and Atlantic) south of the Antarctic Circle, which at that time were united under common name the Southern Arctic Ocean, as well as the most southeastern part of the Pacific Ocean.

Many foreign expeditions of the 18th century. by sailing in these waters, they sought to reach the shores of the mysterious continent of Antarctica, legendary information about the existence of which was distributed in geographical science since ancient times. Opening southern continent The second voyage around the world (1772–1775) of the English navigator Captain James Cook was also largely devoted to it. It was the opinion of Cook, who proved in the report on his second voyage that Antarctica either does not exist, or that it is completely impossible to reach it, that served as the reason for the refusal of further attempts to discover a sixth of the world, almost half a century until the departure of the Russian Antarctic expedition of Bellingshausen - Lazarev.

Cook, resolutely denying the existence of a southern continent, wrote: “I have circumnavigated the ocean of the southern hemisphere in high latitudes and rejected the possibility of the existence of a continent, which, if it could be discovered, would only be near the pole in places inaccessible to navigation.” 1
Cook D. Journey to the South Pole and around the world. State Publishing House of Geographical Literature, Moscow, 1948, p. 33.

He believed that he had put an end to further searches for the southern continent, which was a favorite topic for discussion among geographers of that time. In his afterword, Cook says: “If we had discovered the mainland, we would certainly have been better able to satisfy the curiosity of many. But we hope that the fact that we have not found it after all our persistent research will leave less opportunity for future speculation regarding unknown worlds yet to be discovered." 2
Cooks II Voyage, II, 1777, p. 292.

Having emphasized the success of the expedition in many other respects, Cook concludes his work in the following words: “This alone will be enough for well-meaning people to consider our journey wonderful, especially after the disputes about southern continent will cease to attract the attention of philosophers and cause disagreement among them.” 3
Ibid., p. 293.

Thus, Cook’s fatal mistake had the consequence that at the end of the 18th and beginning of the 19th centuries. the prevailing belief was that Antarctica did not exist at all, and all the areas surrounding the South Pole then appeared as a “white” spot on the map. It was under these conditions that the first Russian Antarctic expedition was conceived.

Preparing for the expedition

Drawing up an expedition plan. It is difficult to say who had the first idea about this expedition and who initiated it. It is possible that this idea arose almost simultaneously among several of the most outstanding and enlightened Russian navigators of that time - Golovnin, Kruzenshtern and Kotzebue.

In archival documents, the first mentions of the projected expedition are found in the correspondence of I. F. Kruzenshtern with the then Russian Minister of Maritime Marquis de Traversay (Golovnin at that time was on a circumnavigation of the world on the sloop "Kamchatka", from which he returned after the departure of the Antarctic expedition from Kronstadt).

In his letter dated December 7, 1818, the first document concerning this expedition, Kruzenshtern, in response to a message about the planned sending of Russian ships to the south and north poles, asks Traverse for permission to present his thoughts on the organization of such an expedition. 4
TsGAVMF, Personal Fund of I. I. Traverse, file 114, sheet 3.

After this, the Minister of Marine entrusted the preparation of notes on the organization of the expedition to both Kruzenshtern and a number of other competent persons, including a representative of the older generation of Russian sailors - the famous hydrographer Vice Admiral Gavrila Andreevich Sarychev. 5
TsGAVMF, Collection Fund, file 476, sheets 11–14.

Among the archival documents there is also a note “A brief overview of the plan for the proposed expedition,” 6
Ibid., sheets 6–10.

It does not have a signature, but, judging by the references to the experience of the brig “Rurik”, which had just returned from a round-the-world voyage (arrived in St. Petersburg on August 3, 1818), it belongs to the pen of the latter’s commander, Lieutenant O. E. Kotzebue. According to some data, it can be assumed that Kotzebue’s note is the earliest of all, and it provides for sending only two ships from Russia, and their separation was planned at the Hawaiian Islands, from where one of the ships was supposed to cross the Pacific Ocean to the west - to the Bering Strait, the second – to the east, in order to try to get closer to the South Pole.

On March 31, 1819, Kruzenshtern sent his extensive 14-page note with an accompanying letter to the Minister of the Navy from Revel. 7
TsGAVMF, I.I. Traverse Foundation, file 114, sheets 6–21 (note written in Russian, cover letter in French).

In the letter, Kruzenshtern states that given his “passion” for this kind of travel, he himself would ask to be placed at the head of the expedition, but this is prevented by a serious eye disease, and that he is ready to draw up detailed instructions for the future head of the expedition.

In his note, Kruzenshtern refers to two expeditions - to the North and South Poles, and each of them includes two ships. He, however, pays special attention to the expedition to the South Pole, about which he writes: “This expedition, in addition to its main goal - to explore the countries of the South Pole, should especially have in mind everything that is incorrect in the southern half of the Great Ocean and replenish all those located in it shortcomings, so that it can be recognized as, so to speak, the final journey into this sea.” Krusenstern concludes this remark with the following words, full of patriotism and love for the Motherland and desire for its priority: “We should not allow the glory of such an enterprise to be taken away from us; within a short time it will certainly fall to the British or French.” Therefore, Kruzenshtern was in a hurry to organize this expedition, considering “this enterprise one of the most important that has ever been undertaken... A journey, the only one undertaken to enrich knowledge, will, of course, be crowned with the gratitude and surprise of posterity.” However, he still “after careful consideration” proposes to postpone the start of the expedition to next year in order to prepare it more thoroughly. The Minister of Maritime remained dissatisfied with a number of Kruzenshtern’s proposals, in particular regarding the postponement of the expedition for a year and the separate departure of both expeditions from Kronstadt (the minister insisted on all four ships traveling together to a certain point and their subsequent separation along routes).

The government rushed in every possible way to organize the expedition and forced its exit from Kronstadt. In his note, Kruzenshtern also outlined the commanders of both “divisions” sent to the Southern and North Poles. Kruzenshtern considered the most suitable commander of the “first division” intended for discoveries in Antarctica to be the outstanding navigator Captain 2nd Rank V.M. Golovnin, but the latter, as already indicated, was at that time on a circumnavigation; He designated O. E. Kotzebue as the head of the “second division” going to the Arctic, who with his voyage in the northern latitudes on the “Rurik” proved his outstanding qualities as a navigator and learned sailor. Due to the absence of Golovnin, Kruzenshtern proposed in return to appoint his former co-voyager, Captain 2nd Rank F.F. Bellingshausen, who then commanded one of the frigates on the Black Sea. On this occasion, Kruzenshtern wrote: “Our fleet, of course, is rich in enterprising and skillful officers, but of all those I know, no one except Golovnin can compare with Bellingshausen.” 8
TsGAVMF, I. I. Traverse Foundation, file 114, sheet 21.

The government, however, did not follow this advice, and Kruzenshtern’s closest assistant on the round-the-world expedition on the Nadezhda ship, Captain-Commander M.I. Ratmanov, was appointed head of the first division, and Lieutenant-Commander M.N. Vasiliev was appointed head of the second. Ratmanov, who shortly before his appointment was shipwrecked off Cape Skagen while returning from Spain, was in Copenhagen, and his health was in disarray. On this occasion, he asked not to send him on a long voyage and, in turn, nominated F. F. Bellingshausen.

Selection of ships. As already noted, at the request of the government, both expeditions were equipped in a very hasty manner, which is why they included those not specifically built for navigation in ice sailing ships, and sloops that were under construction, intended for departure on regular voyages around the world. The first division consisted of the sloops “Vostok” and “Mirny”, the second division consisted of the sloops “Otkrytie” and “Blagomarnenny”.

Regarding the Kamchatka sloop of the same type as the Vostok, V. M. Golovnin writes: 9
Voyage around the world on the sloop of war "Kamchatka" in 1817, 1818 and 1819", ed. 1822 (hereinafter referred to as the First Edition)

“The Naval Department decided to deliberately build a warship for the intended voyage according to a frigate arrangement, with only a few changes that were necessary for the type of service the vessel was to perform”; in another place he says that “the size of this sloop was equal to a mediocre frigate.” 10
Explanation of the term “sloop” - see at the end of the book, in a brief maritime dictionary. “Mediocre” – medium in size.

M.P. Lazarev, in a letter to his friend and former co-voyager A.A. Shestakov, notes that the Vostok was built according to the plan of the previous frigates Castor and Pollux (built in 1807), but with the difference that on it the upper deck was solid, without split waists. Lazarev believed that “this ship is completely inconvenient for such an enterprise due to its small capacity and cramped conditions for both officers and crew.” 11
Letter from M.P. Lazarev to A.A. Shestakov dated September 24, 1821 (from Kronstadt to the city of Krasny, Smolensk province).

The sloop “Vostok” (like a whole series of sloops of the same type “Kamchatka”, “Otkrytie”, “Apollo”) was built by naval engineer V. Stoke (an Englishman in Russian service) and in practice turned out to be little successful. Bellingshausen complains that the Minister of the Navy recognized the choice of this sloop as successful only because the same type of sloop "Kamchatka" was already on a circumnavigation of the world with V.M. Golovnin, while the latter, in his already cited work, complains about not entirely satisfactory seaworthiness your sloop. Bellingshausen repeatedly dwells on a number of design shortcomings of the sloop "Vostok" (excessive spar height, insufficient hull strength, poor material, careless work) and directly accuses Stoke of having these shortcomings. Thus, regarding the malfunction of the tiller, he writes: “the unreliability of the tiller proves the negligence of the shipmaster, who, forgetting the sacred duties of service and humanity, exposed us to destruction.” 12
First edition. vol. I, p. 214.

Elsewhere, regarding the insufficient height of the hatch coamings on the upper deck, he accuses Stoke of being out of practice. “These and other errors encountered in construction occur more due to the fact that shipwrights build ships without ever having been at sea themselves, and therefore hardly a single ship comes out of their hands perfectly.” 13
Ibid., page 334.

The sloop "Vostok" was built from damp pine wood and did not have any special fastenings other than ordinary ones; the underwater part was fastened and sheathed with copper on the outside, and this work was already carried out in Kronstadt by the Russian shipwright Amosov. The hull of the sloop "Vostok" turned out to be too weak for navigation in ice and in conditions of continuous stormy weather, and it had to be repeatedly reinforced, all the weights were reloaded into the hold, additional fastenings were installed and the sail area was reduced. Despite this, by the end of the voyage the Vostok had become so weak that further attempts towards the south seemed almost impossible. The incessant outflow of water exhausted people extremely... Rot appeared in different places, moreover, the shocks received from the ice forced Captain Bellingshausen to abandon the search a month earlier and think about returning.” 14
Letter from M. P. Lazarev to A. A. Shestakov dated September 24, 1821

“The sloop had a strong movement, the Waderwels grooves, with each tilt from side to side, were sensitively heard,” writes Bellingshausen on December 1, 1820. 15
First edition, vol. II, page 188.

The sloop did not even have additional (“false”) outer plating (“Vostok” had only one plating and unsealed gaps in the frames in the underwater part), 16
First edition, vol. II, page 210.

What did M.P. Lazarev, who oversaw the outfitting of both sloops, demand in preparation for the expedition due to the fact that Bellingshausen’s appointment took place only 42 days before the expedition left Kronstadt.

Despite such unsatisfactory design and seaworthiness of the sloop, Russian sailors honorably completed difficult task and completely completed the circumambulation of the entire Antarctic waters. Bellingshausen repeatedly had to ponder the question of whether on such a damaged ship it was necessary to cross the ice fields again and again, but each time he found “one consolation in the thought that courage sometimes leads to success.” 17
First edition, vol. II, page 157.

And he steadily and firmly led his ships towards the intended goal.

But the second sloop, Mirny, built by the Russian shipwright Kolodkin in Lodeynoye Pole, showed excellent seaworthiness. Probably, the design of this ship was drawn up by the remarkable Russian naval engineer I.V. Kurepanov, who built the same type of sloop “Blagomarnenny” in Lodeynoye Pole (in total he built 8 sailing battleships, 5 frigates and many small ships during his service); Kolodkin was only the executor of this project. The sloop "Mirny" was significantly smaller in size, and was initially listed in the fleet lists as the transport "Ladoga". It has been slightly rebuilt to give it appearance warship. In addition, its commander, an excellent maritime practitioner, Lieutenant M.P. Lazarev, made a lot of efforts in the preparatory period before setting off on a long voyage to improve the seaworthiness of this sloop (it was equipped with a second skin, the pine rudder was replaced with an oak one, additional hull fastenings, the rigging was replaced with stronger ones, etc.), built, however, from good pine wood with iron fastenings, but designed for navigation in the Baltic Sea. M.P. Lazarev gives a positive assessment of his sloop: the same type “Mirny” and “Blagomarnenny”, in his words, “later turned out to be the most comfortable of all the others, both in terms of their strength, spaciousness and peace: there is only one drawback against the “Vostok” and “Opening” was underway,” and further: “I was very pleased with my sloop,” and “while standing in Rio de Janeiro, Captain Bellingshausen considered it necessary to add another 18 knits and standers to secure the “Vostok” together; “Mirny” didn’t complain about anything.” 18
All quotes from the letter of M. P. Lazarev to A. A. Shestakov, dated September 24, 1821.

Both Bellingshausen and Lazarev repeatedly complain about the fact that both divisions included two completely different types of ships, significantly different from each other in speed. Bellingshausen writes regarding the renaming of the Ladoga transport into the Mirny sloop: “despite this renaming, every naval officer saw what an inequality there should be in sailing with the Vostok sloop, therefore, what a difficulty it would be for them to remain in the formation and what This should have resulted in slowness in swimming.” 19
First edition, vol. I, page 4.

Lazarev expresses himself more sharply: “Why were the ships sent, which must always stay together, and by the way there is such inequality in sailing that one must constantly carry all the foxes and therefore strain the spars, while his companion carries very small sails and waits? I’ll leave this riddle to you to guess, but I don’t know.” 20
Quoted letter from M. P. Lazarev to A. A. Shestakov.

And the mystery was solved by the little naval experience of the then Minister of the Navy Traverse, who first brought Black Sea Fleet, which he commanded, and then the entire Russian fleet to decline in comparison with the previous brilliant period of Ushakov and Senyavin, and the subsequent, no less glorious, period of Lazarev, Nakhimov and Kornilov.

Sloop "Vostok". Rice. artist M. Semenov, made on the basis of historical and archival materials.

Sloop "Mirny". Rice. artist M. Semenov, made on the basis of historical and archival materials

It was only thanks to the amazing seamanship of M.P. Lazarev that the sloops were never separated during the entire voyage, despite the exceptionally poor visibility conditions in Antarctic waters, dark nights and continuous storms. Bellingshausen, introducing the Mirny commander on the way from Port Jackson to the award ceremony, especially emphasized this invaluable quality of M.P. Lazarev.

Staffing the expedition

I. F. Kruzenshtern also wrote about the selection of personnel for the first Russian round-the-world expedition: 21
Kruzenshtern I.F. Travel around the world in 1803, 1804, 1806 and 1806 on the ships “Nadezhda” and “Neva”, ed. 1809, p. 19.

“I was advised to accept several foreign sailors; but I, knowing the superior properties of Russian ones, which I even prefer to English ones, did not agree to follow this advice. On both ships, except for the scientists Horner, Tilesius and Liband, there was not a single foreigner on our journey.” There was not a single foreigner on the ships of Bellingshausen and Lazarev. This circumstance is emphasized by a participant in the expedition, professor of Kazan University Simonov, who, in his speech delivered at a ceremonial meeting at this university in July 1822, stated that all the officers were Russian, and, although some of them bore foreign names, but “being children Russian subjects, having been born and raised in Russia, cannot be called foreigners.” 22
A word about the successes of the sailing sloops “Vostok” and “Mirny” around the world and especially in the Southern Arctic Sea, in 1819, 1820 and 1821. Ed. 1822

True, at the invitation of the Russian government, two German scientists were supposed to arrive on Bellingshausen’s ships when they were docked in Copenhagen, but in last moment, obviously frightened by the difficulties ahead, they refused to participate in the expedition. On this occasion, Bellingshausen speaks as follows: “During the entire journey, we always regretted that it was not allowed for two Russian students in Natural History to go with us, who wanted this, but unknown foreigners were preferred to them.” 23
First edition, vol. I, page 47.

All expedition participants, both officers and sailors, were volunteers. F. F. Bellingshausen was appointed head of the first division and raised his pennant on the sloop “Vostok” almost at the very last moment, shortly before setting sail. Therefore, he could not choose at will officers and took with him from the Black Sea only his former assistant on the frigate “Flora” - Lieutenant Commander I. I. Zavadovsky, and other officers had already been appointed to the “Vostok” on the recommendation of various superiors. M.P. Lazarev, who took command of the Mirny sloop a little earlier, was in better conditions and had the opportunity to more carefully select his assistants, and some of them sailed with him so much that they were invited to participate in his third circumnavigation of the world on a frigate “ Cruiser" from 1822 to 1825 (lieutenant Annenkov and midshipman Kupriyanov, and Annenkov on the ship "Azov").

Brief biographical information about the expedition participants

Thaddeus Faddeevich Bellingshausen.24
The following sources were used: General Maritime List, Part VI, ed. 1892; Russian biographical dictionary, vol. II, ed. 1900; Complete service record of Admiral Bellingshausen, 1850 (TsGAVMF); M. A. Lyalina. Russian travelers and explorers. Russian Arctic and Around the World Sailors, ed. 1892; biography of Admiral Thaddeus Faddeevich Bellingshausen, “Northern Bee”, 1853, No. 92; obituary in the magazine “Sea Collection”, 1853, No. 7.

The head of the expedition and commander of the sloop "Vostok" Thaddeus Faddeevich Bellingshausen was born in 1779 on the island of Ezel (now the island of Hiuma, part of the Estonian SSR). near the city of Kuresaare (Arensburg). He spent part of his childhood in this city, part - in the house of his parents, in its environs. He is with early childhood dreamed of being a sailor and always said about himself: “I was born in the middle of the sea; just as a fish cannot live without water, so I cannot live without the sea.” His dream was destined to come true; from his youth until his old age and until his death, he was at sea almost every year. At the age of ten, he entered the Naval Corps, then located in Kronstadt, as a cadet; in 1795 he was promoted to midshipman, and in 1797 to the first officer rank of midshipman. While still a midshipman, he sailed to the shores of England, and then, until 1803, while on various ships of the Revel squadron, he sailed along Baltic Sea. With his success in science and in his service, Bellingshausen attracted the attention of the fleet commander, Vice Admiral Khanykov, who recommended him for appointment to the ship Nadezhda, which was under the command of I.F. Kruzenshtern, to participate in the first Russian round-the-world expedition. In the “Pre-Notice” to the description of his circumnavigation, Kruzenshtern gives the following assessment of Bellingshausen: “Almost all the maps were drawn by this last skillful officer, who at the same time shows the ability of a good hydrographer; he also drew up the general map.” The central Naval Museum houses an entire atlas with numerous original maps of the young Bellingshausen. F. F. Bellingshausen demonstrated his abilities as a hydrographer and navigator more than once and subsequently.

Admiral Thaddeus Faddeevich Bellingsgazuzen (according to a lithograph by U. Steibach, dating back to approximately 1835)

After returning from a circumnavigation in 1806, with the rank of captain-lieutenant, Bellingshausen sailed for 13 years as a commander on various frigates, first in the Baltic Sea, and from 1810 on the Black Sea, where he took part in hostilities near Caucasian coast. On the Black Sea, he paid great attention to hydrographic issues and contributed greatly to the compilation and correction of maps. 25
See the article by historian Al. Sokolov “Hydrographic works of captain (later admiral) F. F. Bellingshausen on the Black Sea”, magazine “Sea Collection”, 1855, No. 6.

In 1819, while commanding the frigate Flora, he received a responsible assignment from the commander of the fleet: to determine geographical position all noticeable places and capes. However, he did not have to carry out this assignment due to an urgent call from the Minister of Naval Affairs to St. Petersburg for a new assignment. On May 23, 1819, Captain 2nd Rank F. F. Bellingshausen took command of the sloop Vostok and at the same time took command of the Antarctic expedition. He was 40 years old at this time, and was in the full bloom of his strength and abilities. Service in his youth under the command of the experienced old sailor Admiral Khanykov, participation in the first Russian circumnavigation under the leadership of I. F. Krusenstern, and finally, 13 years of independent command of ships developed the main business and personal characteristics of Bellingshausen. Contemporaries portray him as a brave, decisive, knowledgeable commander, an excellent sailor and a learned hydrographer-navigator, a true Russian patriot. Remembering the joint voyage, M.P. Lazarev subsequently “did not call him anything other than a skillful, undaunted sailor,” but he could not help but add that he was “an excellent, warm-hearted person.” 26
Nordman F. Regarding the proposal to erect a monument to Admiral Thaddeus Faddeevich Bellingshausen in Kronstadt, newspaper “Kronstadt Bulletin”, 1868, No. 48, April 28.

Such a high assessment, coming from the stern lips of one of the largest Russian naval commanders, M.P. Lazarev, is worth a lot. Bellingshausen demonstrated his humanity more than once: in the cruel age of Arakcheevism, during his voyage around the world he never used corporal punishment against the sailors subordinate to him, and subsequently, when occupying high positions, he always showed great concern for the needs of the rank and file. He had cordial, friendly relations with M.P. Lazarev, and during the entire period of joint voyage, as far as is known, only once did disagreements arise between the head of the expedition and his closest assistant: despite his own exceptional courage and experience, M.P. Lazarev believed that Bellingshausen was taking too many risks, maneuvering large passages between ice fields in poor visibility conditions. In his comments about swimming, which, unfortunately, have not reached us, M.P. Lazarev said: “although we looked forward with the greatest care, going on a cloudy night at 8 miles per hour did not seem entirely prudent to me.” 27
First edition, vol. 1, page 212.

To this remark Bellingshausen replies: “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." 28
The equinox is associated with strong storms.

Having returned from an exceptionally successful voyage as the renowned discoverer of new lands and the most mysterious Antarctica, F. F. Bellingshausen at first, apparently, was busy processing his comments, shank journals and memories of his fellow voyagers, since at that time he occupied various coastal positions, which it was unusual for him; at the end of 1824, he submitted to the Admiralty Department a description of his journey with maps and drawings attached. However, as already indicated in the preface, despite the exceptional interest in this work and the petition of the Naval Staff for its publication, it was not published then. One might think that the Decembrist uprising so frightened and distracted Nicholas I and all the top naval authorities at that time that all other issues were postponed for a while (publication took place only 10 years after the return of the expedition, in 1831).

Bellingshausen’s entire further service (unlike other famous navigators, such as Krusenstern, Golovnin and Litke, who devoted themselves more scientific activity and coastal service) took place in almost continuous voyages, combat and combat service and in senior command positions. He was a real combat commander. In 1826–1827 we see him commanding a detachment of ships in the Mediterranean; in 1828, being a rear admiral and commander of the guards crew, he and the latter set out from St. Petersburg by land and went through all of Russia 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, in the capture of this fortress, as well as a number of other cities and fortresses. In 1831, already a vice admiral, Bellingshausen was the commander of the 2nd naval division and annually cruises with it in the Baltic Sea.

In 1839, he was appointed to the highest military post in the Baltic Sea - the chief commander of the Kronstadt port and the Kronstadt military governor. This position was combined with an annual appointment as commander Baltic Fleet during the summer voyages, and until his death (at the age of 73, in 1852), Bellingshausen continued to go to sea for combat training of the fleet under his control.

As the main commander of the Kronstadt port, Admiral (since 1843) Bellingshausen took an exceptionally large part in the construction of new granite harbors, docks, granite forts, preparing the Baltic stronghold to repel the invasion of the Western European coalition, just as his former co-navigator Admiral performed a similar task M.P. Lazarev in the south - in Sevastopol. Bellingshausen diligently trained his fleet and, to improve the quality of artillery shooting, developed and calculated special tables, published under the title “On the aiming of artillery guns at sea.” 29
Published by the Scientific Committee of the Naval Ministry in 1839.

As already noted, Bellingshausen was an excellent sailor and until the end of his days skillfully trained his commanders in maneuvering and evolutions. Contemporaries who participated in these evolutions gave him the certification of “a master of his craft,” and the Swedish Admiral Nordenskiöld, who was present at the naval maneuvers of 1846, exclaimed: “I bet anyone that not a single fleet in Europe will make these evolutions.” 30

To the credit of the old admiral, 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, stormy night, the commander of the frigate Pallada, the future famous naval commander P. S. Nakhimov, raised the signal to his admiral “The fleet is heading towards danger,” the latter unquestioningly changed the course of the entire wake column, thanks to which the squadron was saved from an accident on the rocks. 31
Except for the head battleship, jumped out onto the stones.

F. F. Bellingshausen was interested in geographical issues all his life, 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, and admirals Rakord and Wrangel gave him a recommendation for membership. 32
File No. 3 from the archives of the Geographical Society of the USSR “On the election of new members,” 1845.

Of course, Bellingshausen lacked the talent and breadth of scale characteristic of M. P. Lazarev; he was not a naval commander in in every sense this word and did not create such a famous naval school in the Baltic with a whole galaxy of famous sailors (Nakhimov, Kornilov, Istomin, Butakov, etc.) as Lazarev did on the Black Sea, but he left a noticeable mark on the history of the Russian fleet and highly raised the global authority of the Russians seafarers and Russian oceanographic and hydrographic science with their remarkable voyage to the South Pole.

When he was the chief commander in Kronstadt, he showed a lot of concern for 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. Russian round-the-world expeditions of the period when he was in charge of their equipment in Kronstadt owe much of their success to his extensive practical experience.

Bellingshausen is characterized by his humanity towards the sailors and his constant concern for them; in Kronstadt he significantly improved living conditions teams for the construction of barracks, the construction of hospitals, and the landscaping of the city. He did especially a lot to improve the nutrition of sailors. He achieved an increase in meat rations and the widespread development of vegetable gardens to supply vegetables. After the death of the admiral, a note was found on his desk with the following content: “Kronstadt should be surrounded by trees that would bloom before the fleet goes to sea, so that the sailor gets a piece of the summer woody smell.” 33
Newspaper “Kronstadt Bulletin”, 1868, No. 48.

In 1870, a monument to F. F. Bellingshausen was erected in Kronstadt. 34
The monument was made by sculptor I. N. Schroeder and architect I. L. Monighetti. Bellingshausen is depicted on the monument in full growth, leaning on the earth's globe.

Mikhail Petrovich Lazarev.35
Materials used: General Marine List, vol. VII, ed. 1893; Russian Biographical Dictionary, ed. 1914; True service record of Admiral Lazarev, 1860; P. F. Morozov, K. I. Nikulchenkov “Admiral Lazarev”, magazine “Sea Collection”, 1946, No. 6; Letters from M. P. Lazarev to A. A. Shestakov, manuscript.

Captain Bellingshausen's closest assistant during the expedition and commander of the sloop "Mirny" was Lieutenant Mikhail Petrovich Lazarev, later a famous naval commander and the creator of an entire naval school. M. P. Lazarev was born in 1788 into the family of a poor Vladimir nobleman. When he was about 10 years old, Lazarev was sent to the Naval Corps, and in 1803 he was promoted to midshipman. 36
Almost simultaneously, his brothers Andrei and Alexey studied in the Naval Corps, who also circumnavigated the world; the first of them died as a vice admiral, the second as a rear admiral.

Among the most capable graduates of the corps, in 1804 he was sent to ships of the English fleet for practical study of naval affairs. Lazarev spent four years in the English fleet, continuously sailing in the West Indies and on Atlantic Ocean, and took part in hostilities against the French. During this time he was (in 1805) promoted to the first officer rank of midshipman. Lazarev returned to Russia with extensive practical and combat experience; however, unlike some other Russian naval officers who also sailed on English ships, he did not become a blind admirer of foreignness, but forever remained a true Russian patriot, and in his further service he always fought against giving preference to foreigners who were then serving in large number in the Russian fleet, to the Germans and Greeks. As an experienced sailor, already in 1813 Lazarev was entrusted with command of the ship of the Russian-American company Suvorov, on which he, as a 25-year-old young man, independently completed a four-year circumnavigation of the world - the next in the Russian fleet after around the world expeditions Krusenstern - Lisyansky and Golovnin. This is how Lazarev was regarded by his contemporaries at that time: “Everyone gave complete justice excellent knowledge Lieutenant Lazarev for the naval unit; he was considered one of the first officers in our fleet, and was truly so, possessing high degree all the qualities necessary for this.” 37
“The South Pole,” from the notes of a former naval officer, published in 1853 (an anonymous brochure written by P. M. Novosilsky, who sailed on the sloop “Mirny” with the rank of midshipman).

Naturally, Lieutenant M.P. Lazarev was chosen when he was appointed commander of the second sloop for the responsible Antarctic expedition of 1819–1821. This choice turned out to be extremely successful. Thanks to Lazarev's high seaworthiness, both sloops were able, without ever separating (with the exception of Lazarev's separate voyage, carried out on the orders of the head of the expedition), to so brilliantly complete this most difficult voyage. Bellingshausen highly valued his closest assistant and comrade: in his book he repeatedly emphasizes his exceptional skill in sailing, which made it possible for the slow-moving sloop Mirny to always follow the faster sloop Vostok. When both sloops followed different routes to Port Jackson, Lazarev arrived at this port just a week after Bellingshausen arrived there. The qualities of a commander and educator of young officers during this voyage were clearly demonstrated by Lazarev, as figuratively narrated by midshipman P. M. Novosilsky, to whom the commander came to the aid of difficult maneuvering among the floating ice: “every second brought us closer to the icy mass that was terribly flashing from behind the fog ... At that very moment M.P. Lazarev entered the deck. In an instant I explained to the boss what was going on and asked for orders. - Wait! – he said coolly. – How I look at Mikhail Petrovich now: he then fully realized the ideal of a naval officer who possessed all the perfections! With complete self-confidence, he quickly looked forward... his gaze seemed to cut through the fog and cloudiness... - Get down! - he said calmly.” 38
In the cited brochure "South Pole".

Admiral F.F. Bellingshausen.

Outstanding navigator, discoverer Antarctica, admiral of the Russian Imperial Navy Thaddey Faddeevich Bellingshausen by origin - Baltic German. He was born on the island of Ezel (now Estonian Saarema) on September 9 (20), 1778 into a noble family; his real name - Fabian Gottlieb Thaddeus von Bellingshausen.

At the age of 11 Fabian Gottlieb Thaddeus, who took Russian name Thaddeus, enters the Marine Corps. A naval career was destined for him by fate. Later he spoke about himself like this: “I was born in the middle of the sea; just as a fish cannot live without water, so I cannot live without the sea.”.

In 1795 Bellingshausen becomes a midshipman, the following year makes a long voyage to the shores of England, and in 1797 he is promoted to midshipman and for several years serves on the ships of the Baltic Fleet squadron.

In 1803-1806, midshipman Bellingshausen was lucky enough to participate in the first circumnavigation of Russian ships. On "Hope" he circled the globe and established himself with best side. “Our fleet, of course, is rich in enterprising and skillful officers, but of all of them that I know, no one except Golovnin can compare with Bellingshausen.”- this is how the captain described him "Hope" and head of the expedition Ivan Fedorovich Krusenstern. By the way, most of the cards included in "Atlas for Captain Krusenstern's trip around the world", were made by the hand of the future discoverer of Antarctica.

The sloops "Neva" and "Nadezhda" during a circumnavigation. Artist S.V.Pen.

At the end of the voyage Thaddeus Bellingshausen receives the rank of captain-lieutenant. In 1809-1819 he commanded ships - first a corvette "Melpomene" in the Baltic, and then by frigates "Minerva" And "Flora" on the Black Sea, takes part in hostilities off the Caucasian coast.

In 1819, captain of the 2nd rank F.F. Bellingshausen appointed head of a round-the-world Antarctic expedition, which was given purely scientific goals: to achieve "possible proximity of the Antarctic Pole" with the aim of "acquisitions complete knowledge about our globe". At the same time, participants in long-distance voyages were required to “every possible effort and greatest effort to reach as close as possible to the pole, searching for unknown lands”.

And also “Bellingshausen was charged by the strong men of Freemasonry with the duty of finding the island of Grande at the South Pole, where in a cave, in the midst of an unquenchable fire, is the Book of Genesis, guarded by the spirits of darkness.”. Don't laugh: this quote is not from a tabloid newspaper, but from a respectable 15-volume "History of the Russian Army and Navy", published on the eve of the First World War. And the author of the quoted chapter is an outstanding historian of the Russian Navy, Lieutenant Nikolay Kallistov(1883-1917). You just need to keep in mind that two centuries ago, ideas about the southern hemisphere were so vague that in the minds of even enlightened people, scientific knowledge easily coexisted with mysticism and all sorts of absurdities.

The Antarctic expedition included two - a 985-ton "East" and 885-ton "Peaceful". The first of them was commanded by himself Bellingshausen, the second is a talented naval officer, Lieutenant Mikhail Petrovich Lazarev, a future admiral and one of the most outstanding Russian naval commanders.

Admiral M.P. Lazarev.

Move first Russian Antarctic expedition, which lasted from June 1819 to August 1821, deserves a separate story. Here we list only its results: Russian sailors explored vast areas of the world's oceans, discovered the sixth continent - Antarctica, the islands of Shishkov, Mordvinov, Peter I - a total of 29 islands and 1 coral reef. For the first time, accurate surveys of the Tuamotu archipelago were made, descriptions and maps were compiled, unique ethnographic, botanical and zoological collections were collected, sketches of Antarctic species and rare fauna were made.

Sloop "Vostok". Artist M. Semenov.

Upon returning to Kronstadt Bellingshausen was promoted to captain of the 1st rank, and two months later to captain-commander. Behind “unblemished service in the officer ranks of 18 six-month naval campaigns” he became a Knight of the Order of St. George, IV degree. He wrote a book about the course of the unprecedented expedition and its results. “Twice explorations in the Southern Ocean and voyages around the world during 1819, 1820 and 1821”. True, it was published only in 1831 - 10 years after the completion of the voyage.

The book by F. Bellingshausen “Twice explorations in the Arctic Ocean and sailing around the world...” with appendices.

All further career Bellingshausen- numerous voyages, combat service, participation in hostilities. In 1822-1825 he held coastal posts, but after being promoted to rear admiral, he commanded a detachment of ships in the Mediterranean for the next two years. In 1828, as the commander of the Guards crew, he, together with his subordinates, travels by land from St. Petersburg to the Danube and participates in the war with Turkey. On the Black Sea, he led the siege of Varna and other Turkish fortresses, for which he was awarded the Order of St. Anne, 1st degree.

In December 1830 Bellingshausen becomes vice admiral and is appointed head of the 2nd division of the Baltic Fleet, making annual voyages with it in the Baltic. In 1839, he occupied the highest military post - he was appointed chief commander of the Kronstadt port and military governor of Kronstadt. Every year from spring to autumn he is also the commander of the Baltic Fleet. In 1843 he was promoted to full admiral, and in 1846 he was awarded the Order of St. Vladimir, 1st degree.

Monument to F.F. Bellingshausen in Kronstadt.

Admiral M.P.Lazarev later recalled Bellingshausen as "a skilled, intrepid sailor", which was "a warm-hearted person". Thaddey Faddeevich possessed rare qualities for his time: a broad outlook, high cultural level, humane attitude towards the lower ranks. He became the founder of the Kronstadt Maritime Library, one of the largest in Russia. In the same Kronstadt, he significantly improved the living conditions of ship crews, was involved in the construction of barracks and hospitals, landscaping the city, and achieved an increase in meat rations for sailors. According to a naval historian E.E. Shwede, after the death of the admiral, a note with the following content was found on his desk: “Kronstadt should be surrounded by trees that would bloom before the fleet goes to sea, so that the sailor can get a piece of the summer woody smell.”.