Date of birth: September 9, 1778
Date of death: January 13, 1852
Place of birth: Livonia province of the Russian Empire
Bellingshausen Faddey Faddevich- famous Russian navigator. Also Thaddeus Bellingshausen known as the man who discovered Antarctica.
Thaddeus (Fabian) was born into a family of Baltic Germans in September 1778; his father was a nobleman. After the birth of the boy, he was named Fabian Gottlieb Thaddeus von Bellingshausen. He became Thaddeus for ease of pronunciation in the Russian-speaking environment.
At the age of 10, the boy entered the Kronstadt Naval Cadet Corps. Six years later he became a midshipman. In this rank, a year later he went by sea to England.
The experience gained in sailing helped him become a junior officer and receive his first assignment to the Revel squadron. He took part in cruises on the ships of this squadron for four years.
During preparations for the first Russian voyage around the world, a need arose for well-proven young sailors. Vice Admiral P. Khanykov, who knew Thaddeus well, recommended him for service on the Nadezhda.
Thaddeus spent the next three years traveling around the world under the command of I. Krusenstern, sailing on a sloop. Following the voyage, he received the rank of captain-lieutenant.
A few years later, Thaddeus was in command himself - a corvette-class ship sailed under his command. This was followed by the frigates Minerva and Flora.
All the experience came in handy in 1819, when the Arctic circumnavigation took place. Two sloops set off from Kronstadt, reached Rio de Janeiro in five months, and then moved south. Several islands were discovered along the way, but soon ice began to form, making further travel difficult.
However, the expedition discovered the coast of Antarctica. Then followed a long journey to Sydney, during which several islands were also discovered. After a short break, Thaddeus sent the ships again towards South America, and then across the Atlantic to the shores of the Russian Empire. For this campaign, Thaddeus was awarded both the rank of captain-commander and the Order of St. George.
Subsequently, during the reign of Nicholas I, he commanded several ships in the Mediterranean Sea, and then, after the outbreak of the war with Turkey, he distinguished himself there as well. For the capture of several Turkish cities he received a military award - the Order of St. Anne. This was followed by command of a division in the Baltic.
Years later, the honored sailor returned to his native Kronstadt and became its governor-general. For his services in naval affairs, he became an admiral and received the highest awards of the Russian Empire.
The admiral died in 1852.
Achievements of Thaddeus Bellingshausen:
Commanded one of the most difficult expeditions ever undertaken
Discovered the coast of Antarctica and concluded that there was a continent
Participated in the collection of unique biological and geographical collections of the northern lands
Dates from the biography of Thaddeus Bellingshausen:
1789 entered the cadet corps of Kronstadt
1795 became a midshipman
1797 received the rank of midshipman
1803 was recommended for the ship "Nadezhda"
1806 became lieutenant commander
1809 took command of the corvette Melpomene
1812 captain of the Minerva
1819 took command of the expedition to Antarctica
1821 returned to Russia
1826 took command of ships in the Mediterranean Sea
1828 participation in the war with Turkey
1830 became vice admiral
1852 died
Interesting facts about Thaddeus Bellingshausen:
The circumnavigation lasted two years and one month.
During the voyage, about 60 new geographical objects were discovered
Objects discovered in Antarctica received Russian names
Not only islands, a sea and a glacier on Earth, but also a lunar crater are named after the admiral.
The navigator is depicted on stamps of the USSR and Hungary.
Thaddeus Faddeevich Bellingshausen
Main events
Discovery of Antarctica
Top career
Order of Vladimir, 1st class, Order of the White Eagle, Order of St. Alexander Nevsky with the award of diamonds to it after two years, Order of St. George, 4th class
Thaddeus Faddeevich Bellingshausen(born Fabian Gottlieb Thaddeus von Bellingshausen, (German. Fabian Gottlieb Thaddeus von Bellingshausen ; September 20, 1778 - January 25, 1852 (age 73) - Russian naval leader, navigator, admiral (1843). In 1803-1806. participated in the first Russian trip around the world on the ship “Nadezhda” under the command of Ivan Fedorovich Kruzenshtern. Returning to Russia, he served in the Baltic and Black Sea fleets. In 1819-1821 headed a round-the-world expedition on the sloops “Vostok” and “Mirny”, during which on January 28, 1820, the “ice continent” was discovered - Antarctica and a number of islands in the Pacific Ocean.
Biography
Childhood
From early childhood I wanted to connect my life with the sea: “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 1789 he entered the Kronstadt Naval Cadet Corps. He became a midshipman and in 1796 sailed to the shores of England.
Service before circumnavigation
In 1797 he became a midshipman - received his first officer rank. In 1803-1806, Bellingshausen served as part of the expedition of I.F. Krusenstern and Yu.F. Lisyansky, which completed the first Russian circumnavigation.
Bellingshausen's abilities were noticed by the commander of the Kronstadt port, who recommended him to Kruzenshtern, under whose leadership in 1803-1806, on the ship "Nadezhda", Bellingshausen made the first circumnavigation of the world, compiling almost all the maps included in the "Atlas for Captain Kruzenshtern's trip around the world."
In 1810-1819 he commanded various ships in the Baltic and Black Seas.
Circumnavigation. Discovery of Antarctica
The route of Bellingshausen and Lazarev From the Atlas of the History of Geographical Discoveries and Research. 1959
In preparation for the second Russian circumnavigation of the world, organized with the approval of Emperor Alexander the First, Kruzenshtern recommended making Bellingshausen its leader. The main goal of the trip was designated by the Ministry of the Navy as purely scientific: “the discovery of the Antarctic Pole in the possible vicinity” with the goal of “acquiring complete knowledge about the globe.”
In the summer of 1819, captain 2nd rank Thaddeus Faddeevich Bellingshausen was appointed commander of the sailing sloop “Vostok” and head of the expedition to discover the sixth continent. The second sloop, Mirny, was commanded by the then young Lieutenant Mikhail Lazarev.
Leaving Kronstadt on June 4, 1819, the expedition arrived in Rio de Janeiro on November 2. From there, Bellingshausen first headed straight south and, rounding the southwestern coast of the island of New Georgia, discovered by Cook, about 56° S. w. discovered 3 islands of the Marquis de Traverse, examined the southern Sandwich Islands, went east along 59° S. w. and twice went further south, as far as the ice allowed, reaching 69° south. w.
"Vostok" and "Mirny" off the coast of Antarctica
In January 1820, the expedition ships approached the coast of Antarctica and the coastal ice shelf was explored on the way to the east. Thus, a new continent was discovered, which Bellingshausen called “ice.” They discovered Antarctica by approaching it at point 69° 21" 28" S. w. and 2° 14" 50" W. (the area of the modern ice shelf), on February 2 the coast was seen from ships for the second time. And on the seventeenth and eighteenth of February, the expedition came almost close to the shore.
After this, in February and March 1820, the ships separated and went to Australia (Port Jackson, now Sydney) along the water surface of the Indian and Southern Oceans (55° latitude and 9° longitude), which had not yet been visited by anyone. From Australia, the expedition's sloops went to the Pacific Ocean, where a number of islands and atolls were discovered (Bellingshausen, Vostok, Simonov, Mikhailova, Suvorov, Rossiyan and others), others visited (Grand Duke Alexander Island) when they returned to Port Jackson.
In November, the expedition ships again went to the south polar seas, visiting Macquarie Island at 54° south. sh., south of New Zealand. From there the expedition went straight south, then east and crossed the Arctic Circle three times. January 10, 1821 at 70° S. w. and 75° W. The sailors stumbled upon solid ice and were forced to go north, where they were discovered between 68° and 69° south. w. the island of Peter I and the coast of Alexander I, after which they came to the islands of Nova Scotia. In August 1821, after a 751-day campaign, the expedition returned to Kronstadt.
The significance of the expedition
Bellingshausen's voyage is rightly considered one of the most important and difficult ever accomplished. Back in the 70s of the 18th century, the famous Cook was the first to reach the south polar seas and, having encountered solid ice in several places, declared further penetration to the south impossible. They took him at his word, and for forty-five years there were no trips to the south polar latitudes.
Bellingshausen was able to prove the fallacy of this opinion and did a lot to explore the southern polar countries amid constant labor and danger, on two small sloops not suitable for navigation in ice.
Also, Bellingshausen tried to find the possibility of passage of sea ships into the Amur River. The attempt was unsuccessful. He was unable to discover the fairway in the Amur Estuary. In addition, due to the weather, it was not possible to dispel La Perouse’s erroneous opinion that Sakhalin is a peninsula.
In total, during the 751 days of the expedition's voyage, 29 islands and 1 coral reef were discovered in the Pacific and Atlantic oceans. 92,000 km were covered. The expedition brought with it valuable botanical, zoological and ethnographic collections.
After circumnavigating the world
Upon returning from the voyage, Bellingshausen was promoted to the rank of captain 1st rank, two months later to the rank of captain-commander and awarded “for impeccable service in officer ranks, 18 six-month naval campaigns” with the Order of St. George, IV degree. In 1822-1825 he commanded the 15th naval crew, and then was appointed master general of naval artillery and duty general of the Naval Ministry. In 1825 he was awarded the Order of St. Vladimir, II degree.
After the accession to the throne of Emperor Nicholas I, Bellingshausen was appointed a member of the committee for the formation of the fleet and in 1826 was promoted to the rank of rear admiral.
In 1826-1827 he commanded a detachment of ships in the Mediterranean Sea.
Commanding the Guards crew, Thaddeus Faddeevich took part in the Russian-Turkish War of 1828-1829 and was awarded the Order of St. Anne, 1st degree, for his distinction in the capture of Messevria and Inada.
On December 6, 1830, he was promoted to the rank of vice admiral and appointed head of the 2nd Division of the Baltic Fleet. In 1834 he was awarded the Order of the White Eagle.
In 1839, the honored sailor was appointed chief commander of the Kronstadt port and military governor-general of Kronstadt. Every year, during the naval campaign, Bellingshausen was appointed commander of the Baltic Fleet, for his services in 1840 he was awarded the Order of St. Alexander Nevsky with the award of diamond marks to him two years later. In 1843 he was promoted to the rank of admiral and in 1846 awarded the Order of St. Vladimir, 1st degree.
He died in Kronstadt at the age of 73.
In 1870, a monument to him was erected in Kronstadt.
Personal characteristics according to the memoirs of contemporaries
During the search for the leader of the second Russian circumnavigation of the world, Kruzenshtern recommended captain 2nd rank Bellingshausen with the following words: “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. "
Impact on descendants
Bellingshausen's book: "Twice explorations in the South Polar Ocean and sailing around the world" (St. Petersburg, 1881) has not lost its relevance to this day, although it has already become rare.
Perpetuating memory (monuments, places, etc. named after the hero, etc.)
Biography. Bellingshausen Thaddeus Faddeevich
Thaddeus Faddeevich Bellingshausen (born September 9 (20), 1778 - death January 13 (25, 1852) - Russian navigator, took part in the first Russian circumnavigation of I. F. Kruzenshtern. He led the first Russian Antarctic expedition to discover Antarctica. Admiral. The sea off the coast of Antarctica, the underwater basin between the continental slopes of Antarctica and South America, islands in the Pacific, Atlantic oceans and the Aral Sea, the first Soviet polar station on King George Island in the South Shetland Islands archipelago are named after him.
Origin. Childhood
The future admiral was born in 1778 on the island of Ezel (modern Saaremaa) near the city of Arensburg (modern Kingisepp) in Livonia (Estonia). By origin - a Baltic German from the Baltic noble family of Bellingshausen. The sound of sea waves was constantly heard around the small island. From an early age the boy could not imagine life without the sea. That is why in 1789 he entered the Naval Corps in Kronstadt as a cadet. The sciences came easily to him, especially navigation and nautical astronomy, but Thaddeus was never among his first students.
Start of service
1796 - midshipman Bellingshausen sets off on his first voyage to the shores of England, and at the end of this internship he was promoted to midshipman and sent for further service to the Revel squadron. As part of it, the young officer sailed in the Baltic Sea on various ships. The future discoverer of the southern polar continent eagerly mastered the art of navigation, learning its secrets in practice. This did not go unnoticed, and in 1803 Bellingshausen was transferred to the ship Nadezhda to participate in the first Russian round-the-world expedition.
Circumnavigation. Service
This voyage under the command of I.F. Kruzenshtern himself became a wonderful school for the young officer, and the leader of the expedition highly appreciated the diligence and level of the maps he compiled.
Upon completion of the circumnavigation of the world, Thaddeus Faddeevich, already with the rank of captain-lieutenant, until 1810, commanded a frigate on the Baltic Sea and participated in the Russian-Swedish war. 1811 - headed to the Black Sea, where over 5 years he carried out a lot of work on compiling and correcting maps, and the main coordinates of the eastern coast were determined.
By 1819, Captain 2nd Rank Bellingshausen had a reputation as a talented sailor, not only knowledgeable in astronomy, geography and physics, but also courageous, decisive, and extremely conscientious. This allowed Krusenstern to recommend the captain as the leader of the expedition for discoveries and research in the Antarctic region. Bellingshausen was urgently summoned to St. Petersburg, where on June 4 he took command of the sloop Vostok, which was destined to sail to Antarctica.
Expedition preparation
"Vostok" and the second ship of the expedition, "Mirny", built for circumnavigation, were specially adapted for polar conditions. The underwater part of the Vostok, at Bellingshausen’s request, was fastened and sheathed in copper. On the Mirny, a second skin was installed, additional hull fastenings were installed, and the pine steering wheel was replaced with an oak one. Together, the ships' crews numbered 183 people. Lieutenant M.P. Lazarev, who would eventually become a famous naval commander, was appointed commander of Mirny.
The expedition was prepared in a very short time - just over a month, but it was supplied, primarily thanks to the efforts of Bellingshausen and Lazarev, perfectly. The navigators had at their disposal the best nautical and astronomical instruments of that time. The leaders of the expedition paid special attention to the supply of various anti-scorbutic remedies, including pine essence, lemons, sauerkraut, dried and canned vegetables. Given the climatic conditions, there were supplies of rum and red wine. As a result, no serious illnesses have ever been observed among sailors.
Discovery of Antarctica
1819, July 16 - the sloops left Kronstadt, went to Copenhagen, then to the Canary Islands, and by mid-November they were already in Rio de Janeiro. There, for three weeks, the team rested and prepared the ships for sailing in difficult Antarctic conditions. Then, following the instructions, the ships went to the South Georgia Islands and to the “Sandwich Land” - a group of islands discovered by James Cook, which he mistook for a single island. The navigators identified the mistake and named the archipelago the South Sandwich Islands.
It was impossible to move further south - the path was blocked by solid ice. Therefore, Bellingshausen decided to go around the Sandwich Islands and look for a path along the northern edge of the ice. 1820, January 16 - entries about the supposed proximity of land appeared in the ship's log. The land was not visible, since it was under a continuous ice cover, but petrels circled above the sloops, and as they approached the ice, the sailors heard the cries of penguins. Later it will become known that the expedition was only 20 miles from the mainland, which is why this day is considered to be the official date of the discovery of Antarctica. If the ice cover at that time had not been so powerful, the sailors would probably have been able to see the land. Moving further, on February 6 we again came close to the mainland, but weather conditions again did not allow us to confidently assert that the white space on the horizon was land.
Again and again, moving away from the edge of the ice and approaching it further along the course, the travelers tried to break through the ice. They crossed the Antarctic Circle 4 times, sometimes approaching 3-4 km to the coast of Antarctica, but the result remained the same. In the end, attempts to get closer to the supposed land were stopped. Strong storms could destroy fairly battered ships; it was necessary to replenish food and firewood, and give the exhausted crew a rest. We decided to go to Port Jackson (Sydney).
Discoveries
The instructions prescribed that during the winter in the Southern Hemisphere, research should be carried out in the southeastern part of the Pacific Ocean. The sailors spent only one month in Australia, and on May 22, 1820, they set off for the Tuamotu and the Society Islands. During this voyage, islands were discovered and given Russian names (Kutuzov, Raevsky, Ermolov, Barclay de Tolly, etc.). Several islands were also discovered near the Fiji archipelago and north of Tahiti. Research was also carried out on islands that had already been visited by other travelers.
Another assault on Antarctica. More discoveries
1820, early September - the expedition returned to Port Jackson, the ships were thoroughly prepared, and on November 11 they set off for Antarctica again. On January 18, the expedition clearly saw the coast, which was named the Land of Alexander I. There was no longer any doubt: a new continent had been discovered. During further voyages, the South Shetland Islands were explored, many of which were mapped for the first time. Peter I and others. But the work on describing the discovered lands had to be interrupted: serious damage to the Vostok forced Bellingshausen to decide to terminate the expedition. The sailors reached Kronstadt via Rio de Janeiro, where they repaired the ship, then visited Lisbon, and in July 1821 returned to their homeland.
Results of the expedition
The expedition lasted 751 days. The sailors covered 92,200 km. In addition to Antarctica, 29 islands were discovered by travelers. It was possible to collect large ethnographic, zoological and botanical collections. Mariners put 28 objects on the map of Antarctica. They examined large water areas adjacent to the continent, gave a general description of its climate, and for the first time described and classified Antarctic ice.
In this most difficult voyage, Thaddeus Faddeevich Bellingshausen proved himself to be a talented and skillful commander and was promoted to captain-commander. In addition, he also turned out to be a talented scientist. It was he who was the first, long before Darwin, to guess the mechanism of formation of coral islands. He also gave the correct explanation of the reasons for the appearance of the mass of algae in the Sargasso Sea, not being afraid to challenge the opinion of Humboldt himself. After visiting Australia, Bellingshausen strongly opposed racial theory, according to which indigenous Australians were considered almost animals incapable of learning.
Continuation of service
After his famous expedition, Thaddeus Faddeevich continued to serve in the navy: in 1821-1827 he commanded a flotilla in the Mediterranean Sea; in 1828, already with the rank of rear admiral, he led a detachment of sailor guards and led it overland from St. Petersburg through all of Russia to the Danube to participate in the war with Turkey; then on the Black Sea he commanded the siege of the Turkish fortress of Varna, etc.
1839 - Vice Admiral Thaddeus Faddeevich Bellingshausen received the highest position in the Baltic Sea as the chief commander of the Kronstadt port and the Kronstadt military governor. Despite his advanced age, the admiral took large flotillas to sea every summer for maneuvers and brought the coordination of their actions to perfection.
1846 - Swedish Admiral Nordenskiöld was present at the maneuvers, and concluded that no fleet in Europe would make such an evolution.
Death. Heritage
Bellingshausen died on January 25, 1852 in Kronstadt. A note was found on his desk - the last one in his life. It read: “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.”
Bellingshausen’s work “Twice explorations in the Arctic Ocean and voyages around the world during 1819, 1820 and 1821, carried out on the sloops “Vostok” and “Mirny”, was first published in 1831 (republished in 1869). In addition, based on the results of the expedition, the admiral himself prepared the “Atlas for the Journey of Captain Bellingshausen” (1831).
On January 28, 1820, Russian navigators Thaddeus Bellingshausen and Mikhail Lazarev discovered a new continent - Antarctica. Before the discovery of Antarctica, there was no consensus on the existence of another part of the world. Some scientists argued that in the south there is not a continent, but a continuation of South America.
In addition, a common misconception prevailed, the culprit of which was the famous navigator James Cook. On his trip around the world, he came close enough to Antarctica, but saw ice and decided that a further journey was impossible.
In the summer of 1819, the First Russian Antarctic Expedition began, the main task of which was precisely the search for a new continent or the final refutation of its existence.
Makar Ratmanov was initially expected to be the leader of the expedition, but due to health problems he was unable to take command, and the position went to Thaddeus Bellingshausen.
Bellingshausen, a native of the Baltic Germans, had already taken part in the first Russian circumnavigation of the world. The expedition consisted of two sloops, Vostok and Mirny, Russian and British built. The Mirny was commanded by Mikhail Lazarev, who also had experience in circumnavigation.
In July 1819, two ships left Kronstadt and headed south. On January 28 of the following year, the sailors reached the ice of Antarctica at a point that is now called the Bellingshausen Glacier (see route).
They did not try to land on the shore - after passing by, the researchers headed to Australia, and then returned with the onset of the Antarctic summer, in more favorable weather. On the way, the sailors discovered about 30 new islands - and, of course, a new continent, circumnavigating Antarctica and thus proving that it is a separate continent.
Bellingshausen and Lazarev
The expedition returned to Kronstadt two years later, in July 1821. Emperor Alexander I himself took part in the solemn meeting of the ships in the port.
The sailors were given numerous awards. Both officers were promoted to two ranks at once and subsequently occupied the highest positions. Bellingshausen rose to the rank of admiral, received many orders, during the Russian-Turkish War he commanded the Guards crew and eventually became the military governor-general of Kronstadt.
Mikhail Lazarev also rose to the rank of admiral and spent 17 years commanding the Black Sea Fleet, Russia’s main naval force at the time. After him, no admiral held this post for so long.
Antarctica became the last continent to be marked on the geographical map of the world. Its large-scale study began almost a century later, when technological progress allowed researchers to survive in the harsh polar climate.
DISCOVERY OF ANTARCTICA:
Thaddeus Bellingshausen and Mikhail Lazarev
“On the edge of our planet lies, like a sleeping princess, a land clad in blue. Ominous and beautiful, she lies in her frosty slumber, in the folds of the mantle of snow, glowing with amethysts and emeralds of ice.
It sleeps in the shimmering icy halos of the Moon and the Sun, and its horizons are painted with pink, blue, gold and green pastel tones... This is Antarctica - a continent almost equal in area to South America, the interior of which is actually known to us less than the illuminated side of the Moon "
This is what the American Antarctic explorer Richard Byrd wrote in 1947. At that time, scientists had just begun the systematic study of the sixth continent - the most mysterious and harsh region of the globe.
The final, reliable discovery of Antarctica dates back to 1820. Previously, people only assumed that it existed. The very first guesses arose from the participants of the Portuguese expedition of 1501 - 1502, in which the Florentine traveler Amerigo Vespucci took part (his name, thanks to a bizarre coincidence, was later immortalized in the names of huge continents). But the expedition was unable to advance further than the island of South Georgia, which lies quite far from the Antarctic continent.
“The cold was so strong that none of our flotilla could bear it,” Vespucci testified.
But he was forced to limit himself to only an assumption: “I will not deny that there may be a continent or significant land near the pole. On the contrary, I am convinced that such a land exists, and it is possible that we have seen part of it. Great cold, a huge number of ice islands and floating ice - all this proves that the land in the south must be...”
He even wrote a special treatise, “Arguments for the existence of land near the South Pole.”
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However, the honor of discovering the sixth continent fell to Russian navigators. Two names are forever inscribed in the history of geographical discoveries: Thaddeus Faddeevich Bellingshausen (1778-1852) and Mikhail Petrovich Lazarev (1788-1851). Bellingshausen was born in 1778 on the island of Saaremaa (now the territory of Estonia) in the Baltic Sea, and received his education in the Naval Cadet Corps.
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Lazarev was ten years younger, having completed three trips around the world in his entire life. In 1827 he took part in the naval battle of Navarino against the Turks; later, for almost 20 years, he commanded the Black Sea Fleet.
Among Lazarev's students were outstanding Russian naval commanders Vladimir Kornilov, Pavel Nakhimov, Vladimir Istomin.
Fate brought Bellingshausen and Lazarev together in 1819, the Naval Ministry planned an expedition to the high latitudes of the Southern Hemisphere. The two well-equipped ships had a difficult journey ahead of them. One of them, the sloop Vostok, was commanded by Bellingshausen, the other, named Mirny, was commanded by Lazarev. Many decades later, the first Soviet Antarctic stations would be named after these ships.
On July 16, 1819, the expedition set sail. Its goal was formulated briefly: discoveries “in the possible vicinity of the Antarctic Pole.” The navigators were instructed to explore South Georgia and Sandwich Land (now the South Sandwich Islands, once discovered by Cook) and “continue their research to the remotest latitude that can be reached,” using “all possible diligence and the greatest effort to reach as close to the pole as possible, looking for unknown land."
The instructions were written in “high calm,” but no one knew how it could be implemented in practice. However, luck favored Vostok and Mirny. The island of South Georgia was described in detail; It was established that Sandwich Land is not one island, but an entire archipelago, and Bellingshausen named the largest island of the archipelago Cook Island. The first instructions in the instructions were fulfilled.
Endless expanses of ice were already visible on the horizon; along their edge the ships continued their journey from west to east. On January 27, 1820, they crossed the Antarctic Circle and the next day came close to the ice barrier of the Antarctic continent.
Only more than 100 years later, these places were visited again by Norwegian explorers of Antarctica: they called them Princess Martha Coast.
On January 28, Bellingshausen wrote in his diary: “Continuing our way south, at noon in latitude 6°21"28", longitude 2°14"50", we encountered ice that appeared to us through the falling snow in the form of white clouds.”
Having traveled another two miles to the southeast, the expedition found itself in “solid ice”; “an ice field dotted with mounds” stretched around.
Lazarev's ship was in conditions of much better visibility. The captain observed “hardened (i.e., very powerful, solid) ice of extreme height,” and “it extended as far as vision could reach.” This ice was part of the Antarctic ice sheet. And January 28, 1820 went down in history as the date of the discovery of the Antarctic continent. Two more times (February 2 and 17), the Vostok and Mirny came close to the shores of Antarctica.
The instructions prescribed to “search for unknown lands,” but even the most determined of its compilers could not foresee such an amazing implementation.
| Winter was approaching in the Southern Hemisphere. Having shifted to the north, the ships of the expedition plied the waters of the Pacific Ocean in tropical and temperate latitudes. A year has passed. "Vostok" and "Mirny" again headed for Antarctica; They crossed the Antarctic Circle three times. On January 22, 1821, an unknown island appeared before the eyes of travelers.
Bellingshausen called it the island of Peter I - “the high name of the culprit behind the existence of the military fleet in the Russian Empire.” On January 28 - exactly a year passed from the date of the historical event - in cloudless, sunny weather, the crews of the ships observed the mountainous coast, stretching to the south beyond the limits of visibility. |
The Land of Alexander I appeared on geographic maps for the first time. Now there is no longer any doubt: Antarctica is not just a giant ice massif, not an “ice continent,” as Bellingshausen called it in his report, but a real “earthly” continent.
However, he himself never spoke about the discovery of the mainland. And this is not a matter of a sense of false modesty: he understood that it was possible to draw final conclusions only by “stepping overboard the ship” and conducting research on the shore. F. Bellingshausen could not even form an approximate idea of the size or outline of the continent. This took many decades.
Completing their “odyssey,” the expedition examined in detail the South Shetland Islands, about which previously it was only known that the Englishman W. Smith observed them in 1818. The islands were described and mapped. Many of Bellingshausen's companions took part in the Patriotic War of 1812.
Therefore, in memory of her battles, individual islands received appropriate names: Borodino, Maloyaroslavets, Smolensk, Berezina, Leipzig, Waterloo.
However, they were later renamed by English sailors, which seems unfair. By the way, in Waterloo (its modern name is King George), the northernmost Soviet scientific station in Antarctica, Bellingshausen, was founded in 1968.
The voyage of the Russian ships lasted 751 days, and its length was almost 100 thousand km (the same amount would be obtained if you circled the Earth along the equator two and a quarter times).
29 new islands were charted. Thus began the chronicle of the study and development of Antarctica, in which the names of researchers from many countries are inscribed.
Bellingshausen Thaddeus Faddeevich (1778-1852) was from the island of Ezel (Estonia). He came from a family of Baltic nobles. Known as a navigator who circumnavigated the world twice. The main merit of the traveler, who was constantly at sea from early youth until his death, was the discovery of Antarctica together with M.P. Lazarev.
Ivan Constantinovich Aivazovski. Ice mountains in Antarctica 1870
Dreams of sailing arose in Thaddeus from childhood; Bellingshausen himself said about himself that he could not live without the sea, like a fish without water. After completing his studies at the Kronstadt Naval Cadet Corps, he became a midshipman. The first major voyage in which the young officer took part took place in 1796. Then Thaddeus first felt the spirit of long sea crossings and visited distant England.
Bellingshausen was 25 years old when he was accepted into the crew for the first round-the-world voyage of Russian ships. He served on the ship "Nadezhda". The expedition was commanded by Adam Johann von Krusenstern (more commonly known as Ivan Krusenstern). Since Bellingshausen was passionate about science, he was entrusted with the compilation of maps on this journey. Later, all the maps drawn up as a result of the expedition were included in the “Atlas for traveling around the world” compiled by Kruzenshtern. After the successful completion of the journey in Kruzenshtern’s team, Bellingshausen conducts cartographic research in the Black and Baltic Seas and compiles astronomical maps. Geography was his passion; he recorded and sketched everything new with great enthusiasm.
In the 20s of the 19th century, Russia was preparing a new circumnavigation. Kruzenshtern recommends appointing the “enterprising and skillful officer” Bellingshausen as leader. And at the beginning of 1819 he led the expedition. Its goal was designated as “the search for the sixth continent.” The outstanding navigator Mikhail Petrovich Lazarev took part in the voyage together with Bellingshausen. And in June 1819, the sloops “Mirny” and “Vostok” departed from Kronstadt and set off in search of the mysterious continent. Bellingshausen took command of the Vostok. At that time he was 40 years old, and had almost thirteen years of maritime experience behind him.
Bellingshausen is heading towards Rio de Janeiro. Further his path lies to the south. The expedition explores the Sandwich Islands and the island of New Georgia, previously discovered by James Cook. By January, ships arrive on the shores of an unknown southern continent covered with ice.
The date of discovery of Antarctica is considered to be January 16, 1820. It was on this day that the expedition approached the continent in the area of the present-day Princess Martha Coast. Bellingshausen called the land he saw the Ice Continent. The sailors saw the shore for the second time on January 21. Landing was not allowed by huge glacial walls that constantly collapsed into the water - January is the height of the Antarctic summer. Over the summer, sailors explored the coastal shelf of Antarctica. They managed to cross the Antarctic Circle several times. The mainland was circled. In early February, during bad weather, Bellingshausen came close to the Princess Astrid Coast. Constant snowstorms and snow drifts did not allow us to see the coast properly. By March, with a gradual decrease in the temperature of the air and coastal waters, the accumulation of ice off the coast of Antarctica increased, and sailing became at first difficult and then simply impossible. Bellingshausen's ships headed for Australia.
However, the research was not completed; it continued in the Pacific Ocean. Bellingshausen studied the Tuamotu archipelago, where 29 islands were discovered. All of them were named in honor of outstanding statesmen and military figures of Russia.
In September 1820, exploration of Antarctica was resumed. The Coast of Alexander I was discovered, and Peter I Island received its name. After this, the expedition arrived at the South Shetland Islands. At this time, a group of islands was discovered, which received the names of the battles of the Patriotic War of 1812 and outstanding Russian navigators.
July 1821 was ending. Bellingshausen's expedition headed for Kronstadt. The heroic sailors had 50 thousand miles and 751 days of travel behind them. In-depth climatic and hydrographic studies were carried out, unique collections valuable for zoology, ethnography and botany were collected. Bellingshausen carefully recorded all kinds of information in his diary - information about the customs of local peoples and everything that he and his team had a chance to see, and provided the Admiralty with a collection of his notes on the trip with the attachments of a variety of drawings and maps; the manuscript was published in 1831.
Bellingshausen became a real idol for many travelers and researchers. His comrades spoke of him as a brave and decisive man. In an extreme situation, the experienced sailor showed amazing composure. He knew his job very well and was distinguished by his humanity - he never used corporal punishment and treated his subordinates with care. The success of the expedition and the well-being of his subordinates were his priorities. At the same time, he was prone to risk. Thus, Lazarev noted that Bellingshausen endangered the ship by maneuvering between ice fields with large passages. Bellingshausen claimed that at such a time he was in a hurry because he was only thinking about not getting stuck with his team in the ice with the onset of spring.
After the discovery of North and South America and Australia, Antarctica was the final Great Geographical Discovery. Before this, no one had seriously imagined that there was an entire continent waiting to be discovered. After the voyage of the Russian discoverers Bellingshausen and Lazarev, there were no undiscovered large continents left in the world.
For his greatest services to his homeland, Bellingshausen first received the rank of rear admiral, then, in 1826, he became the head of the Mediterranean flotilla. In 1839, he was appointed to the post of military governor of Kronstadt and chief commander of the Kronstadt fleet, and by the end of his life he became an admiral and participated in the war with Turkey, leading a naval siege.
Bellingshausen is known for his considerable contribution to the construction of new harbors, ports, docks, as well as for caring for the personnel of the fleet. First of all, he cared about the sailors. On his initiative, meat rations were significantly increased in the navy. After the death of the admiral, a document was found in which it was proposed to plant trees with early flowering in harbors so that those going to sea could see spring. To improve the cultural level of sailors, he created a library in the port. Bellingshausen attached great importance to training, improved artillery shooting skills, and transferred maneuvering skills to the sailors responsible for navigation.
The great navigator died in 1852. Bellingshausen was buried in Kronstadt, where 18 years later a monument was erected to him. The name of the great discoverer was given to islands in the Pacific and Atlantic oceans, the sea, a cape on Sakhalin Island, and an ice shelf in Antarctica. In 1968, the first Soviet scientific station on the West Coast of Antarctica was opened at Cape Fildes. She also received the name Bellingshausen.
Prepared based on materials:
http://www.peoples.ru
http://www.chrono.ru
http://www.kronstadt.ru
Shikman A.P. Figures of the Russian Federation. M, 1997