Hey guys! Lindsay asked my partner and me to write a post about our presentation. So I’m writing it. 🙂 Elena Khavina and I don’t have our own research projects yet, so we decided to give a presentation about geographical discoveries and exploration. The theme of our presentation was the First and the Second Kamchatska Expeditions, which were organized in the 18th century to compose a map of the Russian Empire, in accordance with an order from Peter the First. At the time, nobody knew if there was a passage between Asia and America, nor about the outline of the northern shore of Asia and the size of Siberia. In December 1724, Vitus Bering was appointed the chief of the First Kamchatka Expedition, which took place from 1725-1730. Over those five years, the Deomedes Islands, St. Lawrence Islands, and other points were discovered. The main results of this expedition were the first map of the eastern shore of Russian Asia, and actual proof of the existence of a passage between Asia and America (that was later named the Bering Strait, in honor of Bering).
In 1732, Anna the Empress ordered the mapping of the northern shore of the Empire to be continued, from Archangelsk (on the northwest coast of the Russian Empire) to the Bering passage. She also ordered that they reach the American continent to gain knowledge about it. The Second Kamchatka Expedition began the next year, with about 500 people taking part, including V. Bering, A. Chirikov, P. Lasinius, M. Shpanberg, G. Miller, S. Malygin, Ch. Laptev, D. Laptev and S. Cheluskin. The Second Kamchatska expedition was then divided into two parts: The Great Northern expedition and The Second Kamchatska expedition. The goal of The Great Northern expedition was to map the northern shore of the Russian Empire. The crew was divided into five squads, and each squad was responsible for describing a part of the shore. This resulted in the first “modern” map, created 1734-1742, of the northern shore, from Archangelsk to Bolshoy Baraniy Cape. Cheluskin Cape and many other points were discovered, despite of the facts that lots of people died of scurvy, and that ranks were reduced due to false accusations aimed at some commanders of the squads.
The Second Kamchatska expedition was dramatic too. The ships were built in Ohotsk in 1737-1740. During this time, the crew mapped the shore of the Kamchatka peninsula and discovered Avacha Bay, where Petropavlovsk-Kamchtsky was founded. The expedition started on the 4th of June, 1741. Two boats left Avacha Bay and moved east, but on the 20th of June the ships lost each other in the fog. The first ship that was navigated by A. Chirikov, who reached America on the 15th of July. He sent all the boats to the shore but they didn’t return, so the ship started its way back, and on the 11th of October returned to Kamchatka. Bering and the second ship reached America on the 20th of July. Bering sent G. Steller ashore to get drinking water and to make their first description of American continent. The next day, the expedition started its way back, and on the 5th of November the crew of the ship saw land and exclaimed “Yahoo! Kamchatka is over there!” But they were mistaken! The ship was broken apart by waves on the rocks and only after that did the crew realize that it was actually a small uninhabited island. By this time, most of the crew were ill with scurvy. They built a winter camp, and the following spring built a new boat from the fragments of the old ship, and left for Kamchatka. On the 27th of August, 1742 they returned to Avacha Bay.
And what about Bering? He died on the 8th of December 1741 on the small island, which later was named after him. The main outcomes of this expedition were the first Russian knowledge about the American continent, and the first well-composed map of the northern and eastern shores of Russian Empire. People used this map for the next 200 years and named a lot of points after the commanders, chiefs and sailors of this expedition. So, this long story is really dramatic and sometimes sad, but unfortunately there was no other way to discover the Northeast Passage!
– Maria Parfenova
Exploration is exciting no matter when it takes place. Discovering new territory makes it even better. It is sad that the ship got wrecked. How do you think the small island formed? Plate tectonics? Underground volcano?
Hi Camila, I’m glad you liked the post about historical exploration! Being on this ship now, it makes me appreciate even more what it must have been like with none of the technology that we have now. As for the creation of the island, I don’t know about that specific island, but many islands in the “Pacific ring of fire” are caused by volcanic activity and the movement of the continental plates.
what was the most amazing trip you have ever gone to
Hi Khari, I have been lucky enough to travel to a lot of places in the world, and I have different favorites for a lot of different reasons – this expedition I think would definitely be my favorite in the category of “the most amazingly rare opportunity that I never thought I would have!”