Biography of the Bering navigator

The Danes Bering enters the Russian service. Produced to the captain-lieutenants. He commanded the shnyavvaya "munker." In the same year, Vitus Bering visited his homeland for the last time and did not return there anymore. In the year, having served 20 years in the Russian fleet, Vitus Bering suddenly gives a request about the resignation. Allegedly, Bering claimed the rank of captain I rank, but not receiving it, decided to leave the service.

So or not, it is not known for certain. Peter I, the initiator of the Kamchatka expedition, is known for sure that on December 23 of the year, Peter I issues a decree on the organization of an expedition to Kamchatka and instructs the Admiralty College to choose a worthy naval officer for her leadership. The Admiralty College suggested at the head of the expedition to put Captain Bering V.

Peter I agreed with the proposed candidate. Bering is again accepted for naval service, appropriated the title of captain of the 1st rank. The tasks of the expedition to Bering himself were painted by Peter himself: 1. It is worth it in Kamchatka or in another place to make one or two bots with decks. On these bots [go] near the Earth, which goes to the Nord and by aspiration, they do not know the end, it seems that that land is part of America.

And in order to look for, where it agreed with America and to get to which city of European possessions and visit the shore and take a true sheet and, putting on a map, come to the Syuds.

Bering resolutely takes on business and after 2 weeks the first officers and sailors leave from St. Petersburg to the east. Thanks to the personal energy of Bering, the expedition was not prevented by either the sudden death of Peter I, nor the subsequent political bite for the throne in the highest Russian circles. Bering and his comrades brilliantly coped with the task - investigated and put on the map most of the coast of Kamchatka and Chukotka.

And most importantly - they proved that Asia and America are not interconnected. Not finding the American coast, the expedition returned to Okhotsk, first rounding Kamchatka from the south, putting its true borders on the map and proving that Kamchatka does not connect with Japan, as some believed. Returning to Petersburg, Bering provided a detailed report to the Admiralty. His reports, however, reacted with wariness and distrust there.

Despite all the doubts, Bering and his comrades were appreciated, he received the rank of captain-commander and rubles with money. As it turned out, shortly before Bering from Yakutsk, a certain Cossack Colonel Shestakov returned, who once “knocked out the funds” from the government to examine the northern territories and the promise to “conquer all the Chukchi”. The cards brought by Bering were not joined with the "products" of Shestakov, because they were much more accurate and competent.

The cards compiled by the Bering team were surprisingly accurate for that time. Their quality was praised by James Cook himself, who swam in the same places at the same time with similar goals. By the way, D. Cook's task was to find the Northern Sea Road from the east to the west of the American continent. Bering not only compiled a detailed report on the results of his first trip to Kamchatka, but also came out with the initiative of the organization of the Second Kamchatka expedition, with the aim of further research on the northeastern lands and the location of the Eastern Sea Route to America.

Suddenly, his initiative received support at the very top-among the leadership of the Admiralty College and the Senate. Bering's proposals grew into a grand event that went down in history as a great northern expedition. Empress Anna Ioannovna signed the highest decree, giving “good” to this matter. Vitus Bering was appointed the head of the entire project. In the yard stood April.

From this moment until the last day, V. Bering lived only with the deeds and concerns of this matter. And even his last hour he met “in the performance” in detail about the first and second Kamchatka expeditions of Bering, as well as about the entire project of the Great Northern Expedition, read in the materials:.