Achievements of Kruzenshtern and Lisyansky. Round-the-world trip of Kruzenshtern and Lisyansky

Yuri Lisyansky Ivan Kruzenshtern

In July 1803, the sloops Nadezhda and Neva left Kronstadt for the first circumnavigation in the history of the Russian navy. These ships were commanded by young, but already experienced navigators, captain-lieutenants Ivan Fedorovich Kruzenshtern and Yuri Fedorovich Lisyansky. Both of them were educated in the Naval gentry corps, the only naval one in Russia at that time. educational institution who trained naval officers. Both were released ahead of schedule in connection with the outbreak of hostilities with Sweden and received their baptism of fire in the naval battle of the island of Gotland.

Then both were sent to England and served on English ships. Returning from England, Kruzenshtern presented Paul I with two memorandums in which he persistently sought permission to organize a round-the-world voyage. In one of them, Kruzenshtern wrote that the possession of Kamchatka and the Aleutian Islands would be a means "to awaken Russian trade and there would be no need to pay great sums to the British, Danes and Swedes for East Indian and Chinese goods."

By the beginning of the 19th century, Russian sailors discovered and described the Bering Strait, Sakhalin, Commander, Pribylov, Kuril and Shantar Islands, the Aleutian Ridge - the Near, Krys'i, Andreyanovsky and Fox Islands, the islands adjacent to Alaska (Kodiak and Shumaginsky). The Russians were the first Europeans to pave the way to the northwestern coast of America, to Japan, China and the Hawaiian (Sandwich) Islands.

The Russians were the first Europeans to establish settlements on the northwest coast of America, near which, as in other areas of the North Pacific, they hunted sea animals. The Russian-American Company continued its active work and set up its trading posts on the Pacific coast. On the part of the government, the company was granted the monopoly right to exploit the wealth of the Pacific Northwest, trade with neighboring countries, build fortifications, maintain military forces, and build a fleet. The government entrusted the company with the task of further expanding Russian possessions in the Pacific.

The development of trade, sea and hunting trades in the Far Eastern waters required a detailed study of these areas of the Pacific Ocean. The Russian-American company could not perform such a task on its own: it did not have either qualified sailors or ships adapted for research for this. It was possible to send such ships only from St. Petersburg.

There was another very important reason for organizing a circumnavigation. Trade relations of the Russian-American company expanded and developed. Among the main Pacific countries, only Japan did not buy the goods of company merchants, despite the fact that Russia more than once offered Japan to establish trade relations with her. In 1782, the Japanese government agreed to enter into negotiations, indicating that a Russian ship could visit the port of Nagasaki for this purpose.

Kruzenshtern repeatedly addressed the tsar with memorandums on the organization of a circumnavigation. In 1802, another of his memoranda interested the Minister of the Navy, Admiral N. S. Mordvinov.

The head of the Russian-American company, N.P. Rezanov, also became interested in the Kruzenshtern project. He understood that a round-the-world voyage could be of great benefit to the company, such a trip would not only solve the problem of supplying trading posts in Russian America with the necessary goods, but would also raise the company's authority and popularity in Russia and abroad.

The tsar granted Rezanov's petition, supported by Mordvinov and the head of the Commerce Collegium N. P. Rumyantsev. In July 1802, it was decided to send two ships around the world. The official purpose of the expedition was to deliver to Tokyo the Russian embassy headed by N.P. Rezanov, who was appointed Russian ambassador to Japan.

The circumnavigation was co-financed by the Russian American Company and the Russian government. The leadership of the expedition was entrusted to Kruzenshtern.

The preparation of the first round-the-world expedition of the Russians was known not only in Russia, but also far beyond its borders.

“Our expedition,” wrote Kruzenshtern, “it seemed to me that aroused the attention of Europe. Success in the first of this kind of experience was necessary: ​​otherwise my compatriots would, perhaps, be turned away from such an enterprise for a long time; the envious of Russia, in all likelihood, rejoiced at such a failure.

Kruzenshtern's assistant and commander of the second ship was appointed on the recommendation of Krusenstern himself, his friend Yuri Fedorovich Lisyansky, whom Kruzenshtern described as:

“... an impartial, obedient, zealous person for the common good ... who had sufficient knowledge both about the seas on which we were supposed to sail, and about marine astronomy in its current improved state.”

Despite the fact that good-quality warships had been built in Russia for a hundred years, it was decided to purchase ships for circumnavigation abroad, in England, where they already had experience in building ships for long journeys. Lisyansky and Rozumov left for England. With great difficulty, they managed to buy two suitable sloops with a displacement of one 450, the other 370 tons. They were very expensive, because in addition to the 17 thousand pounds sterling that the shipowners took for them, they had to pay another 5 thousand pounds sterling for repairs.

In June 1803, Lisyansky brought the sloops to Russia. The larger of them was named "Hope", and the smaller one - "Neva".

Not without friction between the leaders of the expedition and the maritime department and on the issue of staffing teams.

“I was advised,” wrote Kruzenshtern, “to accept several foreign sailors, but I, knowing the predominant properties of Russian ones, whom I even prefer to English, did not agree to follow this advice.”

In those days, serfs were taken into the army and navy, and usually no one took into account the desire of these people. But Kruzenshtern and Lisyansky believed that such a method of manning the crews of ships leaving on a long voyage was unacceptable, and obtained permission to recruit teams from those who wished.

There were a lot of hunters to go around the world:

“... If I could accept all the hunters who came with requests for their appointment on this journey,” wrote Kruzenshtern, “then I could equip many and large ships with selected sailors of the Russian fleet.”

Officers were also carefully selected. Indeed, the best officers of the Russian navy went on a campaign with Kruzenshtern and Lisyansky. Among the officers of Nadezhda were such experienced sailors as Senior Lieutenant M. I. Ratmanov, a participant in many military campaigns in the Baltic, Black and Adriatic Seas, Lieutenant Pyotr Golovachev, midshipman Thaddeus Bellingshausen, who later discovered Antarctica together with M.P. Lazarev; Lieutenants Pavel Arbuzov and Pyotr Povalishin, midshipman Fedor Kovedyaev and Vasily Verkh, later a prominent fleet historian, and others served on the Neva.

Russian navigators subsequently named the islands, straits, seas, bays and other geographical points discovered by them by the names of these people.

July 27, 1803 the sloops put to sea. After a ten-day voyage, the Nadezhda and the Neva arrived in Copenhagen.

From the moment the ships set sail, Kruzenshtern and Lisyansky regularly conducted meteorological and hydrological observations. They soon noticed that as they moved south, the glow of the water increased.

The voyage to the coast of Brazil, which lasted almost two months, turned out to be very exhausting. The ships sailed in tropical and equatorial latitudes. Weak variable winds gave way to squalls, storms to calms, hot and stuffy days to nights that did not bring coolness.

On November 14, 1803, Russian ships crossed the equator for the first time in the history of the Russian fleet. Climbing on the shrouds, the sailors of both ships congratulated each other with a three-time rolling “cheers” on this significant event in the history of domestic navigation.

Near the Brazilian island of St. Catherine, the sloops were met by the natives, who offered to lead the Nadezhda and the Neva through the strait between the islands of Alvarado and Gal to the parking lot. According to the description of La Perouse, this strait was considered very dangerous for navigation, so Kruzenshtern and Lisyansky willingly used the services of local residents. Imagine their surprise when this information was not confirmed.

Like all of Brazil, the island of St. Catherine belonged at that time to Portugal, which made extensive use of the labor of slave slaves. The slave trade flourished on the island. Transports with blacks came here from Angola, Benguela and Mozambique (Africa).

“The content of these poor slaves in the discussion of their food and clothing,” wrote in his “Notes”, one of the participants in the first Russian circumnavigation of the world, the clerk of the Russian-American company N.I. the hardest jobs. And they are treated almost inhumanly. The sale of these poor slaves is the same as any other animals. They are driven out during the day in the square, who had almost no clothes, who all day from the only hot heat of the sun do not have any cover and until the evening they are almost completely without food, and in the evening they are taken away from the square and locked in empty chambers, similar to prison, where they are released until the morning.

The navigators intended to stay at the island of St. Catherine no more than ten days, but an emergency forced them to stay here for almost five weeks. "Neva" could not withstand long storms. The foremast and mainmast were cracked and needed to be replaced urgently. To do this, it was necessary to cut down two suitable trees in the forest, make masts from them and install them. Subsequently, assessing the quality of the ships that made the first Russian circumnavigation, the famous Russian navigator V. M. Golovnin wrote in his Notes on the State of the Russian-American Company in 1818:

“They fully justified the Company’s trust in the English ships: at the very beginning of the journey it was found that one of them had two masts rotten, and in the other, at Cape Horn, a leak began to spoil part of the company’s cargo, while after two Russian military the sloop (“Diana” and “Kamchatka”), built in St. Petersburg by Russians and from everything Russian, made a similar journey and did not flow to the end, and there was not a single rotten tree in them.

On January 24, the sloops put to sea. Now they had to go around Cape Horn, enter the Pacific Ocean and head to the Hawaiian Islands, where their paths were to part: the Neva was to go to the Kodiak Island for a load of furs, and the Nadezhda to Japan to deliver the Russian embassy there, and then to Kamchatka, also for furs.

By the evening of February 14, when the ships were in the area of ​​Tierra del Fuego, the weather deteriorated sharply. A fierce storm broke out. A cold southeast wind tore the rigging fiercely. Heavy waves crushed superstructures. Wet to the skin, people worked tirelessly, despite neither the freezing cold nor the storm wind that fell from their feet. Only by the evening of February 17 did the raging ocean begin to calm down.

Russian sailors passed the ordeal with honor. With a ten-knot course, the sloops circled the island of the States on February 19 and by eight o'clock in the morning on February 20 left Cape Horn behind the stern.

Soon the weather deteriorated sharply. The steep ocean wave made it difficult for the sloops to navigate. On February 21, the ships fell into a thick fog and lost sight of each other. And just at this time, Kruzenshtern was forced to change the route a little.

"Nadezhda" headed for Kamchatka in order to deliver cargo there as soon as possible, and then follow to Japan. Lisyansky, not knowing about this decision of the head of the expedition, continued, according to the agreement, the path to Easter Island, where a meeting was scheduled for both ships in case they lose each other at sea.

Having set a course for Easter Island, Lisyansky decided to go to it somewhat west of the path of the French navigator Marchand in order to explore the place where, according to Marchand, the island should have been located. No signs of land were found in the place indicated by the French navigator (39 ° 20 south latitude and 98 ° 42 west longitude).

April 3 "Neva" approached Easter Island. Not finding "Hope" here, Lisyansky decided to wait for her for several days, while at that time he was busy describing the coast of the island. Not limited to studying the outlines of the coast and coastal depths, he described the nature of the island, the life and customs of its inhabitants. It should be noted that since the discovery of Easter Island in 1722, the Frenchman J. Laperouse, the Englishman J. Cook and other foreign sailors have visited it. However, none of them compiled such a complete description as Lisyansky did.

On April 9, the Neva headed for the Marquesas Islands and on April 29 met at the island of Nuka Khiva with the Nadezhda, which had arrived here three days earlier.

During his stay near the island of Nuka Hiva, Kruzenshtern collected the most interesting geographical and ethnographic information about the Washington Islands, which make up the northern group of the Marquesas Islands archipelago, and mapped them.

Studying the works of various navigators, Ivan Fedorovich discovered that the Washington Islands were discovered five times. In 1791 they were discovered twice: first by the American Ingram, and then by the Frenchman Marchand. In March 1792, they were "discovered" again by the Englishman Gergest, and a few months later by the Englishman Brown. Finally, in 1793, they were "discovered" by the American Roberts. The Frenchman called them the Islands of the Revolution, the Englishman called them the Hergest Islands, the Americans called them the Washington Islands. In addition, navigators from different countries gave each of the eight islands of the group their own names, and, thus, they did not have a single designation on the maps. Having visited each of these islands, Kruzenshtern came to the conclusion that they should be given such names, "by which they are known among natural inhabitants." These names have survived to this day.

May 6 "Nadezhda" and "Neva" left the island of Nuka Khiva. Kruzenshtern led the ships to Kamchatka. The chosen course lay somewhat to the west of the ship's usual route in this area, since Kruzenshtern decided to make sure of the existence of the island of Ogivo Potto, the discovery of which was announced by the same French navigator Marchand. Soon the ships reached the point indicated by Marchand and did not find any island.

At noon on May 13, Russian ships crossed the equator again, only now from south to north. The further way to Kamchatka lay past the Hawaiian Islands. Kruzenshtern had to hurry in order to have time to unload in Kamchatka, reach Japan and enter Nagasaki with a favorable monsoon, but he was extremely worried that there was no fresh meat on the ships. An attempt to exchange meat from the inhabitants of the island of Nuku Hiva did not produce results, and the expedition leader feared that a lack of fresh meat would lead to an outbreak of scurvy.

A two-day stop at the Sandwich Islands also turned out to be fruitless. The natives, who sailed up to the ships in their boats, offered no meat. After making sure that the sailors of his ship were quite healthy, Kruzenshtern decided to continue sailing without stopping to replenish meat supplies. Lisyansky, on the other hand, could not rush to leave, since further way The Neva to Kodiak Island, and then to Canton, was much shorter than the path of Nadezhda, which was to follow from Kamchatka to Japan. So he decided to stay off the Hawaiian Islands.

But the most difficult tests awaited the crew of the "Nadezhda" off the Japanese coast. The ship was caught in a terrible storm.

“The wind,” Kruzenshtern recalled about this storm, “gradually intensifying, strengthened at one o’clock in the afternoon to such an extent that, with great difficulty and danger, we could fix the topsails and lower sails, which had sheets and braces, although for the most part new, were suddenly interrupted. The fearlessness of our sailors, who despised all dangers, acted at that time so much that the storm could not blow away a single sail. At 3 o'clock in the afternoon she became furious, finally, to the point that she tore all our storm staysails, under which alone we remained. Nothing could withstand the brutality of the storm. How much I have not heard about typhons that occur off the coast of China and Japan, but I could not imagine anything like this. One must have the gift of poetry in order to vividly describe the fury of it.

The wind tore all the sails. The storm carried the ship straight to the coastal rocks. Only the direction of the wind that changed at the last moment saved the ship from destruction. September 27, 1804 "Hope" anchored in the roadstead of Nagasaki.

Rezanov had to fulfill here the most important assignment of the Russian government - to establish diplomatic relations with Japan. However, Rezanov's negotiations ended in vain. The Japanese refused even to accept gifts from the Russian government to the Japanese emperor, referring to the fact that:

“... in this case, the Japanese emperor should also have made mutual gifts to the Russian emperor, which should have been sent to St. Petersburg with an embassy courier. But this is impossible, because state laws forbid a Japanese to leave his fatherland.

Despite the prohibition of the Japanese authorities, Kruzenshtern decided to go along the western coast of Japan in order to compile a detailed description of the area.

“La Perouse alone was our predecessor in this voyage,” Krusenstern explained the meaning of his route. - ... Knowing that neither he nor any other European navigator determined the exact position of the entire western coast of Japan, most of the coast of Korea, the entire western island of Iesso, the southeastern and northwestern shores of Sakhalin, as well as many of the Kuril Islands, intended I will know from these countries those that it will be more convenient to choose in the present case.

Krusenstern succeeded in carrying out this entire extensive research plan. He mapped the western and northwestern coasts of the Japanese islands, corrected the mistakes made by La Perouse in describing this region, discovered and mapped many capes and bays. Kruzenshtern spent a lot of time studying and describing the coast of Sakhalin.

Difficult ice conditions did not allow to continue sailing to the north and complete the description of Sakhalin. Krusenstern decided to change the route and return to the area later, when the ice was gone. He took the ship to the Kuril Islands, where four small rocky islands were discovered, almost not protruding from the water.

The strong current found near them made navigation in this area in the conditions of stormy weather and fogs common in this part of the Pacific Ocean, very dangerous. Without knowing about the existence of the islands, it was possible to fly into one of them and crash. Kruzenshtern called these islands Stone Traps and put them on the map.

Soon "Nadezhda" arrived in Kamchatka, where Kruzenshtern left Rezanov and his entourage.

Two weeks later, which was required to unload cargo delivered from Japan, Nadezhda again went to the ocean. Her path lay to Sakhalin, the description of the coast of which Kruzenshtern sought to complete.

Having passed through the hitherto unknown strait in the Kuril ridge, called the Strait of Hope, Kruzenshtern approached Cape Patience. Having finished describing the eastern coast of Sakhalin, he headed for the southern part of the Sakhalin Bay.

Observations of the specific gravity and color of the water in the bay led Krusenstern to the conclusion that somewhere in the southernmost part of the bay a large river flows into it. This was also confirmed by the fact that the water in the depths of the bay was fresh. In search of the mouth of the river, Kruzenshtern sent the ship to the shore, but the depth sharply decreased, and, fearing to put the Nadezhda aground, Kruzenshtern was forced to turn the ship back to the open sea. The honor of discovering the Amur, as well as the honor of discovering the Tatar Strait, fell to another famous Russian navigator, Gennady Ivanovich Nevelsky, who corrected the mistake of Kruzenshtern, who considered Sakhalin a peninsula.

In mid-August 1805, the Nadezhda returned to Kamchatka, from where, after repairs and replenishment of supplies, it left for Canton to meet with the Neva.

While Nadezhda was in Japan and sailed around the Kuril Islands and Sakhalin, the Neva continued to follow its route.

Left at the Hawaiian Islands in May 1804, Lisyansky collected information about the life, customs and crafts of the islanders. Observations and descriptions made by Lisyansky significantly supplemented the meager ethnographic knowledge about these islands.

“The local people,” wrote Lisyansky, “seem to have a great ability and taste for needlework; all the things they do are superbly good, but the art in fabrics surpasses even the imagination. The first time I saw them, I could not believe that a wild man had such exquisite taste. Mixing colors and excellent art in drawing with the strictest observation of proportionality would glorify every manufacturer ... and especially if we take into account that wild, so rare amazing products are produced with the simplest tools.

Leaving the Hawaiian Islands, the Neva headed for Kodiak Island, where it arrived on July 1, 1804.

On Kodiak, the arrival of the Neva had been expected for a long time. Her help here was absolutely necessary. From the note left to Lisyansky by the manager of the company, Baranov, and the stories of the inhabitants of the island, the commander of the Neva learned that the Russian fortified trading post on the island of Sitka - the Arkhangelsk fortress - was defeated by the Indians.

To repel the attack of the Americans, Baranov with a group of colonists headed for the island of Sitka. In his note, he asked Lisyansky to rush to his aid. The latter immediately went to Sitka. As a result, thanks to the diligence of Lisyansky and the excellent military skills of the crew of the Neva, the hostilities were completed successfully and in a short time the sailors and officers of the ship, supported by well-aimed fire from ship artillery, defeated the enemy. A new fortress was founded on the island, called Novo-Arkhangelsk.

In the Pacific possessions of the Russian-American company "Neva" stayed for more than a year. During this time, Lisyansky compiled a description of the islands of Kodiak and Sitka and discovered two small islands in this area, which he named after Chichagov and Cruz (an officer who participated in the Battle of Chesme).

In August 1805, the Neva, having taken on board a cargo of furs, left Sitka and headed for Canton. This time, Lisyansky decided to go to the tropics in an unknown way: to a point lying at 45 ° 30 north latitude and 145 ° west longitude, then west to 42 ° north latitude and 165 ° west longitude, and then descend to the parallel 36 ° 30, walk along it to the meridian 180 ° and from it lay a course for the Mariana Islands. Lisyansky intended to make new geographical discoveries in this area.

For more than a month, the Neva sailed across the Pacific Ocean without encountering any signs of land. And late in the evening of October 3, 1805, when Lisyansky, having given the last order to the officer on duty, was about to go down to the cabin, the hull of the Neva trembled: the ship ran ashore a previously unknown coral strand. With great difficulty, the sloop was refloated, not far from it at 26 ° 02 48 ″ north latitude and 173 ° 35 45 ″ east longitude, a small uninhabited island was discovered.

The island and the coral shoal were mapped. At the unanimous request of the team, the island was named after the glorious commander of the Neva, Yuri Lisyansky, and the coral shoal was named after the Nevskaya sloop. On October 11, a coral reef was discovered, which was named the Krusenstern reef.

From the Kruzenshtern reef, Lisyansky headed for Taiwan past the Mariana Islands. On November 10, when the highest island of this group, Saipan, was left far behind, a storm began, which, according to Lisyansky's description:

“... at first she began to tear the tackle, and then she laid the ship on its side, so that the leeward side was in the water to the very masts, it smashed the yawl hanging behind the stern into chips, and a little later it tore off the waist and carried many things that were above into the sea ... ".

Water began to quickly penetrate into the hold. People worked knee-deep in water. Through the incredible efforts of the crew, the ship was saved, but some of the furs were damaged.

On November 22, 1805, the Neva arrived at the Macau roadstead, where the Nadezhda was at that time. Both ships crossed into Whampoa Bay near Canton, and there Kruzenshtern and Lisyansky successfully completed the instructions of the Russian-American Company, selling furs profitably and purchasing Chinese goods.

During the two months of their stay in China, Russian navigators collected a lot of valuable information about this country, about its state structure, economy, life and customs of the Chinese people.

“Welfare,” wrote Kruzenshtern, “and the peace of the Chinese is a false brilliance that deceives us. It is already fairly well known that the number of the discontented has now spread throughout all of China. When I was in Canton in 1798, three provinces were in revolt ... but now many regions are in revolt, almost the entire southern part of China is armed against the government. A spark smolders to universal indignation.”

In February 1806, the Nadezhda and the Neva set off on a further journey through the South China Sea and the Indian Ocean around the Cape of Good Hope to Europe.

Having passed the complex labyrinth of the Malay Archipelago, the sloops entered the Sunda Strait, which connects the South China Sea with the Indian Ocean. Here they fell into a zone of severe storms, but thanks to the skill of their commanders, they safely passed the strait and entered the ocean.

In early April, Russian sailors saw in the distance the outlines of the land - it was the coast of Africa. In mid-April, at the Cape of Good Hope, the ships lost sight of each other in the fog.

Having circled the southern tip of Africa on April 7, the Nadezhda headed for the island of St. Helena, where the meeting of the ships was scheduled. Here Kruzenshtern learned about the outbreak of war between Russia and France. This event obliged the commander of Nadezhda to take measures in case of a meeting with French ships, especially since he left part of the ship's guns in Kamchatka, where they were necessary to protect Russian villages from the natives. Since it was not possible to get guns on St. Helena, Kruzenshtern decided to change the route somewhat and return to his homeland not by the English Channel, near which French ships usually cruised, but by circling England from the north.

“This path,” Kruzenshtern wrote in his diary, “should have been longer, as it was actually confirmed, but I recognized it as the most reliable under the circumstances.”

This decision should be considered correct also because Kruzenshtern did not meet the Neva near St. Helena. Before reaching the island a little, Lisyansky decided to change the route and, without entering any harbor, go straight to England.

"After verifying the number edible supplies, - wrote Lisyansky, - I saw that during economic use these were quite enough for three months, I decided to leave my previous intention to go to the island of St. Helena, and directed my path directly to England, being sure that such a brave enterprise would deliver us a great honor, for no navigator like us has ever ventured on such a long journey without going anywhere for rest.

Lisyansky brilliantly fulfilled his plan. On April 12, the Neva entered the Atlantic Ocean, on April 28 crossed the Greenwich meridian, and on June 16 entered the Portsmouth roadstead. Thus, for the first time in the history of world navigation, a non-stop passage from South China to England was completed in 142 days.

After a two-week stay, the Neva headed for its native shores. On July 22, 1806, she dropped anchor in the Kronstadt roadstead. Two weeks later, Nadezhda also came here. The historic voyage around the world is over.

The glory of the first Russian round-the-world expedition, which spread throughout Russia and far beyond its borders, was well deserved. The results of this remarkable voyage enriched Russian science. New islands, straits, reefs, bays and capes were plotted on the world map, inaccuracies in the maps of the Pacific Ocean were corrected. Russian sailors made a description of the coast of Japan, Sakhalin, the Kuril ridge and many other areas along which their path lay.

But Kruzenshtern and Lisyansky did not confine themselves to discoveries of a purely geographical order. They conducted comprehensive studies of ocean waters. Russian navigators managed to study various currents and discover trade wind countercurrents in the Atlantic and Pacific oceans. The expedition collected the richest information about transparency, specific gravity, density and temperature of sea water at various depths, climate, atmospheric pressure, tides in various regions of the oceans and other data that laid the foundation for a new marine science - oceanography, which studies phenomena in the World Ocean and its parts.

The richest collections collected by Kruzenshtern and Lisyansky, provided with detailed descriptions, significantly supplemented ethnography with information about the countries visited by Russian ships.

Upon returning to Russia, Kruzenshtern and Lisyansky began to prepare works for publication, in which they summarized all their observations during a three-year voyage. But in order to publish these works, they had to expend a lot of effort to overcome the bureaucracy of the Admiralty officials, to overcome hostility towards Russian navigators who served in the naval department of the noblemen-Englishmen.

Despite all the difficulties, Kruzenshtern managed in 1809-1812 to publish his work at public expense. Lisyansky, who completed the preparation of the work for publication almost simultaneously with Kruzenshtern, had to endure many insults and troubles until his book was published. Admiralty officials twice refused to publish it, allegedly "due to a multitude of errors against Russian language and syllable."

Offended by such a dismissive attitude towards his work for the benefit of Russian science and the fleet, Lisyansky decided not to return to naval service.

The tsarist officials failed to appreciate the work of Russian sailors-researchers. However, the scientific significance of the discoveries of the first Russian round-the-world expedition was so great that, despite the complexity of the political situation of that time in connection with the Patriotic War of 1812, the work of I.F. Kruzenshtern was published in almost all European countries. It was translated into French, German, English, Dutch, Italian, Danish and Swedish, and Lisyansky's work was translated by the author himself into English language. The entire civilized world was interested in the works of Russian scientists.

Ivan Fedorovich Kruzenshtern stayed on military service and devoted himself to scientific work. In 1811 he was appointed class inspector of the Naval Corps.

In 1815, having received a sick leave, Kruzenshtern began compiling the "Atlas of the South Sea" necessary for navigators. He devoted many years to this work.

The significance of the Atlas of the South Sea for the development of geographical science and navigation is enormous.

“Kruzenshtern,” stated in his biography published by the Russian Academy of Sciences, “with his usual patience and insight, began to analyze the entire vast mass of information that had accumulated over the course of a whole century. Strictly sorting the collected materials according to the degree of their reliability, he restored orderly order in this chaos step by step.

"Atlas" Krusenstern was recognized by scientists around the world. Since its publication, not a single ship has gone to sea without a complete set of maps from the Atlas of the Southern Seas.

Kruzenshtern had a great influence on the further development of Russian geographical science and navigation. With his direct participation, the travels of Baer-Middendorf, Kotzebue, Wrangel and Litke were organized. Kruzenshtern was the first to express the idea of ​​the need to organize an expedition to the Antarctic and wrote instructions for it. At the suggestion of Kruzenshtern, F.F. Bellingshausen was appointed head of this expedition.

During the fifteen years of leadership of the Marine Corps, Kruzenshtern achieved many changes in the system of education and training of cadets and midshipmen.

The great merits of the famous navigator were duly appreciated by the scientists of Russia and Europe. The Russian Academy of Sciences elected him an honorary member, the University of Derpt awarded him an honorary doctorate of philosophy from the Academy of Paris, London and Göttingen elected him their corresponding member.

In 1842, the scientist and navigator retired and settled near Tallinn. Four years later, the first Russian "circumnavigator" died.

The famous Russian navigator was not forgotten by his compatriots. With the money collected by subscription, on November 6, 1869, a bronze monument was erected to him in front of the building of the Naval Corps on the Neva embankment in St. Petersburg. The name of Kruzenshtern is immortalized on the world map. Named in his honor: a mountain on the northern island of New Zealand, a cape in Coronation Bay (Canada), a bay on the western coast of the Yamal Peninsula, a strait between the islands of Matua and Traps in the Kuril chain, islands in the Tuamotu archipelago, in the Marshall Archipelago, in the Radak chain and in the Bering Strait, surface rocks southwest of the Hawaiian Islands.

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The story of the first round-the-world expedition of I.F. Kruzenshtern and Yu.F. Lisyansky. About how two captains circled the globe for the first time under the flag of the Russian navy despite the cruel circumstances that prevented their dream.

Background and purpose of the expedition

The petitions of Captain Ivan Kruzenshtern were collecting dust on the tables of the Admiralty officials. The clerks considered Russia a land power and did not understand why it was necessary to go to the ends of the world at all - to draw up herbariums and maps ?! Desperate, Krusenstern surrenders. Now his choice is marriage and a quiet life ... And the project of Captain Kruzenshtern would certainly have been lost in the back drawers of the Admiralty officials, if not for private capital - the Russian-American Company. Its main business is trade with Alaska. At that time, the business was extremely profitable: a sable skin bought in Alaska for a ruble could be sold in St. Petersburg for 600. But the trouble is: the journey from the capital to Alaska and back took ... 5 years. What a trade!

On July 29, 1802, the company turned to Emperor Alexander I - also, by the way, its shareholder - with a request to allow a round-the-world expedition under the Kruzenshtern project. The goals are to deliver the necessary supplies to Alaska, pick up the goods, and at the same time establish trade with China and Japan. Nikolai Rezanov, a member of the board of the company, filed a petition.

On August 7, 1802, just a week after the petition was submitted, the project was approved. It was also decided to send an embassy to Japan with an expedition, headed by Nikolai Rezanov. Captain-Lieutenant Kruzenshtern was appointed head of the expedition.

Left - Ivan Fedorovich Kruzenshtern, right - Yuri Fedorovich Lisyansky


The composition of the expedition, preparation for sailing

In the summer of 1803, two sailing sloops left the harbor of Kronstadt - the Nadezhda and the Neva. The captain of Nadezhda was Ivan Kruzenshtern, the captain of the Neva was his friend and classmate Yuri Lisyansky. The sloops "Nadezhda" and "Neva" are three-masted ships of Kruzenshtern and Lisyansky, capable of carrying up to 24 guns. They were bought in England for 230,000 rubles, originally called Leander and Thames. The length of the "Hope" is 117 feet, i.e. about 35 meters with a width of 8.5 meters, a displacement of 450 tons. The length of the Neva is 108 feet, the displacement is 370 tons.

On board the Nadezhda were:

    midshipmen Thaddeus Bellingshausen and Otto Kotzebue, who later glorified the Russian fleet with their expeditions

    Ambassador Rezanov Nikolai Petrovich (to establish diplomatic relations with Japan) and his retinue

    scientists Horner, Tilesius and Langsdorf, artist Kurlyantsev

    in a mysterious way, the famous brawler and duellist Count Fyodor Tolstoy, who went down in history as Tolstoy the American, also got on the expedition.

Ivan Krusenstern. 32 years. A descendant of a Russified German noble family. He was released from the Naval Corps ahead of schedule in connection with the Russian-Swedish war. Repeatedly participated in naval battles. Cavalier of the Order of St. George IV degree. He served as a volunteer on the ships of the English fleet, visited the coasts of North America, South Africa, the East Indies and China.

Yermolai Levenstern. 26 years. Lieutenant of Hope. He was distinguished by poor health, but he carried out his service diligently and accurately. In his diary, he described in detail all the incidents of the expedition, including curious and obscene ones. He gave unflattering characteristics to all his comrades, with the exception of Kruzenshtern, to whom he was sincerely devoted.

Makar Ratmanov. 31 years. First Lieutenant of the sloop Nadezhda. Kruzenshtern's classmate in the Naval Corps. The most senior officer of the expedition. participated in the Russian-Swedish war, then, as part of the squadron of Fyodor Ushakov, in the capture of the fortress of Corfu and ionian islands. He was distinguished by rare courage, as well as directness in his statements.

Nikolay Rezanov. 38 years. From an impoverished noble family. He served in the Izmailovsky Life Guards Regiment, then as a secretary of various offices. Arousing the jealousy of the favorite of the Empress Platon Zubov, he was sent to Irkutsk to inspect the activities of the entrepreneur Grigory Shelikhov. He married the daughter of Shelikhov and became a co-owner of a huge capital. He obtained permission from Emperor Paul to establish the Russian-American Company and became one of its leaders.

Count Fyodor Tolstoy, 21 years old. Guard lieutenant, member of Rezanov's retinue. He became famous in St. Petersburg as an intriguer, adventurer and sharpie. He got on the expedition by accident: he challenged his regiment commander to a duel, and in order to avoid trouble, by decision of the family, he ended up on the voyage instead of his cousin.

Wilhelm Theophilus Tilesius von Tilenau. 35 years. German physician, botanist, zoologist and naturalist. An excellent draftsman who compiled a drawn chronicle of the expedition. Subsequently, he will make a name for himself in science. There is a version that many of his drawings were copied from the works of his colleague and rival Langsdorf.

Baron Georg-Heinrich von Langsdorf, 29 years old. M.D. He worked as a doctor in Portugal, in his spare time he conducted natural science research, collected collections. Active member of the Physical Society of the University of Göttingen. St. Petersburg Academy of Sciences.

Johann-Kaspar Horner, 31 years old. Swiss astronomer. Called from Zurich to participate in the expedition as a staff astronomer. He was distinguished by a rare calmness and endurance.

Sloop "Hope"

Sloop "Neva": Commander - Lisyansky Yuri Fedorovich.

The total number of the ship's crew is 54 people.

Yuri Lisyansky. 29 years. Since childhood, I dreamed of the sea. At the age of 13, he was prematurely released from the St. Petersburg Naval Corps in connection with the Russian-Swedish War. Participated in several battles. At the age of 16 he was promoted to midshipman. Cavalier of the Order of St. George 4th degree. He was distinguished by exceptional demands on himself and his subordinates.


Preparing for the expedition

At the beginning of the 19th century, spots were whitening on the maps of the Atlantic and, most importantly, the Pacific Oceans. Russian sailors had to cross the Great Ocean almost blindly. The ships were supposed to go through Copenhagen and Falmouth to the Canary Islands, then to Brazil, then to Easter Island, the Marquesas Islands, Honolulu and Kamchatka, where the ships would separate: the Neva would go to the shores of Alaska, and the Nadezhda to Japan. In Canton (China), the ships should meet and return together to Kronstadt. The ships sailed according to the regulations of the Russian navy. Twice a day - in the morning and in the late afternoon - exercises were held: setting and cleaning sails, as well as alarms in case of a fire or a hole. For the team's lunch, suspended tables attached to the ceiling were lowered in the cockpit. For lunch and dinner, they gave one dish - cabbage soup with meat or corned beef or porridge with butter. Before meals, the team received a glass of vodka or rum, and those who did not drink were paid nine kopecks a month for each glass they did not drink. At the end of the work, it was heard: “To the team to sing and have fun!”


The sloops "Neva" and "Nadezhda" during a round-the-world voyage. Artist S.V.Pen.


Expedition route of Kruzenshtern and Lisyansky

The expedition left Kronstadt on July 26, old style (August 7, new style), heading for Copenhagen. Then the route followed the scheme Falmouth (Great Britain) - Santa Cruz de Tenerife (Canary Islands) - Florianopolis (Brazil) - Easter Island - Nukuhiwa (Marquesas Islands) - Honolulu (Hawaiian Islands) - Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky - Nagasaki (Japan) - Hokkaido Island (Japan) - Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk - Sitka (Alaska) - Kodiak (Alaska) - Guangzhou (China) - Macau (Portugal) - Saint Helena - Corvo and Flores Islands (Azores) - Portsmouth (Great Britain). On August 5 (17), 1806, the expedition returned to Kronstadt, having completed the entire journey in 3 years and 12 days.

Sailing Description

Equator

On November 26, 1803, ships under the Russian flag "Nadezhda" and "Neva" crossed the equator for the first time and entered the Southern Hemisphere. According to the maritime tradition, the feast of Neptune was arranged.

Cape Horn and Nuka Hiva

The Neva and Nadezhda entered the Pacific Ocean separately, but the captains foresaw this option and agreed in advance on the meeting place - the Marquesas Archipelago, the island of Nukuhiva. But Lisyansky decided on the way to also go to Easter Island - to check if Nadezhda had been brought here. The Nadezhda safely rounded Cape Horn and entered the Pacific Ocean on March 3, 1804, and in the early morning of Easter Sunday, April 24, 1804, on the 235th day of sailing, the land appeared in a sunny haze. Nuka Hiva today is a small sleepy island. There are only two roads and three villages, one of which is the capital called Taiohae. There are 2,770 souls on the whole island, who are slowly engaged in the production of copra and auxiliary households. In the evenings, when the heat subsides, they sit by the houses or play petanque, an entertainment for adults brought by the French ... The center of life is a tiny pier, the only place where you can see several people at once at once, and even then in the early morning on Saturday, when fishermen bring fresh fish. On the 4th day of the stay at Nuku Hiva, a messenger from the king arrived to the captain with urgent news: at dawn from the mountain they saw a large ship far out to sea. It was the long-awaited "Neva".

Equator

Alaska

Russian America from 1799 to 1867 was called possession Russian Empire in North America - the Alaska Peninsula, the Aleutian Islands, the Alexander Archipelago and some settlements on the Pacific coast. "Neva" safely reached the goal and crept up to the shores of Alaska on July 10, 1804. Destination - Pavlovskaya Bay on Kodiak Island, the capital of Russian America. After Cape Horn and the island of cannibals, this part of the voyage seemed quiet and boring to sailors ... But they were wrong. In 1804, the crew of the Neva ended up here in the very center of hostilities. The warlike Tlingit tribe rebelled against the Russians, killing the small garrison of the fort.

The Russian-American Trading Company was founded in 1799 by the "Russian Columbus" - merchant Shelikhov, father-in-law of Nikolai Rezanov. The company traded in mined furs, walrus tusks, whalebone, and blubber. But its main task was to strengthen the distant colonies... Alexander Baranov was the manager of the company. The weather in Alaska, even in summer, is changeable - sometimes rain, sometimes sunshine ... It's understandable: the north. The cozy town of Sitka lives today by fishing and tourism. Here, too, much reminds of the times of Russian America. Here, to help Baranov, Lisyansky hurried. The detachment under the command of Baranov, who went to Sitka, consisted of 120 fishermen and about 800 Aleuts and Eskimos. They were opposed by several hundred Indians, fortified in a wooden fortress ... In those cruel times, the tactics of opponents were the same everywhere: no one was left alive. After several attempts at negotiations, Baranov and Lisyansky decide to storm the fortress. A landing force landed on the shore - 150 people - Russians and Aleuts with five guns.

Russian losses after the assault amounted to 8 people killed (including three sailors from the Neva) and 20 wounded, including the head of Alaska, Baranov. The Aleuts also counted their losses... For several more days, the Indians, besieged in the fortress, self-confidently fired at Russian longboats and even at the Neva. And then suddenly a messenger was sent asking for peace.

Sloop "Neva" off the coast of Alaska

Nagasaki

The Russian embassy of Nikolai Rezanov and Ivan Kruzenshtern was waiting for the answer of the shogun off the coast of Japan. Only two and a half months later, Nadezhda was allowed to enter the port and approach the shore, and Kruzenshtern's ship with Ambassador Rezanov entered the harbor of Nagasaki on October 8, 1804. The Japanese announced that in 30 days a "big man" would arrive from the capital and announce the will of the emperor. But week after week passed, and still there was no “big man” ... After a month and a half of negotiations, the Japanese finally allocated a small house to the envoy and his retinue. And then they fenced off a garden for exercise near the house - 40 by 10 meters.

The ambassador was told that there was no possibility of receiving him at court. Also, the shogun cannot accept gifts, because he will have to respond in kind, and Japan does not have large ships to send them to the king ... The Japanese government cannot conclude a trade agreement with Russia, because the law prohibits communication with other nations ... And for the same reason, all Russian ships were henceforth forbidden to enter Japanese harbors ... However, the emperor ordered that the sailors be provided with provisions. And he gave out 2000 bags of salt, 2000 silk rugs and 100 bags of millet. Rezanov's diplomatic mission was a failure. For the crew of the Nadezhda, this meant that after many months in the Nagasaki roadstead, they could finally continue sailing.

Sakhalin

"Nadezhda" went around the entire northern tip of Sakhalin. On the way, Kruzenshtern called the open capes the names of his officers. Now Sakhalin has Cape Ratmanov, Cape Levenstern, Mount Espenberga, Cape Golovachev ... One of the bays was named after the ship - Nadezhda Bay. Only 44 years later, Lieutenant Commander Gennady Nevelskoy will be able to prove that Sakhalin is an island by navigating a ship through a narrow strait, which will receive his name. But even without this discovery, Krusenstern's research on Sakhalin was very significant. He mapped a thousand kilometers of Sakhalin coast for the first time.

To Macau

The next meeting point for the Neva and Nadezhda was the nearby port of Macau. Krusenstern arrived in Macau on November 20, 1805. A warship could not stay in Macau for long, even with a load of mechs on board. Then Kruzenshtern announced that he intended to buy so many goods that they would not fit on his ship, and he needed to wait for the arrival of the second ship. But week after week went by, and still there was no Neva. In early December, when the Nadezhda was about to go to sea, the Neva finally appeared. Her holds were filled with furs: 160 thousand skins of a sea beaver and a fur seal. This amount of "soft gold" was quite capable of bringing down the Canton fur market. February 9, 1806 "Nadezhda" and "Neva" left the Chinese coast and headed home. "Neva" and "Nadezhda" went together for quite a long time, but on April 3, at the Cape of Good Hope, in cloudy weather, they lost each other. Kruzenshtern appointed the island of St. Helena as the meeting place for such a case, where he arrived on April 21.

Bypassing the English Channel

Krusenstern, in order to avoid meeting with French privateers, chose a detour: around the northern tip of Scotland to the North Sea and further through the Kiel Strait to the Baltic. Lisyansky in the Azores region learned about the beginning of the war, but still went across the English Channel, risking meeting the French. And he became the first captain in world history who made a non-stop passage from China to England in 142 days.


What Ivan Kruzenshtern and Yuri Lisyansky discovered

New islands, straits, reefs, bays and capes were drawn on the world map

Fixed inaccuracies in Pacific Ocean maps

Russian sailors made a description of the coast of Japan, Sakhalin, the Kuril ridge and many other areas
Kruzenshtern and Lisyansky conducted a comprehensive study of ocean waters Russian navigators managed to study various currents and discover trade wind countercurrents in the Atlantic and Pacific oceans

The expedition collected rich information about the transparency, specific gravity, density and temperature of sea water at various depths.

The expedition collected rich information about climate, atmospheric pressure, tides in various regions of the oceans and other data that laid the foundation for a new marine science - oceanography, which studies phenomena in the World Ocean and its parts.

The significance of the expedition for the development of geography and other sciences

The first Russian round-the-world expedition made a huge contribution to geographical science: it erased non-existent islands from the world map and specified the coordinates of the real islands. Ivan Kruzenshtern described part of the Kuril Islands, the islands of Japan and the coast of Sakhalin. A new science appeared - oceanology: no one before Kruzenshtern had conducted research into the depths of the sea. The expedition members also collected valuable collections: botanical, zoological, ethnographic. Over the next 30 years, another 36 Russian circumnavigations were made. Including, with the direct participation of the officers of the Neva and Nadezhda.

Records and Awards

Ivan Kruzenshtern was awarded the Order of St. Anna II degree

Emperor Alexander I royally awarded I.F. Kruzenshtern and all members of the expedition. All officers received the following ranks:

    commanders of the Order of St. Vladimir 3rd degree and 3000 rubles each.

    lieutenants by 1000

    midshipmen for 800 rubles of a life pension

    the lower ranks, if desired, were dismissed and awarded a pension of 50 to 75 rubles.

    By the highest command, a special medal was knocked out for all participants in this first round-the-world trip.

Yuri Lisyansky became the first captain in world history to make a non-stop passage from China to England in 142 days.

Brief information about the life of the expedition participants after its completion

Participation in this campaign changed the fate of Langsdorf. In 1812, he will be appointed Russian consul in Rio de Janeiro and organize an expedition to the interior of Brazil. The herbariums he collected, descriptions of the languages ​​and traditions of the Indians are still considered a unique, unsurpassed collection.

The first crossing of the equator by Russian sailors

Of the officers who circumnavigated the world, many served with honor in the Russian Navy. Cadet Otto Kotzebue became the commander of the ship and later made a trip around the world in this capacity. Thaddeus Bellingshausen later led a round-the-world expedition on the sloops Vostok and Mirny and discovered Antarctica.

For participation in the round-the-world trip, Yuri Lisyansky was promoted to captain of the second rank, received from the emperor a lifetime pension of 3,000 rubles and a one-time award from the Russian-American Company of 10,000 rubles. After returning from the expedition, Lisyansky continued to serve in the Navy. In 1807 he led a squadron of nine ships in the Baltic and went to Gotland and Bornholm to watch the English warships. In 1808 he was appointed commander of the Emgaten ship.

Ivan Fyodorovich Kruzenshtern

In the history of the first half of XIX century, a number of brilliant geographical studies are known. Among them, one of the most prominent places belongs to Russian round-the-world travel.

Russia in early XIX For centuries, it has been a leader in organizing and conducting round-the-world voyages and ocean research.

The first voyage of Russian ships around the world under the command of lieutenant commanders I.F. Kruzenshtern and Yu.F. Lisyansky lasted three years, like most of the round-the-world voyages of that time. With this journey in 1803, a whole era of remarkable Russian round-the-world expeditions began.
Yuri Fyodorovich Lisyansky

Yu.F. Lisyansky received an order to go to England to buy two ships intended for circumnavigation. These ships, Nadezhda and Neva, Lisyansky bought in London for 22,000 pounds sterling, which was almost the same in gold rubles at the exchange rate of that time. The price for the purchase of "Nadezhda" and "Neva" was actually equal to 17,000 pounds sterling, but for the corrections they had to pay an additional 5,000 pounds. The ship "Nadezhda" has already counted three years from the date of its launch, and the "Neva" is only fifteen months old. "Neva" had a displacement of 350 tons, and "Nadezhda" - 450 tons.

sloop "Hope"

Sloop “Neva”

In England, Lisyansky bought a number of sextants, compasses, barometers, a hygrometer, several thermometers, one artificial magnet, chronometers by Arnold and Pettiwgton, and more. Chronometers were tested by Academician Schubert. All other instruments were Troughton's work. Astronomical and physical instruments were designed to observe longitudes and latitudes and orient the ship. Lisyansky took care to purchase a whole pharmacy of medicines and antiscorbutic drugs, since in those days scurvy was one of the most dangerous diseases during long voyages. Equipment for the expedition was also purchased from England, including comfortable, durable clothing suitable for various climatic conditions for the team. There was a spare set of underwear and dresses. Mattresses, pillows, sheets and blankets were ordered for each of the sailors. The ship's provisions were the best. The crackers prepared in St. Petersburg did not spoil for two whole years, just like saltonia, whose ambassador with domestic salt was produced by the merchant Oblomkov. The Nadezhda team consisted of 58 people, and the Neva of 47. They were selected from volunteer sailors, who turned out to be so many that everyone who wanted to participate in a round-the-world trip could be enough to complete several expeditions. It should be noted that none of the crew members participated in long-distance voyages, since in those days Russian ships did not descend south of the northern tropic. The task that confronted the officers and the expedition team was not easy. They had to cross two oceans, go around the dangerous Cape Horn, famous for its storms, and rise to 60 ° N. sh., to visit a number of little-studied coasts, where sailors could expect uncharted and undescribed pitfalls and other dangers. But the command of the expedition was so confident in the strength of its "officers and ratings" that it rejected the offer to take on board several foreign sailors familiar with the conditions of long-distance voyages. Of the foreigners in the expedition were naturalists Tilesius von Tilenau, Langsdorf and astronomer Horner. Horner was of Swiss origin. He worked at the then famous Seeberg Observatory, the head of which recommended him to Count Rumyantsev. The expedition was also accompanied by a painter from the Academy of Arts. The artist and scientists were together with the Russian envoy to Japan, N.P. Rezanov, and his retinue on board the large ship Nadezhda. "Hope" was commanded by Kruzenshtern. Lisyansky was entrusted with the command of the Neva. Although Kruzenshtern was listed as the commander of the Nadezhda and the head of the expedition for the Naval Ministry, in the instructions transmitted by Alexander I to the Russian ambassador to Japan, N.P. Rezanov, he was called the chief head of the expedition.

N.P. Rezanov

This dual position was the cause of the conflict between Rezanov and Krusenstern. Therefore, Kruzenshtern repeatedly sent reports to the Office of the Russian-American Company, where he wrote that he was called upon by the highest order to command the expedition and that "it was entrusted to Rezanov" without his knowledge, to which he would never have agreed that his position "does not consist only in watching the sails", etc.

Great Ancestor Crusius

The Kruzenshtern family gave Russia several generations of travelers and sailors.
Ancestor of the Krusensterns, German diplomat Philip Crusius (1597-1676) in 1633-1635. headed two embassies of the Schleswig-Holstein Duke Frederick III to the Moscow Tsar Mikhail Fedorovich and the Persian Shah Sefi. The travel notes collected by Philip Crusius and the embassy secretary Adam Olearius (1599-1671) formed the basis of the most famous encyclopedic work on Russia in the 17th century. - "Descriptions of a journey to Muscovy and through Muscovy to Persia and back" by Adam Olearius.
Returning from Muscovy, Philip Crusius went to the service of the Swedish Queen Christina and in 1648 received the surname Kruzenshtern and a new coat of arms, crowned with a Persian turban in memory of his journey. In 1659, he became governor of all of Estonia (it then belonged to the Swedes). His grandson, Swedish Lieutenant Colonel Evert Philipp von Krusenstern (1676-1748), a participant in the Northern War, was taken prisoner near Narva in 1704 and lived in exile in Tobolsk for 20 years, and upon his return he bought out the mortgaged patrimonial estates Haggud and Ahagfer. The landowner of the Haggud, Vahast and Perisaar estates was Judge Johann Friedrich von Krusenstern (1724-1791), the admiral's father.

Ivan Fedorovich, the first "Russian" Krusenstern

In Haggud, on November 8, 1770, the most prominent representative of the Kruzenshtern family, Ivan Fedorovich, was born. Biographers usually write that the maritime career for Ivan Fedorovich was chosen by chance and that there were no sailors in the family before him. However, Ivan Fedorovich's father could not help but know about his own cousin Moritz-Adolf (1707-1794), an outstanding admiral of the Swedish fleet.
Ivan Fedorovich Kruzenshtern (1770-1846), having finished the Naval Cadet Corps ahead of schedule due to the outbreak of the Russian-Swedish War (1788-1790), successfully fought the Swedes on the Mstislav ship. In 1793, together with Yu.F. Lisyansky and other young officers were sent "for an internship" to England, where he served on the ships of the English fleet off the coast of North and Central America, sailed to Africa and India. In Philadelphia, both Kruzenshtern and Lisyansky met with American President George Washington. Returning to his homeland, in 1800 Kruzenshtern submitted a project for circumnavigating the world for trade and scientific purposes. The project was initially rejected - the unknown author had no patronage, Russia, which was constantly at war with France at that time, did not have enough funds, and the ministers believed that the country was strong in the land army and it was not appropriate for her to compete at sea with the British.
However, in July 1802, Emperor Alexander I approved the project, leaving Kruzenshtern to carry it out himself. The purchase of the ships "Nadezhda" and "Neva", provisions and all necessary goods was undertaken by the Russian-American company, created to develop Russian possessions in North America - in Alaska, the Aleutian Islands, Kodiak, Sitka and Unalashka. The company's industrialists hunted sea otters, fur seals, arctic foxes, foxes, bears and harvested valuable furs, walrus tusks.

Japanese question

In 1802, the emperor and the minister of commerce had the idea to send an embassy to Japan on the Nadezhda. In Japan, lying close to Kamchatka and Russian America, it was planned to buy rice for Russian settlements in the North. The Japanese embassy was offered to be headed by Chamberlain Nikolai Petrovich Rezanov, one of the organizers and shareholders of the Russian-American Company, its “authorized correspondent”, Chief Prosecutor of the 1st Department of the Senate, Commander of the Order of St. John of Jerusalem. Emperor Alexander clearly did not attach special significance Rezanov's diplomatic mission. The ambassador, who himself was not a diplomat, received a completely unrepresentative retinue. When sailing from St. Petersburg, the ambassador was not given a soldier - a guard of honor. Later, he managed to "rent" from the Governor-General of Kamchatka P.I. Koshelev two non-commissioned officers, a drummer and five soldiers.

Embassy gifts could hardly interest the Japanese. It was unreasonable to bring porcelain dishes and fabrics to Japan, let's remember the elegant Japanese, Chinese and Korean porcelain and magnificent silk kimonos. Among the gifts intended for the Emperor of Japan were beautiful silver fox furs - in Japan, the fox was considered an unclean animal.
Rezanov was stationed on the main ship "Nadezhda" (under the command of Krusenstern); "Neva" was led by Yu.F. Lisyansky. A whole “scientific faculty” was sailing on the Nadezhda: the Swiss astronomer I.-K. Horner, Germans - doctor, botanist, zoologist and artist V.T. Tilesius; traveler, ethnographer, physician and naturalist G.G. von Langsdorf, MD K.F. Espenberg. There were also talented young people on the ship - 16-year-old cadet Otto Kotzebue, in the future the head of two round-the-world voyages - on the Rurik and on the Enterprise - and midshipman Thaddeus Bellingshausen, the future discoverer of Antarctica.

The hardships of swimming

The Nadezhda was 117 feet (35 m) long and 28 feet 4 inches (8.5 m) wide, the Neva was even smaller. On board the "Nadezhda" were constantly 84 officers, crew and passengers (scientists and N.P. Rezanov's retinue). The ship was also overloaded with goods that were being transported to Okhotsk, provisions for two years; one gift for the Japanese occupied 50 boxes and bales. Due to crowding and overcrowding, the two highest ranks of the expedition - Kruzenshtern and Rezanov - did not have separate cabins and huddled in one captain's cabin, not exceeding 6 m2 with a minimum ceiling height.

On the ship, on dark tropical nights, they worked by candlelight; only an additional jersey was saved from the cold in high latitudes; there were only 3 latrines for 84 people; it was impossible to wash properly because of the constant lack of fresh water. And all this is either in the cold, or in the heat, or in a storm (“Nadezhda” suffered nine severe storms, when the ship almost died), then in the dead calm of the tropics. Exhausting pitching and swell constantly caused seasickness. The "Nadezhda" kept livestock to replenish the diet: pigs, or a pair of bulls, or a cow with a calf, a goat, chickens, ducks, geese. They all roared, mooed and grunted in the cages on the deck, they had to be constantly cleaned up, and the pigs were even washed once, thrown overboard and thoroughly rinsed in the Atlantic Ocean.
In October 1803, the expedition entered Tenerife (Canary Islands), on November 14 (26) Russian ships crossed the equator for the first time and celebrated Christmas on the island of Santa Catarina off the coast of Brazil, which amazed sailors with rich animals and flora. In Brazil, the Russians spent a whole month while the damaged mast was being changed on the Neva.

I.F. Kruzenshtern and Yu.F. Lisyansky

After passing Cape Horn, the ships parted during a storm - Lisyansky explored Easter Island, and Kruzenshtern headed straight for Nuku Khiva (Marquesas Islands), where they met in early May 1804. During the transition from Brazil to the Marquesas Islands, drinking water was strictly rationed. Each received a cup of water a day to drink. There was not enough fresh food, the sailors and officers ate corned beef, the food was too monotonous.
In the harsh conditions of navigation, it was necessary not only to survive, but also to work. Officers had to keep watch in any weather, take trigonometric surveys, and sometimes do things themselves that the sailors did not know how or did not want to do. On their shoulders lay the management of loading and unloading, repairing sails and rigging, cranking and searching for leaks. They kept travel journals, studied themselves and taught young people. Naturalists continuously made stuffed fish and birds, preserved and dried marine animals in alcohol, made herbariums, drew and also kept diaries and described scientific observations.
The lieutenants stood on 3 watches: during the day twice for 3 hours and once at night for 4 hours. The sailors had 3 watches for 4 hours and one for 2 hours - from 12 noon to 16.00. Three hours a day were spent on astronomical calculations, an hour on writing a journal.
In Nuku Hiva, Russians, to their surprise, met two Europeans - the Englishman E. Robarts and the Frenchman J. Kabri (who had lived there for 5 years and married local women), who helped load the ships with firewood, fresh water, food and served as translators at communication with local residents. And perhaps they had the most exotic impressions from their acquaintance with Oceania - the Marquesas, Easter and Hawaiian Islands.

Conflict in the Marquesas

The navigation was further complicated by the fact that Rezanov, as the head of the embassy, ​​received, along with Kruzenshtern, the powers of the expedition leader, but announced this only when the ships were approaching Brazil, although he did not show any instructions. The officers simply did not believe him, the appointment of a land man as commander of a circumnavigation was so ridiculous. In the maritime charter, to this day, there is a rule that the captain of the ship in all cases and always is the captain of the ship, at least when crossing by sea.
On the Marquesas Islands, 9 months after sailing from Kronstadt, the confrontation between the officers and Rezanov turned into a quarrel. Kruzenshtern, seeing that pigs could be exchanged with the Marquesans only for iron axes, forbade them to be exchanged for native jewelry and clubs until the ship was supplied with fresh meat: after a difficult transition from Brazil, the crew members were already beginning to have scurvy. Rezanov sent his clerk Shemelin to trade marquis "rarities" for axes. Eventually the price of axes dropped and the Russians were only able to buy a few pigs.
In addition, Nuku Hiva at the beginning of the XIX century. was not a tourist paradise, but an island inhabited by cannibals. The prudent Kruzenshtern did not let the members of his team ashore alone, but only in an organized team under the leadership of officers. Under such conditions, it was necessary to observe the most severe military discipline, possible only with one-man command.
Mutual displeasure turned into a quarrel, and the officers of both ships demanded an explanation from Rezanov and the public announcement of his instructions. Rezanov read the imperial rescript he had and his own instructions. The officers decided that Rezanov compiled them himself, and the emperor approved them without reviewing them in advance. Rezanov, on the other hand, claimed that Kruzenshtern, even before leaving Kronstadt, saw his instructions and knew for sure that it was Rezanov who was the chief commander of the expedition. However, if Kruzenshtern had not been firmly convinced that it was he who was leading the expedition, the project of which he himself proposed, he simply would not have set sail on such terms.
Navy historian N.L. Klado put forward the version that Rezanov presented Kruzenshtern in Kronstadt not instructions, but only the highest rescript, in which nothing was said about the order of subordination. To demand from the chamberlain to present instructions regarding his Japanese mission, Lieutenant Commander Kruzenshtern, junior both in rank and in age, clearly could not.
After the conflict in the Marquesas Islands, Rezanov locked himself in his half of the cabin and did not go out on deck, which saved him from the need for explanations.
From the Marquesas Islands, both ships reached Hawaii, from where Lisyansky went to Russian America, where he helped the main ruler of the Russian colonies in America, A.A. Baranov to recapture the Sitka fortress captured by the Indians

"Neva" off the coast of Alaska

Landing from the "Neva" (battle with the Indians)

"Hope" arrived in Kamchatka (July 3/15, 1804) and N.P. Rezanov immediately wrote to the Governor-General of Kamchatka P.I. Koshelev, who was then in Nizhne-Kamchatsk. The accusations brought by Rezanov were so severe that the governor-general began an investigation. Realizing the insulting hopelessness of the situation. I.F. Kruzenshtern, with the determination of a man who is confident in his rightness, aggravates the situation to the limit, putting Rezanov in front of the need to publicly declare his position, and therefore, to bear responsibility for it.

The sustained position of Koshelev contributed to the conclusion of a formal reconciliation, which took place on August 8, 1804.
The further voyage to Japan was already proceeding calmly, there were no discussions about the authorities. The emperor did not move forward with the matter, agreeing that reconciliation in Kamchatka ended the conflict, and in July 1805, after the ship returned from Japan, the Order of St. Anna of the II degree was delivered to Kamchatka from him, and Rezanov - a snuffbox, showered with diamonds, and a gracious rescript dated April 28, 1805, as evidence of his goodwill towards both. Upon returning to St. Petersburg, Kruzenshtern received the Order of St. Vladimir with a rescript putting everything in its place: “To our fleet, Lieutenant Commander Kruzenshtern. Having completed a journey around the world with the desired success, you justified the fair opinion about you, in which, by the will of OUR, you were entrusted with the main leadership of this expedition.

Japan, America, the legend of the "last love"
Kruzenshtern, having unloaded company goods in Kamchatka in the summer of 1804, went to Japan, then closed from the whole world, where the Nadezhda, while negotiations were underway with Japanese officials, was anchored near Nagasaki for more than six months (from September 1804 to April 1805

"Hope" off the coast of Japan

The Japanese treated the sailors quite friendly: the ambassador and his retinue were provided with a house and a warehouse for gifts to the Japanese emperor on the shore, the embassy and the crew of the ship were transported daily with fresh products. However, the Japanese government, forcing Rezanov to wait 6 months for an answer, finally refused to accept the embassy and trade with Russia. The reason for the refusal is still not entirely clear: either the orientation of the shogun and his entourage towards isolationist politics played a role, or the unprofessional diplomat Rezanov frightened the Japanese with statements about how great and powerful Russia is (especially compared to small Japan).
In the summer of 1805, Nadezhda returned to Petropavlovsk, and then went to the Sea of ​​Okhotsk to explore Sakhalin. From Kamchatka, chamberlain Rezanov and naturalist Langsdorf went to Russian America on the galliot "Maria", and then on the "Juno" and "Avos" to California, where the chamberlain met his last love- Conchita (Concept Argüello). This story, for centuries, surrounded the name of Rezanov with a romantic halo, inspiring many writers. Returning to St. Petersburg through Siberia, Rezanov caught a cold and died in Krasnoyarsk in 1807.

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"Nadezhda" and "Neva" met at the end of 1805 in Macao (southern China), where, having sold a load of furs, they bought tea, fabrics and other Chinese goods. Nadezhda, having entered St. Helena, Helsingor and Copenhagen, returned to Kronstadt on August 7 (19), 1806. The Neva returned two weeks earlier without entering St. Helena.
For most of the journey, Kruzenshtern and Lisyansky walked away from the routes already explored and everywhere they tried not only to determine the position of the ship in the most accurate way, but also to correct the maps they had. Kruzenshtern was the first to draw up detailed maps of Sakhalin, Japan, the southern coast of Nuku Khiva (Marquesas Islands), discovered several straits between the Kuril Islands, and Kamennye Trap Islands.
The merits of Kruzenshtern were highly appreciated by the world scientific community. Only one fact: in 1820, that is, during the life of Kruzenshtern, a book was published in London containing an overview of the main circumnavigations of all times and peoples, called "From Magellan to Kruzenshtern."
The first Russian round-the-world expedition strengthened Russia's positions in the northern part of the Pacific Ocean and drew attention not only to Kamchatka and Sakhalin, but also to the polar regions north of the Bering Strait.

Legacy of the first circumnavigation

Although the participants in the first Russian circumnavigation in the first quarter of the 19th century. published a number of works and descriptions of their journey, many of them have long become a bibliographic rarity, and some have not yet been published and are stored in archives. The most famous published work of Kruzenshtern is "Journey around the world."
But not in any edition of the XIX century. there are no such picturesque details of the circumnavigation as in the diaries of the lieutenants of the Nadezhda E.E. Levenshtern and M.I. Ratmanova, In 2003, the translation of Levenstern's diary was finally published. Ermolai Ermolaevich Levenshtern recorded every day all the funny, funny and even indecent incidents on board the Nadezhda, all the impressions of landing on the shore, especially in exotic countries - in Brazil, Polynesia, Japan, China. The diary of Makar Ivanovich Ratmanov, senior lieutenant of Nadezhda, has not yet been published.
The illustrations are even worse. Along with the out-of-print atlases, there is a whole collection of drawings and sketches that has never been published and seen by few. This gap was partially filled by the album “Around the World with Kruzenshtern”, dedicated to the historical and ethnographic heritage of the participants in the circumnavigation. Comparison of the same objects, places in the drawings of different authors helped to determine geographic features, not named in the Kruzenshtern atlas.
Kruzenshtern's voyage introduced not only Russia, but also world science to mysterious Japan. Travelers carried out mapping of the Japanese coast, collected ethnographic materials and drawings. The Russians, while staying in Nagasaki, sketched a huge amount of Japanese utensils, boats, flags and coats of arms (Japanese heraldry is still almost unknown in our country).
The sailors first introduced scientists to two ancient "exotic" peoples - the Ainu (Hokkaido and Sakhalin) and the Nivkhs (Sakhalin). The Russians also called the Ainu "shaggy" smokers: unlike the Japanese, the Ainu had wild shocks of hair on their heads and "shaggy" beards sticking out in different directions. And perhaps the main historical and ethnographic significance of the first Russian circumnavigation of the world is that it captured (in reports and drawings) the life of the Ainu, Nivkhs, Hawaiians, Marquesas before those radical changes that were soon brought about by contacts with Europeans. The engravings of the participants in the voyage of Kruzenshtern are a real treasure for scientists and artists involved in Polynesia, and above all the Marquesas Islands.
Already since the 1830s. Russian engravings began to be replicated, they illustrated books on the islands of Polynesia, art, and most importantly, aboriginal tattoos. It is interesting that the Marquesas still use these engravings: they draw them on tapa (matter from the bark) and sell them to tourists. Particularly popular with marquis artists are Langsdorff's engravings "The Warrior" and "The Young Warrior", although they are very coarse compared to the originals. The "Young Warrior", a symbol of the Marquess' past, is very popular among both locals and tourists. It even became the emblem of the Keikahanui Hotel in Nuku Hiva, one of the many luxury hotels in French Polynesia.
From the expedition of I.F. Kruzenshtern and Yu.F. Lisyansky, the era of Russian ocean voyages began. Following Kruzenshtern and Lisyansky, V.M. rushed to the ocean. Golovnin, O.E. Kotzebue. L.A. Gagemeister, M.N. Vasiliev, G.S. Shishmarev, F.P. Litke, F.P. Wrangel and many others. And just 12 years after the return of Kruzenshtern, Russian sailors F.F. Bellingshausen and M.P. Lazarev led their ships to the South Pole. This is how Russia ended the era of the Great Geographical Discoveries.

I.F. Kruzenshtern was the director of the Naval Cadet Corps, created the Higher Officer Classes, later transformed into the Naval Academy. He abolished corporal punishment in the corps, introduced new disciplines, founded the corps museum with ship models and an observatory. In memory of Kruzenshtern's activities in the Naval Cadet Corps, his office has been preserved, and graduates, maintaining the tradition, put on a vest on the bronze admiral the night before graduation.

monument to I.F. Kruzenshtern in Leningrad

grave of I.F. Kruzenshtern


Modern barque "Kruzenshtern" (training ship for cadets)

In 1803-1806. Ivan Kruzenshtern and Yuri Lisyansky (Ukrainian by origin) on the ships "Nadezhda" and "Neva" committed the first round-the-world trip in the history of the Russian Empire. They had to find the shortest route for trade between the Russian ports on the Baltic Sea and Alaska, which was then called Russian America.

Navigation began in 1803 from the port of Kronstadt, which is located on the Baltic Sea. In the Atlantic Ocean, for the first time in the history of the Russian fleet, the expedition crossed the line of the equator. During a long stop to repair the ship "Neva" on the coast of Brazil, the sailors saw that they were trading in slaves brought from Africa. Over time, the expedition headed south and through South America out to the Pacific Ocean. The ships visited the islands Easter, Marquesas, Hawaiian, Sahashna, along the peninsula Kamchatka. The researchers collected a lot of material about the nature of the Pacific Islands and their population, marked numerous geographical objects on the map. In the equatorial part of the Pacific Ocean, sailors noticed a strong sea current that turned the waters in a new direction.

The crew of the Neva spent more than a year in Russian possessions in North America, helping the colonists prevent Indian raids. Having loaded the holds with furs, the ship sailed to the shores of China. One day the ship ran aground near the Hawaiian Islands.

Here, the researchers found and mapped a small island, which received the name of Lisyansky, and a reef, later named after Kruzenshtern. Having reached China, the Russians profitably sold furs and bought local goods. In addition, they collected valuable information about this country. material from the site

During the expedition, the travelers not only made geographical discoveries, but also removed non-existent objects from the map, determined the temperature of the water, its transparency and color, observed the tides in some areas of the World Ocean.

The first round-the-world trip in the Russian Empire was led by Ivan Kruzenshtern and Yuri Lisyansky at the beginning of the 19th century. The last of them was from Ukraine.

On this page, material on the topics:

  • Post on the history of the world tour

  • Brief report on the first Russian round-the-world expedition

  • Kruzenshtern Lisyansky in geography

  • Report on Ivan Kruzenshtern and Yuri Lisyansky

  • Ivan Kruzenshtern and Yuri Lisyansky 1803-1806

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March 6, 2017 marks the 180th anniversary of the death of the famous Russian officer, navigator and traveler Yuri Fedorovich Lisyansky. He forever entered his name in, having made the first Russian circumnavigation of the world (1803-1806) as the commander of the Neva sloop as part of an expedition organized by Ivan Fedorovich Kruzenshtern.

Yuri Lisyansky was born on April 2, 1773 in the city of Nizhyn (today the territory of the Chernihiv region of Ukraine) in the family of an archpriest. His father was the archpriest of the Nizhyn church of St. John the Theologian. Very little is known about the childhood of the future navigator. We can absolutely say that already in his childhood he had a craving for the sea. In 1783, he was transferred to the Naval Cadet Corps in St. Petersburg for education, where he became friends with the future Admiral Ivan Kruzenshtern. On the 13th year of his life on March 20, 1786, Lisyansky was promoted to midshipmen.


At the age of 13, after graduating early from the cadet corps second in the list of academic performance, Yuri Lisyansky was sent as a midshipman to the 32-gun frigate Podrazhislav, which was part of Admiral Greig's Baltic squadron. On board this ship, he received a baptism of fire during the next war with Sweden in 1788-1790. Lisyansky participated in the battle of Gogland, as well as the battles of Elland and Reval. In 1789 he was promoted to midshipman. Until 1793, Yuri Lisyansky served in the Baltic Fleet, became a lieutenant. In 1793, at the behest of Empress Catherine II, among the 16 best naval officers, he was sent to England for an internship in the British Navy.

He spent several years abroad, which contained a huge number of events. He not only continuously improved in seafaring practice, but also took part in campaigns and battles. So he participated in the battles of the Royal Navy against Republican France and even distinguished himself during the capture of the French frigate Elizabeth, but was shell-shocked. Lisyansky fought pirates in the waters off North America. He plowed the seas and oceans almost all over the globe. He traveled around the United States, and in Philadelphia he even met with the first US President George Washington. On an American ship, he traveled to the West Indies, where he almost died from yellow fever in early 1795, accompanied the English caravans off the coast of India and South Africa. Yuri Lisyansky also examined and then described the island of St. Helena, studied the colonial settlements of South Africa and other geographical objects.

On March 27, 1798, upon returning to Russia, Yuri Lisyansky received the rank of lieutenant commander. He returned back enriched with a great deal of knowledge and experience in meteorology, navigation, naval astronomy, and naval tactics. Significantly expanded and his titles in the field of natural sciences. Returning back to Russia, he immediately received an appointment as a captain on the Avtroil frigate in the Baltic Fleet. In November 1802, as a participant in 16 naval campaigns and two major naval battles, he was awarded the Order of St. George, 4th degree. Returning from abroad, Lisyansky brought with him not only vast experience gained in the field of naval battles and navigation, but also rich theoretical knowledge. In 1803, Clerk's book "Movement of the Fleets" was published in St. Petersburg, which substantiated the tactics and principles sea ​​battle. Yuri Lisyansky personally worked on the translation of this book into Russian.

One of the most important events in his life was a round-the-world sea voyage, on which he set off in 1803. The prerequisite for organizing this trip was that the Russian-American Company (a trade association that was created in July 1799 in order to develop the territory of Russian America and the Kuril Islands) called for a special expedition to protect and supply Russian settlements located in Alaska. It is with this that the preparation of the first Russian round-the-world expedition begins. Initially, the expedition project was presented to the Minister of the Navy, Count Kushelev, but did not find support from him. The count did not believe that such a complex undertaking would be within the power of Russian sailors. He was echoed by Admiral Khanykov, who was involved in the evaluation of the expedition project as an expert. The admiral strongly recommended that sailors from England be hired to conduct the first circumnavigation of the world under the Russian flag.

Ivan Kruzenshtern and Yuri Lisyansky


Fortunately, in 1801, Admiral N. S. Mordvinov became the Minister of the Russian Navy, who not only supported Krusenstern's idea, but also advised him to purchase two ships for navigation, so that if necessary they could help each other in a dangerous situation. and long sailing. Lieutenant Lisyansky was appointed one of the leaders of the expedition, who in the fall of 1802, together with the shipmaster Razumov, went to England to buy two sloops for the expedition and some equipment. In England, he acquired the 16-gun Leander sloop with a displacement of 450 tons and the 14-gun Thames sloop with a displacement of 370 tons. The first sloop after the purchase was named "Nadezhda", and the second - "Neva".

By the summer of 1803, both ships were ready for a round-the-world voyage. Their path began with the Kronstadt raid. On November 26 of the same year, both sloops - "Nadezhda" under the command of Krusenstern and "Neva" under the command of Lisyansky for the first time in history Russian fleet crossed the equator. At present, the name of Lisyansky is unfairly in the shadow of the world-famous traveler Admiral Krusenstern, as the initiator and leader of the expedition, and the second no less famous member This expedition of chamberlain N. P. Rezanov, who won the heart of the Spanish beauty Conchita, and through the efforts of playwrights and poets gained immortality in the form of the dramatic story "Juno" and "Avos", known throughout the world.

Meanwhile, Yuri Fedorovich Lisyansky, along with Kruzenshtern and Rezanov, was one of the leaders of the expedition famous today. At the same time, the Neva sloop, which he managed, did most of the journey on his own. This followed both from the plans of the expedition itself (the ships had their own separate tasks), and from the weather conditions. Very often, due to storms and fog, Russian ships lost sight of each other. In addition, having completed all the tasks assigned to the expedition, circumnavigating the Earth and making an unprecedented single passage from the coast of China to Great Britain (without calling at ports), the Neva sloop returned back to Kronstadt before the Nadezhda. Following on his own, Lisyansky was the first in the world history of navigation who managed to navigate a ship without calling at ports and parking from the coast of China to the English Portsmouth.


It is worth noting that Lisyansky owed a lot to the first successful Russian circumnavigation. It was on the shoulders of this officer that the search and purchase of ships and equipment for the expedition, the training of sailors and the solution of a large number of "technical" issues and problems fell.

It was Lisyansky and the crew of his ship who became the first domestic sailors around the world. Nadezhda arrived in Kronstadt only two weeks later. At the same time, all the glory of the circumnavigator went to Kruzenshtern, who was the first to publish a detailed description of the journey, this happened 3 years earlier than the publication of Lisyansky's memoirs, who considered duty assignments more important than the design of publications for the Geographical Society. But Kruzenshtern himself saw in his friend and colleague, first of all, an obedient, impartial person, zealous for the common good and very modest. At the same time, the merits of Yuri Fedorovich were appreciated by the state. He received the rank of captain of the 2nd rank, was awarded the Order of St. Vladimir of the 3rd degree, and also received a cash bonus of 10 thousand rubles from the Russian-American Company and a lifetime pension of 3 thousand rubles. But the most important gift was a commemorative golden sword with the inscription “Gratitude of the crew of the Neva ship”, which was presented to him by the officers and sailors of the sloop, who had endured the hardships of the round-the-world trip with him.

The scrupulousness with which Lisyansky made astronomical observations during his round-the-world trip, determined latitude and longitude, established the coordinates of the islands and harbors where the Neva stopped, brought his 200-year-old measurements closer to modern data. During the expedition, he rechecked the maps of the Gaspar and Sunda Straits, clarified the outlines of Kodiak and other islands that adjoined the northwestern coast of Alaska. In addition, he discovered a small uninhabited island, which is part of the Hawaiian archipelago, today this island is named after Lisyansky. Also during the expedition, Yuri Lisyansky collected a rich personal collection of various items, it included clothes, utensils of different peoples, as well as corals, shells, pieces of lava, rock fragments from Brazil, North America, from the Pacific Islands. The collection he collected became the property of the Russian Geographical Society.

In 1807-1808, Yuri Lisyansky commanded the warships "Conception of St. Anna", "Emgeiten", as well as a detachment of 9 warships. He took part in the fighting against the fleets of Great Britain and Sweden. In 1809 he retired with the rank of captain of the 1st rank. After retiring, he began to organize his own travel records, which he kept in the form of a diary. These notes were not published until 1812, after which he also translated his works into English and published them in 1814 in London.

The famous Russian navigator and traveler died on February 22 (March 6, according to a new style), 1837 in St. Petersburg. Lisyansky was buried at the Tikhvin cemetery (Necropolis of masters of art) in the Alexander Nevsky Lavra. A monument was erected on the officer's grave, which is a granite sarcophagus with a bronze anchor and a medallion depicting a token of a participant in a round-the-world voyage on the Neva sloop. Subsequently, not only geographical objects were named after him, including an island in the Hawaiian archipelago, a mountain on Sakhalin and a peninsula on the coast of the Sea of ​​Okhotsk, but also a Soviet diesel-electric icebreaker, released in 1965.

Based on materials from open sources