Ivan Fedorovich Krusenstern: biography, travel and discoveries

Ivan Fedorovich Krusenstern (1770-1846) is not only a legendary navigator, admiral, honorary member of the St. Petersburg Academy of Sciences, but also a unique historical personality and one of the founders of Russian oceanology. This man had a tangible influence both on the history of domestic marine expeditions, and generally on all navigation in general. Not many people know that the author of the first "Atlas of the South Sea" was Ivan Fedorovich Krusenstern. A short biography of this Russian navigator is in school textbooks, it is held in all special educational institutions, since this name, which every educated person knows, is invariably connected with Russian oceanology, geography, etc.

Ivan Fedorovich Krusenstern: brief biography

This Russian navigator, who was christened Adam John at birth, was descended from the Ostsee Russified German nobility, whose founder was his great-grandfather, Philip Kruzius. Born Ivan Krusenstern, whose biography is closely connected with the sea, on November 8, 1770 in Estonia, on the estate Khagudis. His father was a judge. From early childhood, the future admiral dreamed of bypassing the globe by sea. And although his life was always connected with the sea, this dream was not realized immediately.

Ivan Fedorovich Krusenstern after the Reval church school, where he studied for three years starting at the age of twelve, immediately enrolled in the only educational institution in Kronstadt at that time, which trained naval officers - the Naval Corps. The first campaign of a young midshipman on the water expanses was realized in 1787 on the Baltic. Soon the Russian-Swedish war began. Like many others, Ivan Krusenstern, not having finished his course of training, was called ahead of time to midshipmen for the linear 74-gun ship Mstislav. It happened in 1788. Distinguished in the Battle of Gogland in the same year, the young Ivan was awarded the command. And for his services in naval battles in the Vyborg Bay at Krasnaya Gorka and in Reval in 1790 he was promoted to lieutenants.

The period of volunteering in the UK

In 1793, twelve high-ranking officers for the improvement of the naval affairs were sent to England. Among them was Ivan Fedorovich Krusenstern. From this time on, the biography of the future admiral is beginning to gain momentum. After leaving the Russian Empire, he for a long time sailed on the frigate Thetis off the northern coast of America, where he participated many times in battles with French ships, visited Suriname, Barbados, Bermuda. In order to study the East Indian waters, he visited the Bay of Bengal. His goal was to establish a route for Russian trade in this region.

Ivan Fedorovich Krusenstern, already a Knight of the Order of St. George of the fourth class, was very interested in the fur trade between Russia and China, the route of which passed by land from Okhotsk to Kyakhta. Being in Canton, he had the opportunity to see the benefits that Russia could get from the direct marketing of its fur products to China by sea. In addition, despite comparative youth, the future admiral Ivan Fedorovich Kruzenshtern tried to establish a direct link between the metropolis and Russian possessions located on the territory of America in order to be able to supply them with everything necessary. Moreover, he was already beginning to seriously consider the grandiose project of circumnavigation that had arisen before him even before the beginning of the Swedish war, the main goal of which could be the improvement of the Russian fleet by such remote routes, as well as the development of colonial trade. Therefore, while navigating in the waters of the Indian, Pacific and Atlantic oceans, this navigator studied all possible ways.

Homecoming

After gaining experience and becoming stronger, in 1799 Ivan Fedorovich returned to Russia six years later. In St. Petersburg, he tried to present his project and considerations to the maritime administration, but he did not meet understanding.

However, when in 1802, with the same proposal, the main board of the Russian Ministry of Commerce began to speak, Emperor Alexander I approved it, and in fulfillment it was decided to equip the round-the-world expedition. Just at this time, and remembered about Kruzenstern, inviting him to the king.

First circumnavigation

The Emperor, greatly inspired by the project, approved it and gave Kruzenshtern the possibility of his personal implementation. On the journey, two small sailing sloops were appointed: "Hope" weighing 450 tons and a slightly lighter vessel "Neva". To command the expedition and the main ship was Kruzenshtern Ivan Fedorovich, whose discoveries would later become part of the history of Russian navigation as one of the most significant. And the commander of the sloop "Neva" was entrusted to his close friend, Lieutenant-Captain Y. Lisyansky.

A glorious journey started in early August 1803. Both vessels simultaneously left the Kronstadt port to go on a long and very difficult journey. The main task, which was set before the expedition, is a study of the mouth of the Amur River for the discovery of new routes. This has always been the cherished goal of the Pacific Russian fleet, which was entrusted to longtime friends and classmates - Kruzenstern and Lisyansky. Later they had to endure many difficulties.
Vessels were to carry a military flag. In addition to trading purposes, the sloop "Hope" was supposed to transport to Japan the Russian ambassador - chamberlain Rezanov, who had to organize trade relations with Japan. And with the purpose of carrying out scientific research from the Russian Academy of Sciences, naturalists Langsdorf with Thieliesus and astronomer Horner were sent to the expedition.

Southern Hemisphere

After leaving the raid in Kronstadt, the ships swam into the port of Copenhagen, in Falmouth, drove to the island of Tenerife, and already on the fourteenth of November, crossing the equator, for the first time brought the Russian military flag to the Southern Hemisphere. During all the time of navigation, Kruzenshtern Ivan Fedorovich was engaged in correcting maps, searching for new islands, surveying the surrounding shores. The great seafarer discovered during this round-the-world voyage , will become known several years later, when he will publish his notes on this journey, presenting the public with a lot of interesting material about everything that he saw during the expedition.

Having reached the Brazilian Santa Catarina, the seafarers discovered that the "Neve" needed a change of two masts, so it was necessary to make a small parking. When the repairs were completed, the ships moved on to cross the equator. Since that time, Kruzenstern and Lisyanskiy could already be proud of their services to their homeland. After all, the Russian flag first entered the Southern Hemisphere, which at that time was really a revolutionary step.

In February 1804, the round-the-world flotilla, skirting Cape Horn, split. The reason was extreme weather conditions. By the end of April Krusenstern managed to get to the Marquesas Islands, where the travelers reunited: in the port of Anna Maria, which later becomes known as Nukagiva, the Neva and Nadezhda met.

Having passed the Washington Islands, the first Russian round-the-world expedition continued its journey towards the north. But already in May near the Hawaiian Islands "Neva" with "Nadezhda" again dispersed. The first ship went to Alaska, and the second set off to the coast of Kamchatka in the direction of Japan. It was from then on that the Ingulik Eskimo island, which belongs to the United States, was officially named the island of Kruzenstern.

The Japanese part of the journey

On September 26, 1804, the sloop "Hope" arrived in Nagasaki. In Japan, Ivan Fedorovich Krusenstern was forced to stay until next year. The distrustful and extremely slow-witted Japanese resolutely refused to accept the Russian ambassador. Finally, in April the issue was resolved.

Returning with Rezanov to Kamchatka Kruzenshtern decided through the Sea of Japan, which at that time was completely uncharted by seafarers. On the way, he managed to explore the western coasts of Nipon and Matsmai, as well as southern and half of the eastern part of Sakhalin Island. In addition, Ivan Fedorovich determined the position of many other islands.

Mission completion

After sinking into the port of Petropavlovsk, Kruzenshtern returns to the shores of Sakhalin, finishes his research, then, circumnavigating it from the north, enters the Amur estuary, where he returns to Kamchatka on August 2, where he replenishes food supplies and heads to Kronstadt. Thus ended the legendary round-the-world trip of Kruzenshtern, which is the first inscribed in the history of Russian navigation. It fully justified the project, compiling not only a new era, but also enriching geography and natural sciences with useful information about little-known countries. The Sovereign very generously awarded Kruzenstern and Lisyansky, as well as all the other members of the expedition. In memory of this important event, Alexander the First even ordered a special medal to be knocked out.

Summarizing

In 1811, Ivan Fedorovich Krusenstern, whose photo can be seen in any training manual of naval schools and other special educational institutions, was appointed class inspector in the Naval Cadet Corps. However, the developing eye disease and the incompletely developing relationship with the tsarist naval minister forced him to ask for exemption from work and already in December 1815 to go on an indefinite leave.

Almost from the same time, he began to develop detailed instructions for the round-the-world expedition, which was held from 1815 to 1818 under the leadership of Kotzebue, the youngest officer of the first voyage. Kruzenstern even went to England, where he ordered the necessary tools for travel. And when he returned, after receiving an indefinite leave, he began to work on the creation of his "South Sea Atlas", to which were to be attached hydrographic notes serving as an analysis and explanation. Ivan Fedorovich with the specialists who help him has processed and created a beautiful educational description of the journey with a large number of maps and drawings. This work, published in Russian and German, was translated into French, and subsequently all European languages without exception. He was awarded the full Demidov Prize.

Guide to the Marine Corps

In 1827, Kruzenstern became director of the Marine Corps. Almost at the same time, he became a member of the Admiralty Council. Sixteen years as head were marked by radical changes in this military educational institution: Ivan Fedorovich introduced new subjects for teaching, enriched the library and museums with many benefits. The radical changes have affected not only the moral and educational level. The Admiral established an officer class, a physical cabinet and an observatory.

By special petition of Ivan Fedorovich, the corps in 1827 became the Maritime Academy.

Scientific and Organizational Activities

At the beginning of the Patriotic War, in 1812, Kruzenshtern, being a poor man, donated a third of his fortune to the people's militia . For those times it was a lot of money - a thousand rubles. In the same year he published his three-volume "Journey around the world ...", and in 1813 he was elected a member of many scientific societies and even academies in England and Denmark, Germany and France.

Until 1836, Kruzenshtern published his "South Sea Atlas", in which there were extensive hydrographic notes. From 1827 to 1842, gradually rising in titles, he reached the admiral. A lot of outstanding travelers and seafarers applied for support or advice to Ivan Fedorovich. He was the organizer of the expedition under the leadership of not only Otto Kotzebue, but also Vaviliev and Shishmarev, Bellingshausen and Lazarev, Stanyukovich and Litke.

Physical training

According to contemporaries, Kruzenshtern was highly distinguished in his environment, differing in athletic build, and his shoulder belt and athletic chest surpassed everyone on the expedition. It is interesting that in traveling, despite the bewilderment of his colleagues, he drove a kettlebell with him and daily engaged with them. His favorite exercise was a bench shvung.

In memory

In St. Petersburg from 1874, a monument to Kruzenstern was erected on the project of the architect Monighetti and the sculptor Shreder opposite the Marine Corps. It was raised to private funds, although a small grant was received from the state.

The name of this great navigator is the strait, the reef and the bark. And in 1993 the Russian Bank issued commemorative coins of the series "The First Round-the-World Russian Journey".

The great admiral Ivan Fyodorovich Krusenstern was buried in the Tallinn Dome Cathedral.