The First Scientific Expeditions to the Bering Strait and to the Russian Colonies in America

Abstract

Based on the geographical atlases of the 16th century, the German scientist G. Leibniz proposed to Peter I a project aimed at discovering a strait between Asia and America, studying the Earth’s magnetic field, cartographic and other research in Russia. In December 1724, Peter I signed a decree on equipping the expedition, which was called the First Kamchatka Expedition (1725–1730). In 1732, the expedition of I. Fedorov and M.S. Gvozdev through the Bering Strait approached the northwestern coast of America in the area of Cape Gvozdev (now — Cape Prince of Wales). At the same time, members of the Admiralty Board N.F. Golovin and T. Sanders proposed organizing Russian round-the-world voyages and creating a Pacific Fleet to protect Russia's Far Eastern borders. In 1741, the Second Kamchatka Expedition of V.I. Bering and A.I. Chirikov explored the northwestern coast of America and the islands of the Aleutian ridge. In 1763, M.V. Lomonosov justified the possibility of passing the Northern Sea Route through the Pole to Kamchatka. In 1764–1769, by the order of Catherine II, K. Krenitsyn and M.D. Levashov sent a secret expedition to the Bering Strait, which initiated a systematic mapping of the Aleutian Islands and Alaska. The expedition of I. Billings and G.A. Sarychev (1785–1796) resulted in the publication of maps of the Pacific Ocean. By the beginning of the 19th century, the question of the sea route to the Atlantic from the Bering Sea through the Arctic Ocean remained open. I.F. Kruzenshtern developed his own plan for organizing round-the-world voyages and received state support. Emperor Alexander I granted the request of the head of the Russian-American Company, N.P. Rezanov about sending goods to the Pacific colonies by sea and establishing interstate relations with Japan, which made it possible to equip the first Russian round-the-world expedition under the command of I.F. Kruzenshtern and Yu.F. Lisyanskiy (1803–1806).

Keywords

• bering strait
• arctic ocean
• great northern expedition
• circumnavigation
• alaska