Ivan Fedorovich Kruzenshtern (1770–1846) is not only a legendary navigator, admiral, honorary member of the St. Petersburg Academy of Sciences, but also a unique historical figure and one of the founders of Russian oceanology. This man had a tangible impact both on the history of domestic sea expeditions, and in general on all navigation in general. Not many people know that Ivan Fedorovich Kruzenshtern was the author of the first Atlas of the South Sea. A brief biography of this Russian navigator is in school textbooks, it is taught in all special educational institutions, since this name, which every educated person knows, is invariably associated with Russian oceanology, geography, etc.
Ivan Fedorovich Kruzenshtern: short biography
This Russian navigator, who was named Adam Ioann at birth, came from an Ostsee Russified German family of nobles, the founderwho was his great-grandfather - Philip Crusius. Ivan Fedorovich Kruzenshtern, whose biography is closely connected with the sea, was born on November 8, 1770 in Estonia, in the Hagudis estate. His father was a judge. From early childhood, the future admiral dreamed of circumnavigating the globe by sea. And although his life was always connected with the sea, this dream was not realized immediately.
Ivan Fedorovich Kruzenshtern, after the Reval church school, where he studied for three years starting from the age of twelve, immediately entered the only educational institution in Kronstadt at that time that trained fleet officers - the Naval Corps. The first campaign of the young midshipman across the expanses of water took place in 1787 in the B altic. Soon the Russian-Swedish war began. Like many others, Ivan Kruzenshtern, not having time to complete his course of study, was called ahead of schedule to midshipmen on the battleship 74-gun ship Mstislav. It happened in 1788. Having distinguished himself in the battle of Hogland in the same year, young Ivan was marked by command. And for his services in naval battles in the Vyborg Bay near Krasnaya Gorka and in Revel in 1790, he was promoted to lieutenant.
Volunteering period in the UK
In 1793, twelve excellent officers were sent to England to improve their maritime affairs. Among them was Ivan Fedorovich Kruzenshtern. The biography of the future admiral from that time begins to rapidly gain momentum. After leaving the Russian Empire, he sailed for a long time on the frigate Thetis off the northern coast of America, where he participated in battles more than once.with French ships, visited Suriname, Barbados, Bermuda. In order to study the East Indian waters, he entered the Bay of Bengal. His goal was to establish a route for Russian trade in this region.
Ivan Fyodorovich Kruzenshtern, already a fourth-class Knight of the Order of St. George, became very interested in the fur trade between Russia and China, the route of which passed by land from Okhotsk to Kyakhta. While in Canton, he had the opportunity to see the benefits that Russia could receive from the direct sale of its fur products to China by sea. In addition, despite the relative youth, the future Admiral Ivan Fedorovich Kruzenshtern tried to establish a direct connection between the metropolis and the Russian possessions located on the territory of America in order to be able to supply them with everything necessary. In addition, he had already begun to seriously consider the grandiose project of circumnavigation that he had begun even before the start of the Swedish war, the main goal of which could be the improvement of the Russian fleet by such distant routes, as well as the development of colonial trade. Therefore, sailing on duty in the waters of the Indian, Pacific and Atlantic oceans, this navigator studied all possible ways.
Return home
Having gained experience and gained strength, in 1799 Ivan Fedorovich returned to Russia six years later. In St. Petersburg, he tried to submit his project and considerations to the maritime department, but did not meet with understanding.
However, when in 1802In the same year, the main board of the Russian Ministry of Commerce began to come up with a similar proposal, Emperor Alexander I approved it, and in pursuance it was decided to equip a round-the-world expedition. Just at that time, they remembered Kruzenshtern, inviting him to the king.
First circumnavigation of the world
The Sovereign, greatly inspired by the project, approved it and gave Kruzenshtern the opportunity to personally implement it. Two small sailing sloops were assigned to the trip: the Nadezhda, weighing 450 tons, and the slightly lighter ship Neva. Kruzenshtern Ivan Fedorovich was to command the expedition and the main ship, whose discoveries would later go down in the history of Russian navigation as one of the most significant. And the command of the Neva sloop was entrusted to his close comrade Lieutenant Commander Y. Lisyansky.
The glorious journey started in early August 1803. Both ships left the port of Kronstadt at the same time to set off on a long and very difficult journey. The main task that was set before the expedition was to explore the mouth of the Amur River to discover new routes. This has always been the cherished goal of the Russian Pacific Fleet, which they entrusted to their long-time friends and classmates - Kruzenshtern and Lisyansky. They subsequently had to endure many hardships.
Ships had to fly the war flag. In addition to trading purposes, the Nadezhda sloop was supposed to transport the Russian ambassador to Japan, chamberlain Rezanov, who was obliged to organize tradingrelations with Japan. And in order to conduct scientific research from the Russian Academy of Sciences, the naturalists Langsdorf and Tilesius, as well as the astronomer Horner, were seconded to the expedition.
Southern Hemisphere
Leaving the raid in Kronstadt, the ships sailed to the port of Copenhagen, to Falmouth, drove to the island of Tenerife, and already on the fourteenth of November, having crossed the equator, for the first time brought the Russian military flag to the Southern Hemisphere. Throughout the voyage, it was Kruzenshtern Ivan Fedorovich who was engaged in correcting maps, searching for new islands, and surveying the surrounding coast. What the great navigator discovered during this round-the-world voyage will become known a few years later, when he publishes his notes on this journey, presenting to the public a lot of curious material about everything he saw during the expedition.
Having reached the Brazilian Santa Catarina, the sailors discovered that the Neva needed to change two masts, so they had to make a small stop. Having completed the repairs, the ships headed further to cross the equator. Starting from that time, Kruzenshtern and Lisyansky could already be quite 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, rounding Cape Horn, split up. The reason was extreme weather conditions. By the end of April, Kruzenshtern managed to get to the Marquesas Islands, where the travelers reunited again: inport of Anna-Maria, which would later become known as Nukagiva, Neva and Nadezhda met.
After passing by the Washington Islands, the first Russian round-the-world expedition continued its journey towards the north. But already in May, near the Hawaiian Islands, the Neva and Nadezhda parted ways again. The first ship set off towards Alaska, and the second set off towards the shores of Kamchatka towards Japan. Since then, the Eskimo island of Ingalik, which belongs to the United States, has been officially named Krusenstern Island.
Japanese part of the trip
On September 26, 1804, the sloop Hope arrived in Nagasaki. In Japan, Ivan Fedorovich Kruzenshtern was forced to stay until next year. The distrustful and extremely slow Japanese resolutely refused to accept the Russian ambassador. Finally, in April, the issue was resolved.
Krusenstern decided to return with Rezanov to Kamchatka through the Sea of Japan, which at that time was completely unknown to navigators. On the way, he managed to explore the western shores of Nipon and Matsmay, as well as the southern and half of the eastern part of Sakhalin Island. In addition, Ivan Fedorovich determined the position of many other islands.
Mission Completion
Swimming into the port of Peter and Paul, having landed the ambassador, Kruzenshtern returns to the shores of Sakhalin, finishes his research, then, rounding it from the north, enters the Amur estuary, from where on August 2 he returns to Kamchatka, where, having replenished food supplies, Nadezhda”is heading to Kronstadt. Thus ended the legendaryKruzenshtern's round-the-world voyage, which was the first to be inscribed in the history of Russian navigation. It fully justified the planned project, not only creating a new era, but also enriching geography and natural sciences with useful information about little-known countries. The sovereign very generously rewarded Kruzenshtern 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.
Summing up
In 1811, Ivan Fedorovich Kruzenshtern, whose photo can be seen in any textbook of naval schools and other special educational institutions, was appointed class inspector in the Naval Cadet Corps. However, a developing eye disease and a not entirely successful relationship with the tsarist naval minister forced him to ask for release from work and go on an indefinite leave in December 1815.
Almost from the same time, he began to develop detailed instructions for a round-the-world expedition, which took place from 1815 to 1818 under the leadership of Kotzebue, a junior officer of the first voyage. Kruzenshtern even went to England, where he ordered the necessary tools for the trip. And when he returned, he, having received an indefinite leave, began to work on the creation of his "Atlas of the South Sea", to which hydrographic notes were to be attached, serving as an analysis and explanation. Ivan Fedorovich, with the help of specialists, processed and created an excellent educational description of the trip with greatnumber of maps and drawings. This work, published in Russian and German, was translated into French, and subsequently into all European languages without exception. He was awarded the full Demidov Prize.
Management of the Marine Corps
In 1827, Kruzenshtern became director of the Naval Corps. Almost at the same time he became a member of the admir alty council. Sixteen years as head were marked by fundamental changes in this military educational institution: Ivan Fedorovich introduced new subjects for teaching, enriched the library and museums with many manuals. Radical transformations affected not only the moral and educational level. The admiral established an officer class, a physics office and an observatory.
At the special request of Ivan Fedorovich, the corps became the Naval Academy in 1827.
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. At that time 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, Krusenstern published his "Atlas of the South Sea", which included extensive hydrographic notes. From 1827 to 1842, gradually rising in rank, he reached the rank of admiral. So many outstanding travelers and seafarers have asked for support oradvice to Ivan Fedorovich. He was the organizer of the expedition led not only by Otto Kotzebue, but also by Vaviliev and Shishmarev, Bellingshausen and Lazarev, Stanyukovich and Litke.
Physical fitness
According to contemporaries, Krusenstern stood out in his surroundings, distinguished by an athletic physique, and with a shoulder girdle and a heroic chest, he surpassed everyone on the expedition. Interestingly, despite the bewilderment of his colleagues, he carried weights with him on his travels and practiced with them daily. His favorite exercise was the push press.
In memory
In St. Petersburg since 1874, according to the project of the architect Monighetti and the sculptor Schroeder, a monument to Kruzenshtern has been erected opposite the Marine Corps. It was built with private funds, although a small grant was also received from the state.
The strait, reef and barque are named after this great navigator. And in 1993, the Russian Bank issued commemorative coins of the series "The first Russian round-the-world trip".
Great Admiral Ivan Fyodorovich Krusenstern was buried in the Tallinn Dome Cathedral.
