Few people know the name of the strait that Dezhnev discovered. Little is known about this man's life. For a long time nothing was known about the outstanding geographical discovery of the Russian navigator. It should be noted that there is still not enough information about the history of the journey that Semyon Ivanovich Dezhnev made. What this person discovered and what significance it had, we will discuss in this publication.
From the life of Semyon Ivanovich Dezhnev
Dezhnev was born in Veliky Ustyug, presumably in the first years of the 17th century. From there he went to Siberia, where he began his service in Tobolsk, and then in Yeniseisk. In 1641, together with M. Stadukhin, he went on a campaign against Oymyakon.
The future pioneer Semyon Dezhnev took part in the founding of the Nizhnekolymsky prison, which became the reference point of Russian travelers who set off in search of a way out to the mouth of the Anadyr River. In addition, he made several trips along the rivers Kolyma, Indigirka,Yana, to the mouth of the Lena. However, Dezhnev was most attracted to the Anadyr River. According to rumors, there were large reserves of walrus ivory, which was highly valued in Russia. In 1647, he was on the expedition of F. A. Popov, in which he made an unsuccessful attempt to get to the mouth of the Anadyr River and go around Chukotka. 63 travelers in four ships set off by sea to the east. However, large ice floes blocked their path, and the explorers were forced to turn back.
The start of a new campaign
After an unsuccessful first campaign, it was decided to make a new journey to the mouth of the Anadyr River. On June 30, 1648, an expedition led by Semyon Dezhnev, consisting of 90 people, left Kolyma. The ships moved across the sea in an easterly direction. The journey was very difficult. Several ships of the Dezhnev expedition disappeared in sea storms (2 of them crashed on ice floes, and 2 more were carried away during a storm). Semyon Ivanovich noted in his memoirs that only 3 kochas (vessels) entered the strait. They were led by Dezhnev, Ankundinov and Alekseev. They reached the cape, which they called the Chukchi Nose, and saw several small islands. So Dezhnev opened the strait between Asia and America.
Foundation of the Anadyr prison
The strait that Dezhnev discovered solved the most important geographical problem. He became proof that America is an independent continent. In addition, this journey testified that there was a route from Europe to China through the northern seas around Siberia.
Afterthe ships passed the strait, which was opened by Dezhnev, they went to the Gulf of Anadyr, and then went around the Olyutorsky peninsula. The ship of the expedition, on which there were 25 people, washed ashore. From here, the travelers set out on foot to the north. By the beginning of 1649, 13 people had reached the mouth of the Anadyr River. Then Dezhnev and his comrades went up the river and laid a winter hut there. In addition, sailors founded the Anadyr prison. Here Dezhnev lived for 10 years.
Dezhnev's research
From 1649 to 1659 Dezhnev explored the Anadyr and Anyui river basins. Reports on the work done were sent to Yakutsk. In these reports, the strait discovered by Dezhnev in 1648, the Anadyr and Anyui rivers were described in detail, and drawings of the area were also drawn up. In 1652, Semyon Ivanovich discovered a sandbank where a walrus rookery was located. After that, Dezhnev managed to establish a fishery for this animal in the Gulf of Anadyr, which brought a lot of income to Russia.
Further fate of the traveler
In 1659, Dezhnev handed over control of the Anadyr prison to K. Ivanov. A year later, the traveler moved to Kolyma. In 1661, Semyon Ivanovich Dezhnev went to Yakutsk, where he reached only in the spring of 1662. From there he was sent to Moscow in order to deliver the sovereign's treasury. Dezhnev provided the Tsar with reports detailing his travels and research. In 1655, Semyon Ivanovich was granted the rank of Cossack ataman. Nothing is known about the further fate of the Russian navigator.
The meaning of Semyon Dezhnev's discovery
The main merit of the Russian traveler is that he discovered a passage from the Arctic to the Pacific Ocean. He described this path and made a detailed drawing of it. Despite the fact that the maps developed by Semyon Ivanovich were very simplified, with approximate distances, they were of great practical importance. The strait, which Dezhnev discovered, became an accurate evidence that Asia and America are separated by the sea. In addition, the expedition led by Semyon Ivanovich for the first time reached the mouth of the Anadyr River, where walrus deposits were discovered.
In 1736, the forgotten reports of Dezhnev were first found in Yakutsk. From them it became known that the Russian navigator did not see the shores of America. It should be noted that 80 years after Semyon Ivanovich, Bering's expedition sailed in the southern part of the strait, which confirmed Dezhnev's discovery. In 1778, Cook visited this area, who was only aware of the expedition of the early 18th century. It was he who named this Strait the Bering Strait.
