1820 Antarctica. Discoverer of Antarctica. Discovery of new lands in the Antarctic expedition

Discovery of Antarctica.

Abstract completed

6th grade student

Lyceum No. 1

Galkin Mikhail

Teacher Spirina N.A.

Kungur 2010

1. Introduction.

2) Preparation for the expedition.

3) The mysterious coast of Antarctica.

4) Antarctica.

5) Further fate captains.

6) Conclusion.

Introduction.

I was interested in this topic because I'm interested in how people discovered the earth. Some discovered new lands because they wanted to get fame and fortune, while others were just interested. Some of the sailors died. Back to history geographical discoveries involved many thousands of people. The knowledge of the earth began with trade, which the Egyptians, Phoenicians, and Greeks ventured into. Only since the 18th century, travelers like the English captain James Cook have been exploring our planet. A lot of mysteries and mysteries are connected with sea discoveries. There are disputes between scientists, for example: Who did discover America? Now we do not all remember which legend led to which discoveries. And are the discoveries over? And to this day, not everything is clear. Often, travel ended in vain, but sometimes the veil of secrets over the disappeared people and ships could still be partially lifted. Much remains undiscovered to this day. Maybe now people will submit to the geographical secrets of discoveries that still remain secrets.

BELLINGSHAUSEN Faddey Faddeevich (1778-1852) Russian navigator, admiral (1843). Member of the 1st Russian circumnavigation of the world 1803-06. In 1819-21, he led the 1st Russian Antarctic (round-the-world) expedition on the sloops Vostok and Mirny, which in January 1820 discovered Antarctica and several islands in the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans.

The beginning of the way.

Bellingshausen was born on August 18, 1779 on the island of Ezel (now the island of Saaremaa, Estonia). He spent his childhood in the Pilguze family estate. The proximity of the sea, communication with sailors and fishermen from early childhood instilled in the boy a love for the fleet. For ten years he was sent to the Naval Corps in Kronstadt. As a midshipman, Bellingshausen sailed to England. After graduating in 1797, he sailed across the Baltic for six years on the ships of the Revel squadron.

The love for science was noticed by the commander of the Kronstadt port, who recommended Bellingshausen to Ivan Kruzenshtern, under whose leadership in 1803-06 Bellingshausen made the first circumnavigation on the ship "Nadezhda", completing almost all the cards included in the "Atlas for a trip around the world of Captain Kruzenshtern".

Discovery of Antarctica.

In June 1819, Captain 2nd Rank Bellingshausen was appointed commander of the three-masted sailing sloop Vostok and head of the expedition to search for the sixth continent, organized with the approval of Alexander I. Young lieutenant Mikhail Lazarev was appointed captain of the second sloop Mirny.

The first Russian Antarctic expedition of the captain of the 2nd rank F.F. Bellingshausen and Lieutenant M.P. Lazareva was in essence a detachment of one large scientific enterprise, whose goal was to study the polar regions of the Southern Hemisphere. The task of the "first division", as the Bellingshausen-Lazarev expedition was called, included "new searches in the South Arctic Sea, an attempt to penetrate as far as possible to the south, and, finally, in general, discoveries that should expand the circle of geographical knowledge."

“This expedition,” wrote I.F. Kruzenshtern, in her memorandum to the Minister of Marine, - in addition to her main goal - to explore the countries of the South Pole, should especially have in the subject to believe everything that is wrong in southern half of the Great Ocean and fill up all the shortcomings in it, so that it can be recognized as, so to speak, the final journey in this sea ... We should not allow the glory of such an enterprise to be taken away from us ... "

Russia sent her expedition not because she was looking for immediate wealth from its results. An unexplored corner of the world remained in the world, and the sailors of the young strong fleet sought to solve the problem of discovering the Unknown South Land, which had haunted sailors for so long.

Bellingshausen was appointed to the post of head of the expedition only shortly before leaving for the voyage, so Lazarev was responsible for equipping the expedition and manning the crews of the sloops. Using the right to recruit people at his own discretion, Lazarev staffed the crews of the sloops with experienced sailors who voluntarily wished to go to unknown lands. In the future, this greatly contributed to the success of swimming.

The crew of the "Vostok" consisted of 117 people. The crew of "Peace" - from 73 people. “All officers and officials ... were Russian,” wrote a member of the expedition, Professor I.M. Simonov. “Some had German names, but being the children of Russian subjects, having been born and raised in Russia, they cannot call themselves foreigners.”

The sloops "Vostok" and "Mirny", which sailed, were built at domestic shipyards almost simultaneously.

Already in Kronstadt, just before the departure of the expedition, the Russian shipbuilder Amosov, as far as possible, strengthened the underwater part of the Vostok hull and sheathed it on the outside with copper. Much best qualities owned the Mirny sloop, converted from the Ladoga transport. At the insistence of M.P. Lazarev on "Mirny" they made additional skin, put additional fasteners, replaced the rigging. Thanks to this, the Mirny returned from the circumnavigation in a much better condition than the Vostok. The only thing he was inferior to the "Vostok" in was speed.

The main goal of the Bellingshausen-Lazarev expedition, according to the instructions of the Naval Ministry, was "the acquisition of complete knowledge about our globe" and "discoveries in the possible vicinity of the Antarctic Pole." Bellingshausen, as the head of the expedition, was prescribed during his stay "in foreign possessions and among peoples various countries treat them affectionately and maintain all decency and courtesy, inspiring this to all subordinates, "with the population of the lands visited by the sloops, it was necessary to treat" as friendly as possible.

Upon returning to their homeland, the expedition members were required to submit reports on everything they saw.

“You will pass,” said the instructions received by Bellingshausen, “vast seas, many islands, various lands; the diversity of nature in different places will naturally attract your curiosity. Try to write down everything in order to inform future readers of your journey ... "

July 16, 1819 ships left Kronstadt. With a full consciousness of responsibility to the fatherland, which sent them on a long voyage, Russian sailors left their native shores. Sent to the other end of the Earth, the sailors were ready for any hardships, labors, dangers because they wanted to find out and then tell the world what is in this impregnable corner of our planet. An honorable task. The task is flattering.

August 29 "Vostok" and "Mirny" headed for Atlantic Ocean. At this time of the year the tropical waters of the Atlantic were of a gentle, gentle nature, and the voyage was pleasant; even Christopher Columbus said that the ocean at this time is “calm, like a rural pond.” On the ships, everyone was busy with their own business, the sailors conducted astronomical observations, measured the depths of the oceans - at that time it was a novelty! - the temperature of the water in different layers, compared its transparency. It was a real scientific expedition, engaged in research, which had not yet been conducted by sailors.

Having made a short stop on the island of Tenerife, the sloops headed for the shores South America. On October 18, at 10 o'clock in the morning, they crossed the equator at 29 ° 20 "W and entered the southern hemisphere. On November 2, Vostok and Mirny anchored in the roadstead of Rio de Janeiro. The Otkritie and Blagonamerenny were already in the bay. ' who arrived the day before.

During the twenty days of their stay in Rio de Janeiro, the crew had a good rest, repaired damage to the rigging, took on board fresh provisions, fresh water and wood. Simonov determined the astronomical coordinates and adjusted the ship's chronometers.

On November 22, 1819, the sloops "Vostok" and "Mirny" entered the ocean "Vostok" and "Mirny", 2 small boats, rushed south under full sail, cutting through gloomy waves; and birds flew over them, great white albatrosses; and dark frigates and sharks relentlessly followed the ships, and the whales, as if welcoming sailors in these unsociable latitudes, let out their magnificent fountains.

On December 8 they crossed the 45th parallel. On the morning of December 15, the pointed peaks of South Georgia Island and the small island of Willis (Willis), discovered by Cook in 1775, appeared. Within two days, Russian sailors mapped the southwestern coast of South Georgia, linking it to the map of Cook, who passed along the northeastern coast of the island. It was during these days, December 15-17, 1819, that Russian names first appeared on the map of the southern hemisphere, given in honor of the officers - members of the expedition: Capes Poryadin, Demidov, Kupriyanov, Novosilsky Bay and Annenkov Island - the first island, open expedition.

From South Georgia, the sloops headed southeast towards Sandwich Land. Between South Georgia and Sandwich Land, the sailors discovered 3 more islands, “they are not enlightened by any sailors, except for our two ships,” Yegor Kiselev, a sailor from the Vostok, diligently deduced in his diary. As best he could, he wrote down the details of the newly discovered islands; “One island is on fire, smoke is pouring, like clouds are walking. And then three officers, four sailors went to this island for recognition. On this island, a great number of different birds, especially Pendwins with yellow tufts, walk like a man, scream like a loon, have small wings, and do not fly. And the penguins on the island were really "preset", so the sailors had to push them rather unceremoniously. Again open archipelago the sailors marked on the maps as the islands of the Marquis de Traverse, after the then Minister of the Navy. And each island separately received the name of the officer who first noticed it. So the islands of Leskov, Zavadovsky, Torson (now Vysoky) appeared.

The temperature dropped, the wind picked up. The sloops were tossed from side to side. On the fourth day of sailing from South Georgia, the first iceberg was encountered. And on the morning of December 22, thirty miles north of the sloops, an unknown high island With snow-capped peak. "Vostok" and "Mirny" turned to him.

It was in these places where the Russian ships were located in last days December 1819, in the waters surrounding Sandwich Land, Cook in February 1775 wrote in his travel journal the following lines, which scared European sailors from trying to search southern mainland: “The risk associated with sailing in these unexplored and ice-covered seas in search of the Southern Continent is so great that I can safely say that not a single person will ever dare to penetrate further south than I did. Lands that may lie to the south will never be explored. And these difficulties are even more increased due to the terrifying appearance of the country ... "

Bellingshausen and Lazarev were not intimidated by Cook's conclusions. They courageously led the ships to the goal. On the afternoon of December 29, the high, snow-covered and heavy-ice-encircled coast of Sanders Island opened to the southwest. Calling this piece of land an island, Cook was not firmly convinced that he really was an island. Russian sailors confirmed his assumption. They determined the coordinates of the island, Mikhailov sketched the outlines of its shores in his album.

The expedition reached the South Thule - the extreme Earth of high southern latitudes, and then unknown waters stretched further. Brave people, for the first time since the creation of the world, entered under these latitudes, into these gloomy, almost inaccessible places, were met by a sharp wind, a gloomy sky, leaden waters and ice. Huge icebergs floated majestically in the distance. Broken ice scraped ominously behind the stern, and every day it became more and more difficult for the ships to break through.

January 1820 arrived. Russian sailors stubbornly made their way through heavy ice to the south. But on January 4, solid ice blocked their path. Bellingshausen took a course to the northeast, and then to the east, looking for a passage to the south in the ice. Where is the southern mainland? Does it exist? Russian sailors tried to find the answer to these questions in every observed phenomenon.

The sailors managed to kill a seal on a drifting ice floe. "When meeting in Arctic Ocean Is it possible to conclude that such animals are close to the coast or not? - Bellingshausen asked himself and immediately answered: - This question remains unresolved, especially since they can whelp, molt and rest on flat ice floes, as we have now seen; the nearest shores known to us, that is, the Sandwich Islands, were 270 miles away ... "

The sloops moved into eastbound, getting out of the ice labyrinth. But as soon as the situation improved, Bellingshausen turned south again.

It so happened that good weather a little pampered the sailors and kept for several days. Thanks her! Bellingshausen, wasting no time in vain, decided to make his way to the south as far as possible. These were the most important days in the history of Russian sloops sailing in remote southern latitudes.

On January 26, Vostok and Mirny crossed the Antarctic Circle for the first time. North wind caught up the clouds, raised the wave. Snow and fog covered the horizon. However, the ships continued the "assassination attempt to the south."

And then came January 28, 1820, a significant day, which later historians will often proudly recall, carefully reading the texts of the diaries, penetrating into their innermost essence. At noon of this day, through a veil of snow, the sailors saw ahead of them "hard ice, extremely high." On a fine evening, “looking at the salinga,” wrote Mikhail Petrovich Lazarev, “it stretched as far as vision could only reach, but we didn’t enjoy this amazing spectacle for long, because soon it got cloudy again and it started to snow, as usual.

We continued our way to the east, attempting at every opportunity to the south, but we always encountered an icy continent not reaching 70 degrees. Cook gave us such a task that we were forced to undergo the greatest dangers in order, as they say, "not to lose face." They did not lose face, our glorious sailors. For on that day they, the first people on our planet, saw the coast of the mysterious Southern continent.

On February 17, the following entry appeared in Bellingshausen's diary: “... I reached latitude 69 degrees, 7 minutes 30 seconds south and longitude 16 degrees 15 minutes east. Here, behind the ice fields of small people and cliffs, a continent of ice is visible, whose edges are broken off perpendicularly and which continues as far as we see, rising to the south like a coast.

If you look at the map, you can see that the coast of Antarctica was discovered, washed by the waters of the Atlantic and Indian oceans, which is now called the Land of Princess Martha and its continuation - the Land of Princess Rachilda.

For almost 3 months, the ships made their way among the ice floes, they were worn out and needed repairs, firewood was running out and the summer of the extreme south was ending. I had to go to warmer climes - to be repaired, to rest, to wait out the winter storms. In parting, as if as a reward for discoveries, stamina and courage, the sky presented the sailors with the aurora borealis. At first, it was engulfed in a glow, and the helmsman on the Vostok screamed in fright: “The sky is on fire!”, But then it blazed with green, purple and red lights. Egor Kiselev diligently wrote in his diary: “There were 3 bright pillars in the sky; from 10 o'clock until 3 o'clock in the morning there were a kind of rays and amazing pillars. But then the sky went out and only ahead the small star continued to burn, along which the helmsman steered the sloop to the east.

The expedition was heading for the coast of Australia.

For repairs, the ships stood at the time of Jackson off the coast of Australia. While the ships were being repaired, the sailors rested, got acquainted with the natives, and a month later the expedition set sail for New Zealand. Swimming in tropical waters was crowned with the discovery of many coral islands. Bellingshausen called them the Islands of the Russians, and Russian names appeared on the map - Kutuzov, Barclay de Tolly, Yermolov, Raevsky, Chichagov ...

The expedition returned to the port of Jackson to the parking lot, where they stayed for about 2 months. And when the spring of the Southern Hemisphere came, in November 1820, the expedition again headed to the high southern latitudes to ices, icebergs, to strange penguin birds.

This time the expedition was on the waters Pacific Ocean and the first they encountered was Macquarie Island, which lies under the same latitude as South Georgia.

Fresh winds blew. The weather was overcast. All this was well known to sailors. But with new forces they stubbornly rushed forward, as close as possible to the South Pole.

The second time the sailors meet in the ice New Year- 1821. A new account of time has begun. The expedition crossed the Antarctic Circle 6 times. The sailors hoped to get to 70 degrees south latitude, unless, of course, an ice barrier was encountered.

January 21, 1821. The sailors that day saw an unusual light - the first sign of motionless ice. And the next day, an ice field appeared, pieces of ice were scattered in disorder on it, several ice islands were erased, and in the middle rises ice mountain. It was an island named by Bellingshausen after Peter I.

The day was foggy. In such weather, it is easy to pass the land without noticing it behind this amazingly dense veil. And suddenly, as often happens under these latitudes, the fog suddenly dissipated.

"Earth!" - the sailors shouted, and a powerful "cheer" frightened even the penguins. Cannons were fired on the ships, holiday lights were burned, and sailors hugged each other.

“I call this acquisition a coast,” Bellingshausen wrote, “because the remoteness of the other end to the south has disappeared beyond our sight ... A sudden change in color on the surface of the sea gives the idea that the coast is extensive, or at least does not consist of just that which is before our eyes."

And Bellingshausen called this land the Coast of Alexander I.

Further fate

Upon his return from the Antarctic "round the world" Bellingshausen commanded a naval crew for two years, held staff positions for three years, in 1826 led a flotilla in the Mediterranean Sea, participated in the siege and storming of Varna. In 1831-38 he led a naval division in the Baltic, from 1839 until his death he was the military governor of Kronstadt, and during the summer voyages he was annually appointed commander of the Baltic Fleet. In 1843 he received the rank of admiral. Bellingshausen did a lot to strengthen and improve Kronstadt; paternally cared for his subordinates, seeking to improve the nutrition of sailors; founded the maritime library. Biographers of Bellingshausen noted his benevolence and composure, he kept his presence of mind both under enemy fire and in the fight against the elements.

Bellingshausen was married and had four daughters.

He died in Kronstadt, where in 1869 a monument was erected to him. A sea in the Pacific Ocean and an underwater basin, a glacier in Antarctica and an Antarctic station, a cape on Sakhalin Island and three islands are named after him.

Even more complete, versatile and fruitful was the life of Mikhail Petrovich Lazarev. In 1822-1825 he made his third round-the-world voyage as head of the expedition and commander of the frigate Cruiser. And this voyage was marked by a number of remarkable studies and discoveries. In the course of it, Lazarev and his assistants did a great job of correcting nautical charts, clarifying the location of many islands, and collected valuable materials on oceanography, meteorology, ethnography and other branches of science.

In 1832, Lazarev took over as chief of staff of the Black Sea Fleet. After some time, he, already in the rank of vice admiral, was appointed chief commander of the Black Sea Fleet and military governor of Nikolaev and Sevastopol.

For scientific and military feats accomplished for the glory of Russia, for the desire to exalt her, to see her first among other states, for unremitting zeal and concern for her power, for the stubborn struggle against worship of foreigners and faith in the spiritual and physical strength of the Russian people - in Our country honors the memory of their outstanding compatriots Thaddeus Bellingshausen and Mikhail Lazorev.

Conclusion.

The sixth and last part of the world has been discovered. After the voyage of Russian sailors, there was no longer any doubt that there is an Unknown Southern Land on our planet. They called it Antarctica because it lies in the heart of the southern polar region - Antarctica.

The Russians did a great deed - they finally found the elusive Southern Land. With the discovery of Antarctica, the world map has become almost the same as we know it today. Almost, but not quite, because there were many “white spots” left on it, that is, unknown, unexplored areas.

And to this day there are unexplored, hard-to-reach places on our planet, and not only in the harsh Antarctica. Greenland, this giant, uninhabited island, the largest in the world, still keeps its secrets under a mighty layer of ice. An almost unknown area on our planet is the bottom of the oceans and seas.

Research continues!

And the astronomer K., who lived in the I-II centuries. ad. Then the assumption was born that the ratio of land and sea areas in the Northern and Southern hemispheres should be approximately the same. For many centuries this hypothesis was not confirmed.

In 1774-1775. English navigator, making round the world expedition, penetrated much further south than its predecessors. But he could not break through the cold and ice to the mainland. The journey of J. Cook ended the first period in the history of the discovery and exploration of Antarctica - the period of assumptions about the existence of Antarctica.

The second period ended with the discovery of Antarctica. The honor of discovering the continent belongs to Russian sailors - the first Russian Antarctic expedition of 1819-1821. On the sloops Vostok and Mirny under the command of F.F. Bellingshausen and M.P. Lazarev. The direct discovery of the coast of Antarctica took place on January 28, 1820.

The third period begins with the study of Antarctic waters and coasts. For many decades, ships of researchers of a number have been sent to the shores of Antarctica. In 1882-1883. For the first time, studies of Antarctica were carried out according to the agreed program of the first International Polar Year.

The fourth period of the study of Antarctica begins with the first wintering on the mainland by K. Borchgrevink in 1898 on the coast of Robertson Bay near Cape Adare. This stage ended with the conquest of the South Pole in 1911-1912. The expedition of the Englishman Robert went to the Pole from western edge Ross Seas - from McMurdo Bay - on Scottish ponies and skis. The expedition, led by experienced polar explorer Roald Amundsen, went to dog sledding from eastern edge Ross Sea - from the Bay of Whales. The Norwegian expedition was the first to reach the South Pole on December 14, 1911, and its members successfully returned to the coast and sailed home. R. Scott came to the South Pole with four comrades on skis 35 days later - January 16, 1912. On the way back, R. Scott and his companions died from exhaustion and cold ... History in a special way reconciled the rivals in the tragic race to the South Pole: there now The American scientific station “-Scott” is constantly working.

Among the researchers of the Antarctic, one should also mention the Australian D. Mawson and the Englishman E. Shelkton, as well as the American expeditions of 1928-1930, 1933-1936, 1939-1941. under the direction of R. Baird. After World War II begins modern stage research of Antarctica within the framework of the program of the International Geophysical Year (1957-1958). According to this program, our country was assigned the study of East Antarctica - the most inaccessible and unexplored part of the mainland. The first complex Antarctic expedition of the USSR (1955-1956), headed by M.M. Somov, left the port of Kaliningrad on a diesel-electric ship and founded the research station Mirny on the coast of Antarctica. In subsequent years, other stations were created within the continent and in coastal areas: “Vostok”, “Pole of inaccessibility”, “Pionerskaya” and others. The Center for Soviet Antarctic Research was moved to the Molodezhnaya station, where natural conditions less severe than in the Mirny area.

It was actually discovered in 1820, when on January 16 (28) the expedition led by the great Russian seafaring officers Mikhail Lazarev and Thaddeus Bellingshausen noticed nearby unknown land. This land turned out to be the sixth, the last of the discovered globe- Antarctica.

The distance traveled by the Mirny and Vostok boats was 100,000 km.

The expedition members managed to accomplish what was previously considered impossible.

Indeed, back in 1775, the famous James Cook, who could not break through the ice (he stopped about two hundred kilometers from Antarctica), wrote in his diaries that not a single person could move south further than him.

The Russian expedition did not land on the coast of Antarctica, and this is one of the reasons for the disputes about the discovery of the continent.

The expedition of Lazarev and Bellingshausen lasted a little more than two years (751 days), and the path they covered was equal to two trips around the world.

Discovery of Antarctica: speculation and assumptions

The version about the existence of the continent itself was expressed in the second century AD by the ancient Greek geographer and astronomer Ptolemy. However, his assumptions for many centuries were not confirmed by scientific facts.

At the beginning of the sixteenth century, the Portuguese, led by Amerigo Vespucci, reached the island of South Georgia, but returned due to extreme cold, which none of the members of the flotilla could endure. In 1775, James Cook went deep into the Atlantic waters, but he could not break through the cold and ice close to the mainland, and was also forced to retreat. Although he was in the existence of Antarctica.

Whoever set foot on earth first discovered

Recently, the assertion that it is not open until a person has set foot on it has become popular. Hence, another date for the “discovery” of the sixth continent is January 23, 1895, when the Norwegians Christensen (the captain of the Antarctic vessel) and Carlsen Borchgrevink (teacher of natural sciences) reached the coast of Antarctica and landed on its land.

Their expedition managed to get samples of minerals and describe the aurora. A few years later, Borchgrevink returned to Antarctica, but already as the leader of an expedition called the Southern Cross.

At the beginning of the 19th century, conflicting legends circulated about this mainland. The first guesses about the existence of the mysterious mainland dawned on travelers on the expedition of Amerigo Vespucci back in 1502.

But the cold stopped the Portuguese sailors many miles from the supposed mainland. James Cook penetrated the Antarctic waters further than others, but he was also stopped by great frosts. Cook believed in the existence of Antarctica.

Faddey Faddeevich Bellingshausen was born on the island of Ezel, in a noble German family. There were many of them in the Russian service - glorious Otssee (Baltic) Germans.

At birth, the future marine pioneer bore a name unusual for the Russian ear: Fabian Gottlieb Thaddeus von Bellingshausen. Nowadays, the island of Ezel is called Saaremaa and is located in Estonia. There were serious battles during the First and Second World Wars.

Bellingshausen did not imagine any other vocation for himself than the naval service. “I was born on the sea, the sea is my whole life,” the captain had such a credo.

Bellingshausen participated in the first Russian world tour- and won the trust of Kruzenshtern. But they did not see him as the head of the first Antarctic expedition.

Idea sea ​​travel on South Pole has been in the air for a long time, but only at the beginning of 1819, Russian sailors turned to the government with detailed plan expeditions.

Emperor Alexander I approved the idea. He was not an enthusiast of the fleet, but in this undertaking he saw the continuation of the great deeds of Peter. And the plan was not shelved, they got down to business energetically.

Who should be appointed as leader? Kruzenshtern was going to entrust this mission to Vasily Golovnin, but during the preparation of the expedition Golovnin was on a trip around the world.

Bellingshausen's candidacy arose, but the government proposed Makar Ivanovich Ratmanov, a well-known brave man, an experienced captain.

But it was then that Ratmanov was shipwrecked, returning to his homeland from a voyage to Spain. He had to stay in a Danish hospital. So Bellingshausen stood at the head of the expedition, dreaming of discovering the mysterious mainland.

They approached the preparation thoroughly, although mistakes were not avoided. The sloops were built according to the designs of Russian engineers. Masters thoroughly strengthened them - in case of a possible fight with the ice.

The restructuring of the ships was led by Mikhail Petrovich Lazarev - the second captain, the second person in the expedition. Lazarev and recruited a team, meticulously checking experienced sailors. The best went on the expedition.

The Vostok sloop was commanded by Bellingshausen, another sloop, which was called Mirny, was commanded by Lazarev. It was indeed a peaceful mission that required selflessness and courage from the participants. Many years later, the first Soviet Antarctic stations would be named after these ships. "Vostok" proved to be more speed ship, "Peace" was more reliable, much less likely to require repairs.

In the ministerial instructions, Bellingshausen was instructed not only to step into the unknown, but to record all observations: "Try to write down everything in order to inform future readers of your journey." A perfectly fitting program for the sons of the Age of Enlightenment.

In August, the ships headed for the Atlantic. November 2 anchored in Rio, rested three weeks in Brazil. Replenished stocks, repaired the sloops. And again the ocean.

In mid-December, Bellingshausen and Lazarev saw the islands, discovered by Cook- first of all, South Georgia. From there we went to the land of Sandwich. Icebergs appeared. It became frosty - like winter in the Russian north.

It was then that they refuted the assumption of Cook, who stated: “The risk associated with sailing in these unexplored and ice-covered seas in search of the Southern Continent is so great that I can safely say that not a single person will ever dare to penetrate further south, what made it possible for me."

IN last days In 1819, Russian ships were already breaking through the ice - to the South, to the South! On January 15 they crossed the Antarctic Circle.

On January 22, 1821, an unknown island appeared to the eyes of travelers. Bellingshausen called it the island of Peter I - " high name culprit of existence Russian Empire navy."

Finally, on January 28 (16th according to the old style), the sailors saw a bright streak solid ice and at first mistook it for a bank of clouds. Before them, no one had seen this picture: Antarctica! Bellingshausen led the ships along the ice bulk. He was not yet sure that the mainland was in front of him.

"Here, behind the ice fields fine ice and islands are visible to the mainland of ice, whose edges are broken off perpendicularly and which continues as far as we see, rising to the south like a coast. Flat ice islands located near this mainland clearly show that they are a fragment of this mainland, because they have edges and an upper surface similar to the mainland, ”wrote Faddey Faddeevich.

For a long time they walked along the icy shores - towards dangers. They discovered new islands, gave explanations for natural phenomena. The name of Emperor Alexander I was also immortalized. The existence of Antarctica has been proven.

The expedition was attended by a remarkable scientist, at that time still a young astronomer Ivan Mikhailovich Simonov. He stoically endured all the hardships of the journey. In swimming for a year and a half, Simonov became a competent sailor. He was the first to establish that the South magnetic pole of the Earth is located at 76 ° south latitude and 142.5 ° east longitude - for that time it was accurate data. He will continue his research at Kazan University, the experience of the expedition will be useful to him for the rest of his life.

The voyage lasted 751 days. Vostok and Mirny traveled almost 50,000 miles.

Bellingshausen showed unprecedented determination: he went towards the cold, did not reckon with the warnings of Cook and other predecessors. At the time it was unheard of. dangerous journey. Wooden sloops had to maneuver through the fog among the ice and icebergs.

Experienced sailors said that Bellingshausen and Lazarev were accompanied by the blessing of the Lord. Through all the misfortunes they went with minimal losses, achieved the most daring goal - and returned alive. It was seen as a miracle.

This was a miracle - bold, but prudent navigation. Two captains, two outstanding naval commanders, for a common cause, they knew how to tame ambition. How often contradictions between commanders appear in campaigns, how often this hinders success. Bellingshausen and Lazarev worked in concert.

Russian ships circled the entire Antarctic continent. Dozens of new islands were discovered and mapped, unique natural science and ethnographic collections were collected and stored at Kazan University. Made excellent sketches of Antarctic species and animals living there.

The most severe continent on earth became related to Russia. It was in Antarctica, at the Soviet station Vostok, on July 21, 1983, scientists noted the most low temperature air on Earth for the entire history of meteorological measurements: 89.2 degrees below zero.

Thaddeus Bellingshausen finished his capital work “Twice surveys in the Southern Arctic Ocean and sailing around the world on the sloops Vostok and Mirny ...” in 1824, but the publication had to wait seven years. The book was translated into several languages, it aroused the admiration of specialists, and was reprinted more than once in our time.

Bellingshausen will finish his service with the rank of admiral, as military governor-general of Kronstadt. Mikhail Petrovich Lazarev will also rise to the rank of admiral, become commander of the Black Sea Fleet, and bring up a galaxy of outstanding naval commanders: Nakhimov, Kornilov, Putyatin.

And yet, the finest hour of both outstanding navigators is precisely January 1820, the blinding ice of the mysterious mainland. A discovery that is not subject to cancellations and revisions. The names of the heroes are forever written in the ice. They were ahead of their time for a long time: attempts to explore Antarctica will begin only after 70 - 75 years!

Not far off is the bicentenary of the glorious expedition, which is associated with, perhaps, the loudest of Russian geographical discoveries.

Until now, there is no worthy feature film about the feat of the Columbuses of Antarctica, but a short cartoon of 1972 based on the script by Leonid Zavalnyuk, in which the old sailor tells the guys about the expedition of Bellingshausen and Lazarev, remained in my memory.

There are also good children's books about brave travelers. And, therefore, the memory of the pioneer sailors lives in generations.