Why did they discover Antarctica briefly. History of exploration of Antarctica. Stages of exploration of the South Pole by Russians briefly
The assumption of the existence of South Pole mysterious Terra Australis Incognita - Southern unknown land - they spoke out long before the equipment of the first real expeditions there. Ever since scientists realized that the Earth is spherical, they have assumed that the areas of land and sea in the northern and southern hemispheres are about the same. Otherwise, they say, the balance would be disturbed, and our planet would be oriented towards the Sun with a side with a larger mass.
Once again, one has to be surprised at the clairvoyance of M.V. Lomonosov, who in 1763, even before Cook's expeditions, very clearly formulated his idea of the Southern land: “In the vicinity of the Strait of Magellan and opposite the Cape Good Hope about 53 degrees of midday width, great ice moves, why there should be no doubt that in a great distance the islands and the hardened land are covered with many and non-sinking snows, and that a large expanse of the earth's surface near the South Pole is occupied by them than in the north ".
A curious moment: at first, the opinion prevailed that the southern continent was much larger than it actually was. And when the Dutchman Willem Janson discovered Australia, he gave it a name, based on the assumption that it is part of the same Terra Australis Incognita…
Off the coast of Antarctica. Photo: Peter Holgate.
The first who managed, albeit not of their own free will, to cross the Antarctic Circle and, in all likelihood, see Antarctica became the Dutch. In 1559, the ship commanded by Dirk Geeritz, in the Strait of Magellan fell into a storm and was carried far to the south. Having reached 64 degrees south latitude, the sailors saw « high ground» . But besides this mention, history has not preserved other evidence of a possible discovery. As soon as the weather permitted, Geeritz immediately left the inhospitable Antarctic waters.
Dutch galleon of the 16th century.
It is possible that the case with the ship Geeritsa was not the only one. Already in our time, on the coast of the Antarctic islands, wrecks of ships, clothes and kitchen utensils, dating back to the 16th-17th centuries, have been repeatedly found. One of these wrecks, which belonged to an 18th-century Spanish galleon, is kept in the museum of the Chilean city of Valparaiso. True, skeptics believe that all this evidence of shipwrecks could be brought to Antarctica waves and currents.
In the 17th-18th centuries, French navigators distinguished themselves: they discovered the islands of South Georgia, Bouvet and Kerguelen, located in "roaring forties" latitudes. The British, not wanting to lag behind their competitors, in 1768-1775 also equipped two expeditions in a row. It was they who became an important stage in the study of the southern hemisphere.
Both expeditions were led by the famous captain James Cook. He repeatedly crossed the Arctic Circle, was covered with ice, crossed the 71st degree south latitude and was only 75 miles from the coast of the sixth continent, but an insurmountable wall of ice prevented them from reaching.
Cook's expedition ship Endeavor, modern replica.
Despite failing to find mainland land, in general, Cook's expeditions brought impressive results. It was found that New Zealand- this is an archipelago, and not part of the southern mainland, as previously assumed. In addition, the coasts of Australia, vast water areas Pacific Ocean, several islands were discovered, astronomical observations were made, etc.
In domestic literature there are allegations that Cook did not believe in the existence of the Southern Land and allegedly openly declared this. Actually it is not. James Cook argued just the opposite: “I will not deny that there may be a continent or a significant land near the pole. On the contrary, I am convinced that such a land exists, and it is possible that we have seen part of it. Great cold, huge number ice islands and floating ice - all this proves that the land in the south should be ".
He even wrote a special treatise "Arguments for the existence of land near the South Pole", and open South Sandwich named the islands in honor of the first Lord of the Admiralty Sandwich Land, mistakenly believing that this is a ledge of the continental land of the southern continent. However, Cook, faced with the extremely harsh Antarctic climate, came to the conclusion that further research was pointless. Because the mainland “Being open and examined, it would still not benefit either navigation, or geography, or other branches of science”. Probably, it was this statement that for a long time discouraged the desire to send new expeditions to the South Land, and for half a century, the harsh Antarctic waters were visited mainly by whaling and hunting ships.
Captain James Cook.
The next and perhaps the most important discovery in history Antarctica was made by Russian sailors. In July 1819, the first Russian Antarctic expedition started as part of two Russian Imperial fleets. Vostok and Mirny. The first of them, and the detachment as a whole, was commanded by a captain of the 2nd rank, the second - by lieutenant Mikhail Petrovich Lazarev. It is curious that the goals of the expedition were exclusively scientific - it was supposed to explore the remote waters of the oceans and find the mysterious southern continent, penetrating "to the farthest latitude that can be reached".
The Russian sailors fulfilled the assigned tasks brilliantly. On January 28 (according to the ship's "mean astronomical" time, ahead of St. Petersburg by 12 hours), 1820, they came close to the ice barrier of the Antarctic continent. According to them, before them was "Ice field dotted with mounds". Lieutenant Lazarev spoke more specifically: “we met hardened ice of extreme height ... it extended as far as vision could only reach ... From here we continued our way to the east, encroaching at every opportunity to the south, but we always met an ice continent”. This day is now considered the opening day. Antarctica. Although, strictly speaking, the earth itself Russian sailors then they did not see: they were 20 miles from the coast, later called Queen Maud Land, and only an ice shelf appeared to their eyes.
It is curious that just three days later, on the other side of the mainland, an English sailing ship under the command of captain Edward Bransfield approached the Antarctic Peninsula, and the land was supposedly visible from its side. The same was claimed by the captain of the American hunting ship Nathaniel Palmer who visited the same place in November 1820. True, both of these ships were engaged in fishing for whales and seals, and their captains were primarily interested in commercial benefits, and not in the laurels of the discoverers of new lands.
American whaling ships in Antarctic waters. Artist Roy Cross.
In fairness, we note that, despite a number of controversial issues, recognition and Lazareva pioneers Antarctica deserved and fair. January 28, 1821 - exactly one year after the meeting with "ice continent"- Russian sailors sunny weather clearly saw and even sketched a mountainous coast. The last doubts disappeared: not just an ice massif stretched to the south, but snow-covered rocks. The open land was mapped as Alexander I Land. It is interesting to note that for a long time Alexander I Land was considered part of the mainland, and only in 1940 it became clear that it was an island: a strait was discovered under a multi-meter thick ice shelf separating it from the continent.
For two years of navigation, the ships of the first Russian Antarctic expedition went around open mainland, leaving more than 50 thousand miles astern. 29 new islands were discovered, a huge amount of various research was carried out.
Sloops "Vostok" and "Mirny" off the coast of Antarctica. Artist E.V.Voishvillo.
The first person to set foot on the ground - or rather, ice - of the southern continent, in all likelihood, was the American St. John Davis. On February 7, 1821, he landed from a fishing vessel ashore in West Antarctica near Cape Charles. However, this fact is not documented in any way and is given only from the words of a sailor, so many historians do not recognize it. The very first confirmed landing on the ice continent took place 74 years (!) Later - on January 24, 1895. Norwegian
Antarctica is an icy continent, the sixth continent that has long remained uncharted. Its existence was guessed at the beginning of our era. Since then, until the moment when Antarctica was discovered, more than ten centuries have passed. The reason for this inaccessibility lies in extremely low temperatures, drifting ice, as well as the imperfection of technology.
Assumptions
The answer to the question of in what century Antarctica was discovered can be approached from different angles. In many sciences, the time of discovery of a phenomenon is the day when it was described. There is even a corresponding expression "opening at the tip of the pen." If this approach were recognized in geography, today textbooks would look different. The time when Antarctica was discovered would be considered Antiquity. Then many thinkers wrote about the probable existence of a land located south of the already known continents.
The very name of the mainland was first mentioned in the second century AD in the writings of the ancient Greek geographer Marina of Tire. Antarctica means the opposite of the Arctic. Oh distant southern land Aristotle also wrote, considering its existence necessary to balance the excess land in the north. The famous astronomer of antiquity, Ptolemy, also adhered to the version of the hidden continent.
Attempts
The answer to the question: "In what century was Antarctica discovered?" could differ from what we know today if at least one of the attempts to achieve mysterious continent carried out in the XVI-XVII centuries. One of the expeditions was led by Amerigo Vespucci. He reached the island of South Georgia in the early sixteenth century. The ships did not sail further because of the unusually severe frost.
The next famous attempt, which had a chance to change our understanding of the century in which Antarctica was discovered, was made by James Cook. In 1773, a ship under his leadership crossed the Antarctic Circle for the first time in history. Cook became the discoverer of several Arctic islands and advanced quite far into the waters of the sixth continent. However, the path was blocked by insurmountable ice. The traveler wrote about the impossibility of overcoming such an obstacle later in his diary. And only after about 50 years this assumption was refuted by the Russian navigators Thaddeus Bellingshausen and Mikhail Lazarev.
great geographical discovery
The famous journey on the ships "Mirny" and "Vostok" began in the middle of 1819. They led the expedition, the purpose of which was Lazarev and Bellingshausen. Moving south, the sailors met three islands, later named the Marquis de Traversay group. They reached Cook's Sandwich Land and found it to be an archipelago. It was named on January 16 (according to the old style), 1820, the ships coped with the task that James Cook could not solve. They soon approached quite close quarters to the coast of the icy continent, later named the Princess Martha Coast. This is how the discovery of Antarctica by Bellingshausen and Lazarev took place. The official date of the event is January 28 (old style), 1820.
Another version
However, not everything is so simple here either. Bellingshausen and Lazarev did not land on the continent. For this reason, not all researchers agree to consider the named number as the date when Antarctica was discovered. In geography, as in any science, there is a set of rules. For example, the discoverer is considered to be a person who, before others, set foot on new land. In this case, the "heroes of history" are the Norwegian navigators Christensen and Borchgrevink. The day Antarctica was discovered is January 23, 1895.
However, there are few supporters of this version, and the official date remains unchanged.
Development
The time when the icy continent began to slowly reveal its secrets was the 20th century. In 1911, the expedition of Roald Amundsen took place. Among her achievements was the first ever successful trip to the South Pole. Soon it was reached by the team that tragically died on the way back.
The middle of the century became the time of industrial development of the ice continent. The largest exploration of Antarctica has begun since 1956. It was then that the first Soviet expedition headed by the first Soviet expedition reached the shores of the mainland. This and subsequent groups of researchers were tasked with equipping stations, collecting data on atmospheric phenomena, temperature and other conditions, the fauna of the continent, the influence of air masses moving from here on the climate in the lands located to the north .
The international cooperation
In 1956 it was not yet fully regulated. final agreement for international level was achieved in early 1959 when several countries signed the "Antarctic Treaty". He made the sixth continent a military-free zone. Since that time, it has been forbidden to bury poisonous and radioactive waste. What else have the countries agreed on? By that time, researchers from several powers had reached Antarctica, but there were also those who only aspired to this. Be that as it may, both of them abandoned territorial claims for an indefinite period. The sixth continent became the site of international scientific collaboration and remains so to this day.
Achievements
At times Soviet Union several stations were created on the territory of the icy continent. During the most active scientific activity, the number of year-round workers reached eight. Up to 180 people worked on them in winter. During the summer period, the number of employees reached 450.
Over the entire period of work of the Soviet Antarctic Expedition (SAE), many important information about the continent. Plains, mountains, bays and islands appeared on the terrain map. Phenomena such as northern lights and magnetic storms. Researchers have paid much attention to the influence atmospheric phenomena ice continent on the weather in other areas of our planet. The achievements of Soviet scientists formed the basis of Russian scientific programs for the development of Antarctica.
Modernity
After the collapse of the Soviet Union, the SAE was replaced by the Russian Antarctic Expedition. Every year, researchers are sent to the harsh conditions of the icy continent, continuing the work of their predecessors. Today, the number of main year-round operating stations is five. Most of research activities are carried out on their territory. In addition to them, polar explorers have two seasonal field stations at their disposal. At the same time, more than two hundred Russian specialists are engaged in scientific research on the continent.
Progress
The sixth continent is not a resort. Extremely low temperatures and hurricane winds That's what Antarctica is famous for. The ocean surrounding her is completely inhospitable. Therefore, people with good health and a receptive mind have always been sent here, able to withstand a heavy load and make decisions in difficult unforeseen circumstances. On the other hand, such conditions leave an imprint on the technologies used in the construction and equipment of stations. Fortunately, the current level scientific progress allows expedition members to devote less and less time to maintaining comfortable conditions of their stay in harsh edge. As a result of the emergence of new technologies, tools and methods, researchers are able to expand their field of activity every year, and we learn more and more about the secrets of the icy continent.
Phenomenon
An illustrative example of achievements is the drilling of ice in the area of the Vostok station. There, in the late 50s of the last century, the location of the lake was determined. It is located under a thick layer of ice and has probably existed in this form for several million years. The lake, named after the station "Vostok", may be a haven for microorganisms that have never come into contact with the earth's biosphere.
As a result of drilling, the surface of the subglacial reservoir was reached in 2012. Scientists have access to the extracted material. The analysis of the obtained data causes a contradictory reaction of researchers. DNA sequences of a large number of microorganisms have been found, but it is likely that some of them were brought in during the drilling process, while others are the remains of long-extinct creatures.
The study of the lake is also of interest because the methods used for this may be useful in the future. Scientists suggest that they will be needed during the development of the territory of the satellites of Jupiter (Callisto and Europe), the surface of which presumably hides similar formations.
One way or another, the study of Lake Vostok and the whole of Antarctica as a whole continues. Every day, scientists work in the harsh conditions of the icy continent to uncover its secrets. While there are still a lot of them. It can even be said that there are more questions, assumptions and mystical legends associated with the sixth continent now than there were before the discovery of Antarctica. I would like to believe that the indefatigable human mind will be able to find explanations for at least part of the mysteries offered to it by nature.
In January 1820, a Russian expedition led by Thaddeus Bellingshausen and Mikhail Lazarev discovered Antarctica, the existence of which had only been speculated before. Today we have collected for you interesting and little known facts about the most remote southern mainland - the highest, dryest, windiest, sparsely populated and coldest place on earth.
1. At one time in Antarctica it was impossible to work for those who had not removed their wisdom teeth and appendix. Due to the fact that no surgical operations were performed at the stations of Antarctica, in order to work here, one had to first part with these parts of the body, even if they were completely healthy.
3. Like many countries, Antarctica has its own Internet domain - .aq
4. 53 million years ago, Antarctica was so warm that palm trees grew on its shores, and the air temperature rose above 20 degrees Celsius.
5. In December 2013, Metallica played a concert in Antarctica, thus becoming the first band in the world to perform on all continents. In order not to disturb local fauna, the concert was held under a special protective dome, and the audience listened to music through headphones.
6. From 1960 to 1972 at McMurdo Station - largest settlement and a research center owned by the United States - the first nuclear power plant in Antarctica worked.
7. Antarctica has its own fire station. It belongs to the McMurdo station, and the most real professional firefighters work on it.
8. Despite extreme conditions, 1,150 species of fungi have been found in Antarctica. They are highly adaptable to extreme cold temperatures and long periods of freeze and thaw.
9. Technically, all 24 time zones are present in Antarctica, since their boundaries converge at one point at both poles.
10. There are no polar bears in Antarctica. To see them, you will have to go to the North Pole or, for example, to Canada.
11. There is a bar in Antarctica - the southernmost bar on the planet. And it is located at the Akademik Vernadsky station, which belongs to Ukraine.
12. The lowest temperature ever recorded on earth - minus 89.2 degrees Celsius - was recorded in Antarctica at the Russian Vostok station on July 21, 1983.
13. Antarctica is the fifth largest continent in the world. Its territory is 14 million square meters. km.
14. 99% of Antarctica is covered in ice. The ice sheet of a continent is often referred to as an ice sheet.
15. The average ice thickness of Antarctica is 1.6 km. Antarctica contains approximately 70% of the reserves of all fresh water on the ground.
16. The Transantarctic Mountains run through the entire continent and divide it into western and eastern parts. This range is one of the longest in the world - its length is 3500 km.
17. The existence of the continent of Antarctica was unknown until its discovery in 1820. Before that, it was assumed that this is just a group of islands.
18. On December 14, 1911, Norwegian explorer Roald Amundsen became the first person to reach the South Pole and hoist the flag of his nation there. He also became the first person to visit both geographic poles of the planet.
19. As a result of secret negotiations, on December 1, 1959, 12 countries concluded the Antarctic Treaty, which provides for the demilitarization of the Antarctic region and its use for exclusively peaceful purposes. To date, more than 50 countries are parties to the Treaty.
20. January 7, 1978 Argentine Emilio Marcos Palma was born - the first person in history to be born in Antarctica. It is believed that this event was a planned action by the Argentine government, which specifically sent a pregnant woman to the Esperanza station in order to subsequently claim part of the territory of Antarctica.
Antarctica is an amazing continent that is located opposite the Arctic. central part Antarctica falls on geographic center south of the earth.
The southernmost continent of the planet is washed simultaneously by three of the five oceans, including the Indian, Atlantic and Pacific. Among geographers and travelers, these three oceans are informally called South ocean.
total area has 14,107 thousand km2, where the islands account for approximately 75.5 thousand km2 and 930 thousand km2 for ice shelves.
Antarctica has a lot of distinctive features from other continents. Here is the lowest air temperature at a low level of humidity, a high rate of radiation (solar) against the background of the highest intensity and duration of wind flows.
Under the concept of Antarctica not only the mainland itself falls, but also several nearby islands.
The romanized version of the name "Antarctica" comes from the Greek word, translated as "opposite the Arctic or the north", which Aristotle mentioned in his writings ("Meteorology").
Apart from being mentioned by Aristotle, the existence of the continent has been hypothesized by geographers. And even sometimes it was combined on some maps with Australia and South America. But thanks to the round-the-world trip of Russian sailors, it became known for certain that there was another continent.
The entire area of \u200b\u200bthe mainland was first marked on a world map English John Murray titled "The Proposed Antarctic Continent" in 1886.
This continent was officially named Antarctica in 1890 by the famous Scottish cartographer D. D. Bartholomew.
Which traveler discovered Antarctica?
The pioneers of the southernmost continent are Russian navigators, who, during their round-the-world cruise, discovered new lands, later called the “continent of ice”.
Names of glorious Russian sailors:
- M.P. Lazarev;
- F. F. Bellingshausen.
This event happened in 1820 during an Antarctic trip around the world. The discoverers called the discovered lands "Ice Continent", but after 20 years, with the light hand of the American explorer and naval officer C. Wilks, the continent received its new name - "Antarctic Continent".
Date of discovery of Antarctica 01/16/1820
Russian expedition led by F. Bellingshausen and M. Lazarev set foot on glacial lands, approaching the shores on the boats "Mirny" and "Vostok". The landing site is currently called the Bellingshausen shelf.
The beginning of the journey was laid back in 1819, when Russian travelers visited South Georgia on sloops. So, M. Lazarev and F. Bellingshausen penetrated the waters of the Arctic Ocean to the Greenwich meridian at 69 ° 21 ′, where modern Antarctica. Moreover, Bellingshausen was the first navigator who completed a full circle around the continent between latitudes 60-70 °.
How did the polar expedition proceed?
The scientific expedition achieved the incredible - it circled the entire Earth on the ice of the South Pole and was the first to descend to the lands of the continent. The specific individuals who felt the land of Antarctica under their feet were members of the naval expedition led by Bellingshausen and Lazarev. The discovery of a new continent fell on 01/28/1820, according to the old style.
IN polar expedition after a long preparation, two warships set off from Kronstadt, the Vostok was led by F. Bellingshausen, and the Mirny was led by M. Lazarev. The task of the polar explorers was clear - to penetrate as far as possible to the south pole, and find out the truth about the existence of a new continent.
During the journey, the discoverer of Antarctica, Bellingshausen, had to stay in the Portsmouth port of England to replenish provisions and necessary equipment.
And already in the fall, ships under fair winds headed for Brazil along the waters Atlantic Ocean. All observations and current events were recorded in the logbook, which indicated that on the 21st day of the journey, the sloops anchored off the coast. After the ships set sail from the coast of Brazil, they headed for the cold waters of the Arctic Circle, and at the end of 1819 they were already near the island of South Georgia.
The sloops moved very carefully among the floating ice and drifting icebergs. Bellingshausen made futile attempts to measure the depth of the waters.
Early 1820 sailors stumbled upon the first unknown to the world the island, which was later named after the name of Lieutenant Annenkov, who described these lands. Then, on the way of the brave sailors, the islands of Zavadsky and Leskov met, which also received their names in honor of the members of the expedition.
After the boat sailed to the open island group Traverse (named after the minister). After that, the Candlemas and Sadwich islands were discovered (the latter turned out to be an archipelago).
Thanks to Russian sailors on geographical map peace South Sandwich Islands appeared. And by the end of the first month of 1820, the sailors stumbled upon ice, stretching for many kilometers ahead to the very horizon.
During circumnavigation, which lasted 751 days, 92,000 km were covered on the sloops. The expedition members managed to discover 30 new islands, among which one turned out to be coral reef. Unexplored Antarctica began to take shape on the world map around the South Pole, and thanks to the research, the new science- oceanography.
Thanks to a number of round-the-world voyages that were made by sailors different countries, science has been enriched with many new facts and greatest discoveries. The discovery of the Antarctic continent is among the most important discoveries early 19th century Until scientists had good reasons for marking a new continent on the map, they were a "blank spot" of the proposed continent of the southern lands.
Interest in Antarctica by foreign seafarers
After that the travelers various countries discovered new lands of Antarctica and entered them into maps. So, C. Wilkes walked along the east longitude 97-158 °, J. Dumont-Durville discovered the new Adele Lands for everyone, a navigator from Great Britain became the discoverer of Victoria Land and the Ross Sea.
Antarctica attracted travelers from various countries. A lot of expeditions were sent to this continent, the fate of many of which ended tragically. between some Antarctic expeditions even unfolded a serious struggle for the primacy of the conquest of the South Pole. So, it is believed that the first conquerors were travelers led by Raoul Amundsen.
And already in the middle of the 20th century, Antarctica began to be studied for reasons of industrial interest.
Who owns Antarctica
There are many who want to own an entire continent, but Antarctica does not belong to any state. In 1959, on the first day of December, the convention on the fate of Antarctica was signed, according to which only research activities can be carried out on this continent. This international document entered into force in 1961 on June 23. The convention has been signed by 50 different states that have the right to vote. This normative act is supported by a dozen more countries that have the status of observers.
But, as it turned out, owning the state and claiming its territory are two different things. Territorial claims to the lands of Antarctica have many countries whose sailors visited the mainland during expeditions. So, claims large territories.
- Norway;
- Great Britain;
- New Zealand;
- Australia;
- Argentina;
- and other countries.
China, the USA, Russia have not yet made official statements regarding claims in the Antarctic, but this does not mean that they will not do so in the future. Currently these three states and some others, there are polar stations that are diligently conducting research activities to detect natural resources including. Compatriots know the Russian polar station called Vostok, Bellingshausen, Druzhnaya, Leningradskaya, Mirny, Molodyozhnaya, etc.
Antarctica, Wikipedia confirms this, on this moment the only continent remains completely uninhabited by people. Although in these lands there are a lot of scientific bases and abandoned whaler settlements. Scientists geologists have confirmed in the Antarctic huge deposits of natural resources and fresh water, which, in the near future, humanity will need.
The difficult climate of Antarctica is not conducive to the permanent settlement of the continent by residents. Among the temporary settlers of geologists and scientists (including Russians), one can count 4000-1000 people, depending on the season.
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 to the 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 southern mainland, is so great that I can safely say that not a single person will ever dare to penetrate further south than I did.
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, the eyes of travelers appeared unknown island. 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.
His capital work "Double surveys in the South Arctic Ocean and sailing around the world on the sloops Vostok and Mirny…” Thaddeus Bellingshausen finished 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.
