They conquered seas and oceans...

The news spread through Kronstadt and it made hearts of both veterans of the Russian Navy and young naval officers beginning their service beat quicker - the first in the history of Russian navigation round-the-world cruise was being prepared. The honor to realize this unprecedented seafaring was granted to the ships Nadezhda and Neva under the command of very experienced officers Ivan Kruzenstern and Yury Lisyansky. These names as well as names of the ships were on everybody's lips. Rumors about presupposed expedition were afloat long before. But then most active preparation was going on. The decks of the ships were scrubbed. The holds were filled with provision and different supplies, barrels with fresh water, necessary equipment. High-ranking persons examined the ships captiously checking their readiness to go to the sea.

"Nadejda" sloop A. Shevalie

At last the preparatory work finished. But a storm postponed the cruise. The moment it calmed down, the ships put the sails and left Kronstadt bay. It was on August, 7, 1803.

More than two centuries of geographical discoveries preceded the first round-the-world cruise of I.Kruzenstern and Y. Lisyansky. Arctic navigation got further development. New shipyards appeared at rivers the Onega, the Northern Dvina, the Pechora. The Arctic ocean was investigated and assimilated. Far-away territories of Siberia, rich with natural resources and peltry were subjugated. The most outstanding discovery was made by Semen Dezhnev. The expedition under his leadership went to North-Western parts of the country in 1648. The sailing passed in extremely difficult conditions, but the brave travelers reached the last Eastern point of Asia on September, 20 of the same year and demonstrated the possibility to go from the Arctic to the Pacific ocean. Eighty years before V.Bering Dezhnev proved that Asia and America are separated with the streams.

F. Lisyansky, commander of "Nadejda" sloop. G. Uhtomsky

The 18th century was marked by new achievements of Russian navigators in investigations and assimilation of Northern seas and the Northern-Western part of the Pacific ocean. The most active part in explore work took naval officers, allumni of the School for Mathematics and Navigation founded by Peter I on January, 14, 1701 in Moscow and later of the Academy for Navigation (established in 1715 on the basis of the School for navigation in St.Petersburg).

Due to work of D.Ovtsyn, A.Chirikov, F.Minin, S.Cheluskin, S.Malygin and many others plenty of "white spots" disappeared from the map of Russia. In 1733-1743 the Great Northern Expedition (the Second Kamchatka Expedition) was organized and successfully fulfilled for investigation of the Northern Sea Route, the coast of the Arctic ocean, Siberia and the Far East. The idea of this expedition belonged to Peter I. The sea and naval detachments were under command of officers of the Russian Navy. V.Bering, A.Chirikov, S.Malygin, S.Cheluskin and many others for nearly ten years collected information about the culture, mode of life and customs of peoples settling in the Northern parts of the country, they also drew up a detailed map of the Arctic ocean coast.

In the first half of the 18th century the active assimilation of resources of the Pacific ocean coast began. The expeditions of P.Krenitsyn and M.Levashov, I.Billings and G.Sarychev discovered new and new mysteries in this part of the country. In July 1799 the Russian-American company was founded at the Pacific ocean. Among numerous its plans there was a task to discover and assimilate new lands. It was suggested that the company would digest the newly opened lands into Russian possession if these territories were not occupied by other peoples and were not in their possession. To fulfill this task successfully the company needed modern well-equipped and armed ships. Such ships could be built only in St.Petersburg and at some shipyards in the European part of the country. Besides people at the Pacific ocean needed constantly in replenishing supplies which could be delivered only from the central regions.

A. Saryichev is keeping the records of american coasts P. Pshenichniy

Admonishing the participants of the seafaring the experienced Russian sailor N.Rumyantsev put the following task before the chief of the expedition I.Kruzenstern. It was to be taken as a rule to do one's best in exploring unknown seas. The idea that for the native trade a new area could be opened was still more perfect as Russia could contribute into common wealth of human knowledge.

This task was perfectly solved. The results of the expedition exceeded all expectations: on the world map new islands, streams, reefs, capes were drew up, coordinates of the series of islands specified, some changes added to sea maps, many other discoveries were made and different explore work was fulfilled. The first round-the-world expedition initiated a new science - oceanography. The participants of the expedition observed constantly naval streams, temperature and density of water at the depth of four hundred meters, tides and ebbs. Compiled later by Kruzenstern the Atlas of Southern Seas was for many years a guide for sailors of different countries, navigating in the Pacific ocean and in waters of Southern latitudes. The expedition opened new epoch in development of Russian navigation and ship-building.

A year after the sloops Nadezhda and Neva finished their navigation the sloop Diana under the command of V.Golovnin started the round-the-world cruise. The sloop Diana was built on the river Svir in 1806. It was the vessel of 300 tons displacement 25.8 m long. Diana was built not for far-away cruises but for inner transport service on the Baltic sea. However the detailed review of the sloop showed that after additional reinforcement of its inner lashings and for adaptation of holds for accommodation of cargoes and spare parts it was capable to survive difficulties of a long round-the-world cruise. In autumn and winter 1806 and in the first half of 1807 Diana was in St.Petersburg on the river Ohta. Golovnin put all his effort into reconstruction of the sloop. The whole crew including 55 sailors, 7 officers, 3 guard-mariners and navigator's pupils, chosen from great mount of volunteers did their best.

Frigate "Diana" on the raid of Simoda. F. Mozhaisky

Not only storms and gales but also many other trials fell upon the members of Diana's crew: the arrest of the schooner by the English at the cape of Good Hope, continuing a year and 25 days, taking prisoners by the Japanese for 26 months and 26 days. But in spite of this the expedition finished successfully. In 1817 being the Member of Honor of the State Admiralty Department Golovnin went to another round-the-world cruise on the schoon of Kamchatka. The schooner Kamchatka was built on Ohta shipyard in St.Petersburg. The ship was of 900 tons displacement and had a speed of 12 knots.

Together with V.Golovnin the severe school of a round-the-world cruise was passed by F.Vrangel, later the famous investigator of the Arctic ocean coast, F.Litke, the future head governor of Russian colonies at Alaska and the director of Russian American company who compiled the detailed description of New land and Murmansk coast, F.Matyushkin, later the investigator of the isles of Medvezhii. With this navigation Golovnin finished his activity at the sea. Later he put much effort to construction of military ships and admiralty buildings. In 1823 Golovnin was appointed the General intendant of the Navy. During his guuidance the personnel of the Navy was replenished with 26 battleships, 21 frigates, 10 steamers, 147 light ships.

By the beginning of the 19th century Russian ship visited nearly all the corners of the world. In 1803-18555 Russian sailors performed 41 cruises from the Baltic sea to the Far East. Not all the cruises were round-the-world as some ships just bowed Horn cape and went back. The whole history of navigation is the struggle with the element. Not always people won the victory. Rather often ships of courageous navigators were absorbed by seas and oceans. Only in the Chronicles of shipwrecks and fires of the Russian Navy ships from its beginning till 1854 compiled by A.Sokolov there is information about 289 ships which were missing, shipwrecked, burnt or broke in rocks.

In Lloyd's insurance company the bell declaring another drama burst out in the ocean rings anxiously today as it was many years ago. New names of ships which will never reach the port of destination are included into the books of the company "Sunk in the sea", "Burnt and exploded", "Perished in the ice", "Missing". Nevertheless navigators often going the routes of discoverers fight bravely with the element ocean by name.

The best monuments to navigators who glorified the Motherland and national ship-building are numerous Russian names on the map of the world. For example, the name of I.Kruzenstern bear streams, bays, capes, mountains, underwater rocks of the Pacific ocean; the name of F.Litke bear capes in the Ohotskoye sea and the Amur bay, in the streams of Bering, an island in the Arctic ocean and so on.

Starting the round-the-world cruise in July 1826 F.Litke said to his crew: "Remember that we are starting a round-the-world cruise, that Russia remains behind far and for a long time, that with our flag on board Sinyavin we carry the glory, honor, greatness and pride of our Motherland. I am sure that you will hold high the honor of our Navy..."