About his stay on one of the Coraline Islands, Litke wrote: “...Our three-week stay on Yualan not only did not cost a single drop of human blood, but... we could leave the good islanders with the same incomplete information about the action of our firearms, which they consider intended only for killing birds... I don’t know if a similar example can be found in the chronicles of early trips to the South Sea” (F. P. Litke. Voyage around the world on the sloop of war “Senyavin” in 1826-1829).

In the first half of the 19th century. Russian navigators made more than 20 trips around the world, which significantly exceeded the number of such expeditions undertaken by the British and French combined. And some Russian sailors circumnavigated the world twice or thrice. In the first Russian circumnavigation of the world, the midshipman on Kruzenshtern’s sloop “Nadezhda” was Bellingshausen, who after some time would be the first to approach the shores of Antarctica. O. Kotzebue made his first voyage on the same ship, and subsequently led two round-the-world voyages: in 1815-1818 and in 1823-1826.

In 1817, Vasily Mikhailovich Golovnin, who had already completed a circumnavigation of the world on the sloop “Diana”, which had become legendary, set out on his second circumnavigation. To be included in the team of the famous navigator was considered a great honor. On the recommendation of Captain 2nd Rank I. S. Sulmenev, later an admiral, Golovnin took his pupil, 19-year-old midshipman Fyodor Litke, on board the ship as the head of the hydrographic service, 19-year-old midshipman Fyodor Litke, who had already managed to take part in naval battles with the French and earn an order.

On the sloop "Kamchatka", which was preparing to sail around the world, a wonderful company gathered - the future of the Russian fleet. Litke met here with volunteer Fyodor Matyushkin, a former lyceum student and classmate of Pushkin, a future admiral and senator, and junior watch officer Ferdinand Wrangel, later a famous Arctic explorer and admiral. The team also included a very young midshipman, Theopempt Lutkovsky, who would first become interested in the ideas of the Decembrists, and then become a rear admiral and naval writer. During the two-year voyage, "Kamchatka" crossed the Atlantic from north to south, rounded Cape Horn, reached Kamchatka through the Pacific Ocean, visited Russian America, Hawaii, the Marianas and the Moluccas, then crossed the Indian Ocean and, having gone around Africa, on September 5, 1819. returned to Kronstadt.

In 1821, on the recommendation of Golovnin, Litke, who had already become a lieutenant, was appointed head of the Arctic expedition on the brig Novaya Zemlya. The expedition explored the Murmansk coast, the western coast of Novaya Zemlya, the Matochkin Shar Strait, and the northern coast of Kolguev Island. Astronomical observations were carried out. Having processed the expedition materials, Litke published the book “Four-time voyages to the Arctic Ocean on the military brig “Novaya Zemlya” in 1821-1824.” This work was translated into several languages ​​and brought the author well-deserved recognition in the scientific world. The maps compiled by the expedition served sailors for a century.

In 1826, Lieutenant-Commander Litke, who at that time was not yet 29 years old, took command of the Senyavin sloop, built specifically for the new circumnavigation of the world. In August of the same year, the ship left Kronstadt, accompanied by the second sloop Moller, commanded by M. N. Stanyukovich (father of the famous writer). According to the instructions, the expedition was to make an inventory of the shores of the Okhotsk and Bering Seas, as well as the Shantar Islands and carry out research in Russian America. In winter, she had to conduct scientific research in the tropics.

Stanyukovich's sloop turned out to be much faster than the Senyavin (for some reason, in most Russian round-the-world expeditions, pairs were made up of ships with significantly different performance characteristics), and the second had to constantly catch up with the first, mainly at anchorages in ports. Almost immediately the ships separated and then sailed mostly separately.

After stops in Copenhagen, Portsmouth and Tenerife, the Senyavin crossed the Atlantic and at the end of December arrived in Rio de Janeiro, where the Moller was already docked. In January 1827, the sloops headed together to Cape Horn. Having rounded it, they fell into a fierce storm - one of those that, it seems, specially awaits ships entering the Pacific Ocean - and again lost each other. In search of the Moller, Litke went to Concepcion Bay and then to Valparaiso. Here the ships met, but Stanyukovich was already leaving for Kamchatka, in transit through the Hawaiian Islands.

Litke stayed in Valparaiso. There he carried out magnetic and astronomical observations, and the expedition's naturalists made excursions around the area and collected collections. At the beginning of April, "Senyavin" set off for Alaska. We reached Novoarkhangelsk on June 11 and stayed there for more than a month, repairing the sloop, collecting collections, and doing ethnographic research. The expedition then explored the Pribilof Islands and took photographs of St. Matthew Island. In mid-September, the Senyavin arrived in Kamchatka, where the expedition remained until October 29, awaiting mail, exploring the surrounding area.

Moving south, Litke reached the Caroline Islands at the end of November. At the very beginning of 1828, the expedition discovered a hitherto unknown part of this huge archipelago, naming it the Senyavin Islands in honor of its ship. The sloop then visited Guam and the other Mariana Islands. Hydrographic work was constantly carried out; Litke, in addition, carried out astronomical, magnetic and gravimetric measurements. On the islands, naturalists continued to expand their collections. At the end of March, the sloop sailed north to the Bonin (Ogasawara) Islands. The sailors examined them and picked up two Englishmen who had been shipwrecked. At the beginning of May, Litke headed for Kamchatka.

They stayed in Petropavlovsk for three weeks, and in mid-June Litke’s second northern campaign began. "Senyavin" carried out hydrographic research in the Bering Sea. Moving north, the expedition determined the coordinates of points on the Kamchatka coast, described Karaginsky Island, then headed to the Bering Strait and determined the coordinates of Cape Vostochny (now Cape Dezhnev). Work on the inventory of the southern coast of Chukotka had to be interrupted due to unfavorable weather. At the end of September, Senyavin returned to Kamchatka, and a month later, together with Moller, he entered the Pacific Ocean.

In early November, the ships were again separated by a storm. The agreed meeting place was in Manila. Before moving to the Philippines, Litke decided to once again visit the Caroline Islands. And again successfully: he managed to discover several coral atolls. After this, he headed west and approached Manila on December 31st. "Moller" was already there. In mid-January 1829, the sloops moved home, passed through the Sunda Strait and on February 11 ended up in the Indian Ocean. Then their paths diverged again: “Moller” went to South Africa, and “Senyavin” to St. Helena Island. There, at the end of April, the sloops were reunited, and on June 30 they reached Le Havre together. From here Stanyukovich headed straight for Kronstadt, and Litke also went to England to check the instruments at the Greenwich Observatory.

Finally, on August 25, 1829, the Senyavin arrived at the Kronstadt roadstead. He was greeted with a cannon salute. Immediately after his return, Litke was promoted to captain of the 1st rank.

This expedition, which lasted three years, became one of the most fruitful in the history of navigation, and not only Russian. 12 islands were discovered, the Asian coast of the Bering Sea and a number of islands were explored over a considerable distance, a wealth of materials on oceanography, biology, and ethnography were collected, and an atlas of several dozen maps and plans was compiled. Litke's experiments with a constant pendulum aroused great interest among physicists, as a result of which the magnitude of the Earth's polar compression was determined, and measurements of the magnetic declination at various points in the world's oceans. In 1835-1836 Litke published the three-volume Voyage Around the World on the Sloop of War Senyavin in 1826-1829, translated into several languages. It was awarded the academic Demidov Prize, and Litke was elected a corresponding member of the Academy of Sciences.

However, Litke's trip on the Senyavin was his last - against his own will. In 1832, Emperor Nicholas I appointed an officer and scientist as the tutor of his second son, Constantine. Litke remained at court as a teacher for 16 years. He was not happy about this highest mercy, but he did not dare to disobey. It was during these years that Fyodor Petrovich Litke became one of the founders of the Russian Geographical Society (along with the sailor Wrangel and academicians Arsenyev and Baer) and was elected its vice-chairman, while Grand Duke Konstantin Nikolaevich, a student of Litke, became the honorary chairman. By the way, he was an intelligent naval officer and rose to the rank of admiral, played a prominent role in carrying out liberal reforms in Russia, and in 1861 became chairman of the State Council. Not a bad upbringing.

In 1850-1857 There was a break in Litke's geographical activities. At this time he was the commander of the port of Revel, and then of Kronstadt. The organization of the defense of the Gulf of Finland from the British and French during the Crimean War (1854-1855) fell on his shoulders. For the brilliant performance of this task, Litke received the rank of admiral and was appointed a member of the State Council, and in 1866 received the title of count. In 1857, Litke was again elected vice-chairman of the Society; his deputy was Pyotr Petrovich Semyonov-Tyan-Shansky. The achievements of domestic geography are largely related to the activities of the Society and, not least, to the ability of Litke and his successors to attract talented young people to their enterprises. In 1864, Litke took over as president of the Academy of Sciences and, at the same time, continued to lead the Geographical Society until 1873.

FIGURES AND FACTS

Main character

Fyodor Petrovich Litke, Russian navigator, geographer

Other characters

Sailors V. M. Golovnin, M. N. Stanyukovich, F. P. Wrangel; Grand Duke Konstantin Nikolaevich; geographers K. I. Arsenyev, K. M. Behr, P. P. Semenov-Tyan-Shansky

Time of action

Route

Around the world from east to west

Goals

Description of the Far Eastern coast of Russia, research in Russian America and in the tropical region of the Pacific Ocean

Meaning

The Asian coast of the Bering Sea was explored, a wealth of scientific materials were collected, the magnitude of the Earth's polar compression was determined, 12 islands were discovered

Fyodor Petrovich Litke, a famous navigator and geographer, was one of the organizers of the Russian Geographical Society and for many years president of the Academy of Sciences.

Litke was born in 1797. Left an orphan at the age of 10, he lived with his uncle, who, according to Litke’s own recollections, took him in “like they take a boy from the street, so as not to let him die of hunger.”

There was an extensive library in his uncle’s house, and Litke read many books without any system as a child. According to him, such reading created chaos in his head, and only subsequently did the information he read settle down in a certain order.

The beginning of life did not bode well. Childhood “did not leave me with a single pleasant memory,” Litke wrote. The turning point occurred in 1812. The boy was accepted into the navy, and the very next year, when he was only sixteen years old, he took part in the siege of Danzig. In a combat situation, Litke distinguished himself, showed resourcefulness, self-control, and courage. He was promoted to midshipman and awarded the military officer order.

Five years later, the young man was assigned to the “big voyage” (travel) on the sloop “Kamchatka” under the command of Vasily Mikhailovich Golovnin (p. 358).

At the beginning of her circumnavigation on the Kamchatka, Litka had to listen to comments from her demanding boss more than once. But he soon learned a lot, and starting from the second year of the voyage, the diligent and capable Litke was already fully accustomed to the difficult service on the sloop. Golovnin was pleased with him.

The young man set sail as an inexperienced, poorly prepared midshipman. And he returned as a mature lieutenant, knowledgeable in maritime science and maritime affairs. He learned to command independently and did not get lost in important, difficult moments of life at sea.

In 1821, Lieutenant Litke, on the recommendation of Golovnin, received a responsible appointment: he led an expedition entrusted with the description of Novaya Zemlya. At that time, the coast of the large northern island of Novaya Zemlya was little explored and only partially mapped.

The expedition set off on the brig Novaya Zemlya, specially built for sailing in the northern seas.

During the first year of sailing, the sailors only managed to familiarize themselves with working conditions in the Arctic environment. Litke was convinced of the good qualities of the ship and the skill of his crew. They especially emerged at a dangerous moment in the voyage, when in the northern part of the White Sea the brig ran aground, unknown until that time. The ship and crew passed the test perfectly. During high tide, the Novaya Zemlya safely floated off the shoal, which has since been named after Litke.

The next year, at the beginning of summer, Litke made an inventory and mapped the Murmansk coast of the Kola Peninsula, and in August he headed to Novaya Zemlya, not encountering any ice on his way. At first it was supposed to begin work with an inventory of Matochkin Shar. But in the fog the brig passed him, and they decided to continue their journey north, hoping to tackle Mother's Ball on the way back.

In 1822, the expedition's work was successful: the western coast of Novaya Zemlya was described over a considerable extent.

In 1823, Litke continued to describe the western coast of Novaya Zemlya, but, encountering heavy ice, he soon turned south and entered Matochkin Shar on August 18. Moving on boats, the expedition made an inventory of the entire strait in six days.

From Matochkin Shar, Litke went south, completing an inventory and mapping of the entire western coast of Novaya Zemlya to its very southern tip.

The Kara Gate was already free of ice. But Litke, bound by instructions that prohibited him from wintering, did not dare to enter the Kara Sea. A strong northwest wind blew, raising a large wave. Suddenly the ship hit the rocks first with its bow and then with its stern. The lot showed a depth of 4.5 m. The blows followed one after another. Soon the steering wheel was knocked out of its hinges and its top hook broke. Pieces of the keel floated all around, the ship cracked with every blow. With difficulty we managed to bring the ship to the White Sea.

“A storm broke out in the White Sea. One fatal wave hit our weakly holding rudder, and we were left a playground of waves in the full sense of the word,” said Litke.

However, the strength of the ship, the art of Litke and the crew saved the Novaya Zemlya from destruction. The dilapidated brig finally reached the suburbs of Arkhangelsk.

In 1824, Litke went to the shores of Novaya Zemlya for the fourth time. This time he wanted to go to the Kara Sea and start describing the eastern shores of Novaya Zemlya. But heavy ice soon blocked the sailors’ path, and they were unable to fulfill their intention.

Two years later, in 1826, Litke completed the book “Four-time voyages to the Arctic Ocean, made on the military brig “Novaya Zemlya” in 1821-1824.” In this work, Fedor Petrovich, in addition to describing his Novaya Zemlya expeditions, gives a detailed summary of all the studies of Novaya Zemlya that preceded him. The book made Litka world famous.

Fyodor Petrovich barely managed to finish the report on his expedition when he was appointed commander of the Senyavin sloop, which was supposed to make a scientific voyage around the world.

Scientists, naturalists and artists took part in the expedition. It lasted three years. In the summer, Litke worked in the Bering Sea and Kamchatka, and in the winter in the tropics, near the Caroline Archipelago. The expedition compiled geographical maps, determined the height of mountains, and carried out daily observations of the weather and water temperature on the surface of the ocean. Naturalists have collected very rich collections of zoology, botany, geology, various household items and clothing of local peoples. Particularly interesting are the beautifully painted drawings that make up an album of 1,250 sheets.

Litke wrote the book “A Voyage Around the World on the Sloop of War “Senyavin” in 1826-1829,” for which he was awarded the Academy of Sciences Prize and elected a corresponding member of the Academy. In addition to describing and photographing already known islands, many unknown islands were discovered in the tropical part Pacific Ocean. While exploring the Caroline Islands, Litke discovered the inhabited Senyavin Islands in the eastern part of the archipelago, named after the ship, including Ponape, the largest in this entire group of islands, and two atolls. About the results of the expedition’s work in the area of ​​the Caroline Archipelago, Fyodor Petrovich wrote: “... hitherto considered very dangerous for sailors, this archipelago will henceforth be safe on a par with famous places on the globe.”

In the first half of the 19th century. There is an urgent need to unite advanced scientists involved in geography. Litke saw this especially clearly, since he was closely connected with both sailor travelers and academic scientists, and knew well the state and needs of Russian geographical science. Together with other leading scientists, he decided to create a new scientific association - the Russian Geographical Society, which he headed from the moment of its opening in 1845.

During the first quarter of a century of its existence, the Geographical Society accomplished a tremendous amount of work that earned worldwide recognition.

This success was largely ensured thanks to the breadth of the scientific horizons of Fyodor Petrovich Litke and his amazing ability to attract talented young people to scientific work in the Geographical Society.

In 1864, Litke took over as president of the Academy of Sciences and at the same time continued to lead the Geographical Society.

In 1873, at the age of 75, he handed over the leadership of the Geographical Society to a worthy successor, the remarkable scientist Pyotr Petrovich Semenov-Tyan-Shansky.

Fyodor Petrovich Litke died in 1882.

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Following the example of previous circumnavigations around the world, the expedition of 1826-1829 included. For scientific research on the coast of the Bering Sea, the Asian and American continents, as well as research in the central part of the Pacific Ocean (between 30° N and the equator), two warships were equipped: the sloop "Moller" under the command of M. N. Stanyukovich and sloop "Senyavin" under the command of F.P. Litke. It was believed that Litke sailed under the command of Stanyukovich, but in essence he carried out all the research independently and independently of the latter. This expedition can be considered joint only by sailing to the research sites and returning to St. Petersburg, but even then the ships were often separated and each acted at his own discretion, only adhering to the instructions about the meeting places.

Each of the ship commanders was given separate detailed instructions about their independent research. If Stanyukovich was instructed to describe the eastern coast of the Bering Sea, i.e., the coast of northwestern America (from the Bering Strait to the extreme southern Russian settlements), and to explore the eastern sector of the central part of the Pacific Ocean, including the Hawaiian and other islands, then Litke had to conduct research in the western sector of the central Pacific Ocean and on the coast of Asia (from the Bering Strait to Sakhalin).

In terms of its scientific significance, Litke’s voyage in many ways surpasses the results of research on the Moller ship under the command of Stanyukovich. Let us first dwell on the research carried out by the sloop “Senyavin” under the command of Lntke.

F. P. Litke

Before setting off on his voyage around the world, F.P. Litke already had extraordinary experience in driving ships and scientific research. The results of his four voyages in the Arctic Ocean and the study of Novaya Zemlya were well known outside Russia.

The considerations of the Maritime Ministry were quite understandable when Litke was appointed commander of the Senyavin ship, which was setting off on a voyage around the world. This appointment pleased Litke, since swimming opened up broad prospects for independent scientific research in various fields of natural science.

The instructions from the State Admiralty Department given to Litka outlined a very extensive plan, the implementation of which would require several more expeditions. Off the coast of Asia, he had to describe, starting research from the Bering Strait, “the land of the Chukchi and Koryaks and the Kamchatka Peninsula,” “the shores of the Sea of ​​Okhotsk and the Shantar Islands, which, although known to us, are not sufficiently described,” describe the islands of St. Matthew in Bering Sea. In particular detail, as indicated in the instructions, the Anadyr and Olyutorsky bays should be described and the lands adjacent to them should be studied, for which it was recommended to send natural scientists from the ship into the country.

In the Sea of ​​Okhotsk - “begin an inventory of the coast lying between Sakhalin and the Udsk fort, including the Shantar Islands,” and then go to its northern shores and describe the coast lying east of Okhotsk and the coast of Kamchatka.

In the winter months, Litke was supposed to explore the central regions and islands of the Pacific Ocean, including the islands of Bonin-Sima, Caroline, Mariana, Marshall, etc. The instructions stated: “Regarding your activities during the winter months, which you should spend in the tropics, then this the fulfillment is left to you, bringing only to your attention: 1) on the way to inspect the place in which on some maps the islands under the name Bonin-Sima have recently begun to appear; 2) that you must explore the entire space in which the Caroline Islands archipelago is located, starting from the Marshall Islands to the Pelevsky Islands, and extend your research to the very equator; The Mariana Islands and Yualan Island provide you with convenient refreshment spots. You do not need to go west of the Marshal Islands, because the space lying to the east of these islands is assigned to Lieutenant Commander Stanyukovich.

If for some reason you return alone to Russia, then it is advisable that you examine the northern side of the Soloman Islands, then the northern side of New Ireland and New Hanover and the islands lying a short distance from them.”

On August 20, 1826, the ships went to sea. In England it was necessary to purchase astronomical and physical instruments, as well as some naval equipment. While these purchases were being made, Litke was conducting research at the Greenwich Observatory on the phenomena of terrestrial magnetism and became acquainted with English scientists.

We did not stay long at intermediate stops on the coasts of Brazil and Chile.

In the Pacific Ocean, its equatorial part, on the way to northwestern America, Litke carried out geomagnetic observations. He established the direction of the magnetic equator.

No less interesting for travelers was a visit to Novoarkhangelsk in Sitka Bay and the island of Unalaska, where excursions and observations were also conducted. The ruler of Novoarkhangelsk gave Litka Baranov's manuscripts about local residents stored here.

Walking along the Aleutian ridge, Litke decided to go to the island of St. Matthew and clarify its geographical coordinates. The coast of the island of St. Matthew was accurately mapped by Litka, and the collection of Mertens and Kitlitz was replenished. On September 13, 1827 we were in Petropavlovsk in Kamchatka. From here it was necessary to begin the research provided for by the expedition plan (Fig. 10).

In the winter of 1827/28, Litke decided to explore the Caroline Archipelago. He began his study of the archipelago from the eastern island of Yualan, where a number of scientific observations (geomagnetic, astronomical, etc.) were carried out, many species of local birds (wild chickens, gorse, waders, waders, etc.), rare specimens of marine animals (pinetails, needlegills, hornbills, red beards, etc.). Many insects were dried and preserved in alcohol.

Moving from Yualan Island to the west, the expedition described, clarifying the geographical coordinates, the known islands and mapped the newly discovered ones. Thus, a chain of coral islands was discovered, named by Litke, with the consent of the crew, the Senyavin Islands. Litke tried to make a hydrographic description of some of them, but due to the unfriendly relations of the natives he was forced to abandon his intention. Moreover, there was little time left. We stayed for several days only near the island of Lugunor. From local residents we learned about the names of the islands in the group discovered by Litka. Native names appeared on the map: Piinipet, Air, Kuruburuy, Avada, etc.

From the Senyavin Islands we went to the known but unexplored Los Valientas Islands, part of the Caroline Archipelago, and then to the Martlok Islands. On the latter, they landed on shore and carried out a hydrographic description of the harbor on Lugunor Island. Naturalists took advantage of the parking lot to expand the collections. On the further voyage, they encountered a number of islands belonging to the group of Namoluk, Anonymous (Pisararr), and others. The expedition replenished its food and water supplies on the island of Guaham. In Santa Cruz, Russian sailors were greeted as if they had known each other for a long time. Here Litke met the Spanish explorer of the Caroline Islands, Luis Torres, who warmly received Litke and provided him with his journal describing the life, customs and religion of local tribes.

Litke carefully examined individual groups of islands and did not miss a single one, even an insignificant one. His shipmates said about him that Litke walked on the ocean as if it were his home. Having completed the exploration of the Caroline Islands, the expedition turned north - to the Bonin-Sima Islands. But since they were described in 1827 by Captain Beechey, they did not stay here. Summer and autumn of 1828 “Senyavin” was in the northern waters of the Pacific Ocean. Coming out of Petropavlovsk, Litke determined the exact geographical coordinates of peninsulas and capes, bays and bays. He decided to complete a detailed hydrographic description upon his return. We spent several days describing Karaginsky Island and finding a harbor on it. Having successfully completed the research, the expedition headed north, where it clarified the position of Verkhotursky Island, which was located fifty miles from Karaginsky Island, not five, as the maps indicated. Having described several capes of the Asian coast and passed the island of St. Lawrence, we entered the Bering Strait. From here, in the foggy distance, one could see the mountains on the mainland of Asia and America. Describing the coast of Arakamchechen Island and the Asian coast, Litke mapped new bays and straits and noted some mountain peaks. This is how the Russian names of the Senyavin Strait, Ratmanov Harbor (on the island of Arakamchechen), and Mount Postelsa (on the island of Ittygran) appeared.

Having completed the inventory of the Bay of the Holy Cross, Litke decided to explore the mouth of the river. Anadyr, however, a sudden change in weather forced travelers to turn south. Behind Cape St. Thaddeus, an unnamed cape was mapped, to which Litke gave the name Navarin, and the mountain on it - the name of Heyden. A few days later, the sloop "Senyavin" met in Petropavlovsk with the sloop "Moller".

On his way back to Europe, Litke visited the northern group of the Caroline Islands - the islands of Murille, Farroylap and others. The small coral islands that Litke encountered were also surveyed and plotted on maps. The sailors were surprised by the calmness with which Litke steered the ship along the intended course and recorded everything he saw in the journal. The islands of Mogmog, Zapap, Ngoli, Lamoniur, Ear, Falalep and many others were explored. After resting and equipping the ships in Manila, the travelers set off through the Sunda Strait and past the coast of Java to the Indian Ocean - and to Europe.

On August 25, 1829, “Senyavin” returned to Kronstadt. Processing the materials and observations of the expedition took a lot of time and labor. Its results were presented in several volumes of works published by Litke later.

Rice. 10. Route of F. P. Litke’s circumnavigation of the world on the sloop “Senyavin” (1826-1829)

Observations on zoology and botany were of great interest. Several new species of animals were collected (bats, seals, craniodermal reptiles, etc.); a large number of specimens of fish, three hundred species of birds, and about seven hundred species of insects were collected, many of which were little or not known to science at all. The herbarium included up to 2,500 obvious plants (including ferns). Attention was drawn to the distribution of vegetation by country, determining the types of plants in one country or another. Rocks collected from all places amounted to up to 330 samples.

Natural scientists A.F. Pastels, K.G. Mertens and Kitlitz played a major role in scientific research and collection of zoology and botany collections on Litke’s expedition. Litka's fame as a scientist grew as he published reports on the expedition. Publication of the last volume of “Travels around the world on the sloop of war “Senyavin” in 1826-1828.” called an event in geographical science. His work received the highest award of the St. Petersburg Academy of Sciences - the full Demidov Prize. Litke's research data was used by many scientists, his works were translated into European languages ​​and were highly appreciated by foreign scientists (A. Humboldt, J. Cuvier, etc.).

The results of Litke's observations of a constant pendulum over a vast area of ​​the Earth (from 70° N to 38° S) led to the conclusion that the Earth is not a regular ellipsoid of rotation, as previously thought. His views on tides and currents represent a great contribution to oceanographic science.

Litke's contribution to ethnography is very significant. He described the life and customs of many tribes that inhabited the islands of the Pacific Ocean, the coasts of northeast Asia and northwestern America. The voyage of the second vessel of this expedition, the sloop Moller under the command of Stanyukovich, ended with less significant scientific results.

Rice. 11. Travel tables of observations on the state of ocean waters and the atmosphere from Litke’s essay “The Journey...”

Exploration on the coast of Russian America in 1827 failed because autumn had arrived. Winds and fogs initially interrupted the hydrographic survey off Unimak Island. After a month's stay in Novo-Arkhangelsk, Stanyukovich sailed to the Hawaiian Islands, where he decided to explore the waters to the east and northwest of the islands and find the islands that appeared on the map and were supposedly discovered earlier.

Fig. 12. Graph showing daily 6-fold observations of humidity, pressure and air temperature on the voyage section from Novo-Arkhangelsk to the island. Unalaska (Litke, 1835, marine department, p. 43)

A report on Stanyukovich's research on the Moller ship was not published, and it remained less well known than Litke's research on the Senyavin.

While highly appreciating the results of the expedition of Stanyukovich and Litke, it should be noted that the crews of the ships, and especially those on the Moller, did not use all the opportunities to complete their tasks. A lot of time was spent in ports and delays when sailing in the tropics, where research for the expedition was considered secondary.

This expedition, as N.N. Zubov correctly noted, could certainly have done much more in terms of inventorying the Russian seas.

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This year marks the 205th anniversary of the birth of this outstanding Russian navigator and geographer. His name is included in the history of ocean exploration in golden letters. Fyodor Petrovich Litke was born on September 17, 1797 in Moscow. His grandfather, Ivan Filippovich Litke (Johann-Philipp Lutke) moved from Germany to Russia in the mid-18th century. F.P. Litke’s father, Pyotr Ivanovich, at the age of 18, entered the Narva Carabineer Regiment, with which he participated in the Turkish and Polish campaigns from the early 1770s. In 1772, he was promoted to cornet of the Kyiv Cuirassier Regiment, in the mid-1770s he was on Prince Repnin’s mission in Constantinople, in 1781-1782 he managed the prince’s Vetluga estate, and after retiring, he bought the Voronezh estate of the Repnins and settled there. On December 15, 1784, P.I. Litke married the daughter of the Moscow doctor Engel, Anna Ivanovna. F.P.'s mother Litke died immediately after giving birth. By this time, Pyotr Ivanovich already had several children in his arms. Little Fedor was looked after by his grandmother Elizaveta Kasperovna Engel. When, a year after the death of his wife, P.I. Litke remarried, his grandmother moved with Fedor to St. Petersburg. In 1804, the boy was sent to a boarding school. Four years later, my father died. The orphans were taken in by their uncles; the future navigator and scientist ended up in the family of Fyodor Ivanovich Engel. “My uncle took me in, but it’s like taking a boy from the street so as not to let him die of hunger. He did not pay any attention to me, except to scold me or pull my ears. I was left without any supervision, without any guidance, without a single teacher - and all this from the age of 11 to 15! I could never make up for the loss of such 4 years with any work.”1 So that the boy would not sit idle, his uncle finally found him a job in his office: for two years young Fyodor copied business papers, reports, certificates, tables, magazines, etc. His uncle's rich library replaced school. In 1809, Fyodor’s sister Natalia married an officer of the Mediterranean squadron, Ivan Savvich Sulmenev. “From the very first minute of our acquaintance, he (Sulmenev - N.V.) fell in love with me as a son, and I loved him as a father. These feelings, these relationships have not changed for more than 40 years, not even for a single minute. In his old age he transferred the same feelings to my wife and children.”2 Fyodor Litke spent the summer of 1811 at his sister’s dacha near Krondstadt, where he forever became attached to the sea. He made his first real sea voyage at the end of October 1812 with his sister and her son on the frigate Pollux. “This... my voyage will never be erased from my memory. It seems that even now I can still hear this new sound of water under the steering wheel when the frigate is moving at a high speed, this monotonous roll call of the navigator sitting at the compass... Everything interested me; during any work on top (on deck - N.V.) I always snooped around to see everything.”3 Litka was already 16 years old and it was too late to enroll in the Naval Corps. Having hired private teachers, he began to independently prepare for the exams for the entire course and successfully passed them in the spring. On April 23, 1813, Naval Minister I.I. de Traverse submitted a petition to the emperor: “The nobleman Litke, who is 17 years old (in fact, F.P. Litke was not yet 17 years old at that time - N.V.) and trained at his own expense in the sciences that belong to pre-navigation, asks to be accepted into service in the navy; and how, according to the exam given to him... in the sciences, he ended up in the 1st grade, and in addition to these he knows well the first part of algebra and drawing... I ask the most merciful approval for his acceptance into the service as a midshipman.” The emperor responded with a short resolution: “A midshipman for one campaign”4. On May 9, a flotilla of gunboats, on one of which Litke was under the command of I.S. Sulmenev, went to sea. Revel, Moonsund, Riga, Irbensky Strait, Cape Kolka, Libau, Memel, Kurif-gaf, Pillau... On August 21, 1813, near Danzig, the flotilla entered into hostilities, which lasted until the beginning of September and were extremely fierce. Fedor Litke “for the excellent courage shown during the siege from the sea side of Danzig” was awarded the Order of St. Anna IV degree and was promoted to midshipman ahead of schedule. In winter, Litke and Sulmenev moved to St. Petersburg. Fedor read a lot, met new people, and continued to improve his seafaring skills. Then he served as adjutant to the commander of the Sveaborg port L.P. Heiden. In the spring of 1816, a letter arrived from I.S. Sulmenev: “I sold you; An expedition to Kamchatka is being prepared for next year under the command of V.M. Golovnin, who, at my request, promised to take you with him.”5 Fyodor Petrovich was appointed senior midshipman on the sloop "Kamchatka"; among his subordinates were F.P. Wrangel, later also an outstanding navigator and scientist, and F.F. Matyushkin, a friend of A.S. Pushkin. The senior officer on the sloop turned out to be Litke’s friend from Sveaborg, Matvey Muravyov. “Kamchatka” had to circumnavigate the world, so she was equipped accordingly: she was stocked with provisions for more than two years. On August 26, 1817, the sloop raised anchor. For two weeks, the Kamchatka sailed through the Baltic and North Seas, stopping at the ports of Copenhagen, Portsmouth and London. From here the route lay to the Canaries and further to the south of the Atlantic. On October 22, we crossed the equator, and on November 5, we arrived in Rio de Janeiro, where we stayed for almost a month. On November 21, we weighed anchor again and headed for Peru. At Cape Horn we found ourselves in a belt of prolonged storms. Here we celebrated the New Year 1818. Having rounded the southern tip of America, on January 17 they arrived at the port of Callao, from where on February 17 they headed to Kamchatka. Finally, on May 3, they dropped anchor in the Peter and Paul Harbor of Avacha Bay. Here the crew began preparations for the trip to North America. On June 19, 1818, Kamchatka left Russia again. The expedition was instructed to clarify the outlines of the Commander and Aleutian Islands that belonged to Russia, as well as to describe them in detail. On July 10, the sloop reached Pavlovskaya harbor on Kodiak Island, the cradle of Russian exploration of the American North. In his travel diary, Litke talks in detail about the life of the Aleuts, about the local hospital, school, and charity house. “The natural inhabitants of Kodiak are completely dependent on the ruler of the Kodiak company office, whose rule extends to those living along the Alaskan coast and to the Aleuts of the Fox Ridge”6. And on July 28, “Kamchatka” was already responding to the fireworks of the coastal fortress and the American brig at the roadstead of Novo-Arkhangelsk, the capital of Russian America. The head of the office of the Russian-American company, K.T. Khlebnikov, immediately came on board. Here Litke also met A.A. Baranov, the founder of the city, the first chief ruler of Russian America, who was awaiting an opportunity to return to his homeland, where he was returning due to ill health. On August 20, "Kamchatka" went to sea and on September 3 arrived at our Californian colony of Fort Ross. The ship was met by the ruler of the fortress I.A. Kuskov, a wonderful Russian traveler and administrator, associate of A.A. Baranov. In Monterey, F.P. Litke, among other guests, attended a reception with the Spanish governor. On September 24, we headed for the Sandwich Islands, where the English explorer James Cook was killed. The next destination was the island of Guam. In Guam, we stocked up on fresh water and replenished food supplies. On December 13 they approached the Philippines. Behind was the Pacific Ocean, ahead - the Indian Ocean. New Year 1819 was celebrated in Manila. On March 20, we stopped on the island of St. Helena, where the defeated Napoleon was languishing in exile at that time. However, the warships guarding it did not allow them to approach the island. In the Azores, the team rested and stocked up with everything they needed for the rest of the journey. In Portsmouth, the “Kamchatka” met with four Russian sloops at once - “Vostok” and “Mirny”, which were sailing under the command of F.F. Bellingshausen and M.P. Lazarev to the southern polar latitudes, as well as with “Otkrytie” and “Blagomarnenny” , who went under the command of M.N. Vasiliev and G.S. Shishmarev to the Far North. On September 5, 1819, the Kamchatka dropped anchor in the Kronstadt roadstead. From this circumnavigation, during which F.P. Litke was promoted to lieutenant and as a result of which he received the Order of St. Anna III degree, Fyodor Petrovich brought a detailed diary containing hydrographic, geographical and ethnographic information that still retains its scientific value. Continuing to dream of long sea voyages, especially to the polar countries, where he foresaw many new discoveries, Litke submitted a report on transfer to service in the Arkhangelsk detachment of naval ships. At the beginning of 1820, his request was granted: Fyodor Petrovich ended up on the brig “Three Saints” under the command of Captain 1st Rank Rudnev. Already at the end of July, he set sail around Scandinavia with the task of correcting the coast map. The 47-day expedition ended on September 5 at the Great Kronstadt roadstead. It was a time of heated discussions about the study and development of the region of the White and Barents Seas and especially Novaya Zemlya. In 1820, the research brig Novaya Zemlya was built. At the suggestion of V.M. Golovnin, 23-year-old F.P. Litke was appointed commander of the ship. On April 20, 1821, Litke received an order from the Minister of the Navy for “502: to explore the Matochkin Shar Strait in the first year of the voyage. "Novaya Zemlya" weighed anchor on July 14. The situation on the White Sea was unfavorable: ice, fog, stormy winds. Only on August 22 did they approach Novaya Zemlya. However, they were unable to enter the strait, and this year they had to be content with describing previously unknown sections of the western coast of the South Island. This is how geographical names appeared on the map in honor of outstanding Russian sailors and hydrographers - the Golovnin and Sarychev mountains, Cape Lavrov and a number of others. On September 10, the brig returned to Arkhangelsk. The maritime minister was dissatisfied with the actions of Litke's first expedition to Novaya Zemlya, but, taking into account the opinions of V.M. Golovnin and G.A. Sarychev, at the beginning of 1822 he ordered F.P. Litke to begin a hydrographic study of the Murmansk coast. On June 17, “Novaya Zemlya” went to sea again. This time a number of new geographical objects on the islands of the Novaya Zemlya archipelago were described. Traverse Bay appeared on the map - in honor of the Minister of Navy of Russia, Mount Kruzenshtern, capes Sofronov, Litke, Smirnov and Prokofiev, Wrangel Island, Sulmeneva Bay, Mount First Looked. It was also possible to penetrate the western mouth of the Matochkin Shar, but ice and fog prevented the passage of the entire strait. Upon arrival in Arkhangelsk, detailed reports were compiled, highly appreciated by the State Admiralty Department. F.P. Litke was promoted to captain-lieutenant, his brother A.P. Litke was awarded the Order of St. Anna III degree, Lieutenant Lavrov - the Order of St. Vladimir IV degree; All participants received a lump sum salary of one year's salary. The two subsequent expeditions of F.P. Litke - in 1823 and 1824 - had the same scenario: first - hydrographic work on Murman, and then on Novaya Zemlya. One of the tasks of the Novaya Zemlya part of the expedition was to go around the islands from the north. But the same ice, fog and strong winds did not allow the brig to rise above a latitude of about 75.5 degrees, where coastal currents were discovered running along the entire archipelago. One way or another, the results of two years of research turned out to be impressive: the western part of Novaya Zemlya was described, a detailed map of the Murmansk coast was compiled, the Throat of the White Sea and the mouth of the Pechora River were studied, the pattern of tidal currents was revealed, information was obtained on the temperature and ice regimes of the White and Barents Seas . In the winter of 1825/1826, in order to expand the zone of Russian influence in the world, the government decided to organize an expedition to the shores of Northwest America and Northeast Asia to describe these little-known areas of the Pacific Ocean. The action was carried out within the framework of the convention concluded by Russia, England and the United States “On trade between mutual subjects, on navigation and fishing in the Pacific Ocean and on the boundaries of mutual possessions on the northwestern coast of America”7. The voyage was headed by M.N. Stanyukovich; he also commanded the sloop Moller. F.P. Litke was appointed commander of the second vessel, the sloop Senyavin. On August 20, 1826, both sloops left the Gulf of Finland. The route ran through the ports of Europe. After Portsmouth on September 22, the lights of the last European lighthouses disappeared from sight of the Moller and Senyavin. Ahead were the Canary Islands, Brazil, Cape Horn. In January 1827, under a fierce westerly wind with heavy rain and with strong waves, they rounded Tierra del Fuego and entered the waters of the Pacific Ocean. F.P. Litke sent his sloop to Valparaiso. Visits to this and all subsequent points were the same: visits of governors, kings and tribal leaders, inspection of cities, cultural and historical monuments, acquaintance with the life of the local population. F.P. Litke kept a detailed diary, which later became the basis for his book about circumnavigating the world on the Senyavin sloop. On April 3, Senyavin left the shores of South America and went to the North Pacific Ocean, to Russian possessions in Alaska and California. On June 12, the sloop anchored in the inner harbor of Novo-Arkhangelsk. Here Litke collected extensive material on the physical geography, ethnography and history of the city, and also continued his meteorological, hydrological and astronomical observations. Then high-quality maps of the islands of the Aleutian chain, Pribilof and the coast of Alaska were compiled within the jurisdiction of the Russian-American company. In Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky the crew received mail, and F.P. Litke sent a report on the work done to St. Petersburg. For the winter, “Senyavin” went to the tropics to study the Caroline Islands. Until the spring of 1828, unique research by Russian navigators in the tropical Pacific Ocean continued. The collections collected then still have no analogues. One of them is ethnographic, numbering almost 350 samples of clothing, jewelry, tools, utensils, weapons of the peoples inhabiting the Caroline archipelago, today it forms the fund of the 711 Museum of Anthropology and Ethnography named after Peter the Great in St. Petersburg. After wintering in the tropics in the spring of 1828, “Senyavin” continued to describe the Pacific coast of Russia. On June 1, F.P. Litke from Peter and Paul Harbor sent to the Admiralty a preliminary report on the voyage to the Caroline Islands - “16 Mercator maps and plans and 5 sheets with views thereof.” On June 15, the next stage of the expedition began: with hydrographic work, “Senyavin” passed the Bay of St. Lawrence, Mechigmenskaya Bay, Anadyr Bay, Cross Bay, Cape Dezhnev. Once again, the map was enriched with geographical names: Glazenap Harbor, Cape and Mount Postelsa, Abolsheva Bay, Bering Cape and many others. "Senyavin" and "Moller" again spent the winter in the tropical Pacific Ocean, exploring the Coral Islands. On January 18, 1829, the expedition, having completed its mission, set off back to Russia. On August 25, “Senyavin” appeared at the Kronstadt roadstead. On September 4, the sloop was visited by Nicholas I, who expressed his approval to the crew. F.P. Litke was promoted to captain of the 1st rank and awarded the Order of St. Anna II degree. The Inspectorate Department of the Naval Headquarters announced on November 25, 1829 that the Emperor “Highly deigned to command: I) the headquarters and chief officers and lower ranks who were on the sloop Senyavin during its voyage around the world in 1826, 1827, 1828 and 1829 , to produce, as long as they are in the service, an annual salary in excess of the regular position according to the ranks in which they returned from the voyage; and 2) this campaign should be doubled for all line staff and non-commissioned officers to receive the Order of St. George; for lower ranks, three years of service will be subtracted from retirement”8. The scientific significance of the work performed by F.P. Litke during the voyage on the Senyavin was highly appreciated by the Academy of Sciences. For a cycle of magnetic research he was awarded the full Demidov Prize and elected a corresponding member. The navigator's reports were met with great interest by the Russian scientific community. Academicians K.M. Beer, M.V. Ostrogradsky, A.Ya. Kupfer, K.V. Vishnevsky, P.N. Fus, G.A. Sarychev helped publish the materials collected by Litke over three years. In the winter of 1829/1930, Fyodor Petrovich met the outstanding German naturalist and geographer Alexander Humboldt, who was returning to Europe after a trip to the Urals and Western Siberia. Humboldt's flattering review of Litke's works played a decisive role in the latter's appointment as tutor to the son of Emperor Nicholas I, Constantine. For almost 20 years, Fyodor Petrovich constantly looked after the Grand Duke, in fact moving to the position of “uncle-educator”, to whom Konstantin became so attached that he literally could not imagine life without him and broke up with Litke only after his marriage. “For the education of Grand Duke Konstantin Nikolaevich” F.P. Litke was “granted a lease on November 1, 1848 for 50 years, 4 thousand rubles per year.” Here it is appropriate to recall the spiritual will of Emperor Nicholas I (Tsarskoe Selo, May 4, 1844), where Article 16 states: “I bequeath to my sons to always love and respect those who were in their upbringing G.A. Kavelin, Litke and the philosopher G. Yuryev, Korf and Lutkovsky. I thank them sincerely for their care, which replaced my father’s supervision, distracted by business.” Having ascended the throne after the death of his father, Emperor Alexander II on February 22, 1855 summoned F.P. Litke, treated him kindly and showed him the above extract9. The state has always appreciated the knowledge and diligence of F.P. Litke. In 1835 he was promoted to rear admiral with an appointment to the retinue of His Imperial Majesty, in 1842 he became adjutant general, and a year later - vice admiral; in 1846 he headed the Marine Scientific Committee. In addition to the awards already listed, his chest was decorated with the Order of St. Stanislaus I degree (1838), St. Anna I degree (1840), White Eagle (1846), St. Vladimir II degree (1847), St. Vladimir, 1st degree (1863), St. Andrew the First-Called (1870), as well as diamond signs for the Order of St. Alexander Nevsky (1858) and St. Andrew the First-Called (1876). “In commemoration of the special royal favor and in expression of gratitude for the long-term, diligent and useful service, which has earned him European fame in the scientific world, as well as for the incredible devotion demonstrated by him in the performance of special important duties ... By decree given to the Governing Senate on October 28, 1866 G. , elevated by F.P. Litke and his descendants to the title of count of the Russian imperial dignity”10. In the 1840s, together with outstanding Russian scientists F.P. Wrangel, K.M. Baer, ​​K.I. Arsenyev, V.I. Dahl, E.H. Lenz and others, F.P. Litke began to create a scientific Society for the Study of the Earth. On October 7, 1845, at a ceremonial meeting, Litke announced the official start of the Society’s activities. Since 1848, Fyodor Petrovich, holding the post of vice-chairman, was the de facto leader of the Russian Geographical Society, and since 1864 he headed the Academy of Sciences. The list of his honorary titles and memberships is huge - to match his scientific and research achievements: honorary professor of Kharkov, Kazan, St. Petersburg, Dorpat universities, honorary member of the Free Economic Society, Maritime Academy, Copenhagen Institute of Antiquities, Royal Geographical Society of London, Brazilian Institute of History and Geography , Austrian Geographical Society, Berlin Society of Geosciences, correspondent of the French Academy of Sciences in the section of geography and navigation. In 1875, F.P. Litke was awarded a diploma from the International Geographical Congress...

1. Bezobrazov V.P. Count Fyodor Petrovich Litke. Notes of the Imperial Academy of Sciences. St. Petersburg, 1888. T. 57. Appendix. P. 40.

2. Ibid. P. 54.

3. Ibid. P. 65.

4. Ibid. P. 70.

5. Ibid. pp. 86-87.

6. Russian State Archive of the Navy (RGA Navy). Diary of F.P. Litke, kept during a circumnavigation of the world on the sloop "Kamchatka". F. 15, op. 1, d. 8, l. 161 rev.

7. Russian State Archive of Ancient Acts (RGADA). State Archive Foundation, r. 30, d. 59, part II, l. 41-43 vol.

8. Russian State Administration of the Navy. F. 402, op. 1, d. 189, l. 1.

9. Bezobrazov V.P. Decree. op. S. V-VI.

10. Ibid. S. V-VI, XVII.