Private bussiness

Fedor Petrovich Litke(1797 - 1882) was the son of state councilor Peter Litke. His mother died on his birthday. The father soon married for the second time. At the age of six, Fyodor Litke was sent to Meyer's private boarding school. When he turned eleven, his father died, and his stepmother refused to pay for her stepson’s education. Then the boy was taken into his house by his maternal uncle, member of the State Council Fyodor Engel. The boy did not receive a systematic education, but read books enthusiastically. Since 1811, he often visited Kronstadt, where his sister lived, who became the wife of captain of the second rank Ivan Sulmenev. Under his influence, Fyodor Litke decided to become a military sailor. Sulmenev invited teachers, under whose guidance Fedor mastered the basics of mathematics and navigation and was able to pass the exam, becoming a midshipman. He served in a detachment of gunboats commanded by Sulmenev and in 1812 he was promoted to midshipman for his participation in the battles of Danzig.

On the recommendation of Sulmenev, Fedor Litke was included in the round-the-world expedition on the sloop "Kamchatka" under the command of Vasily Golovnin. According to Fyodor Litke, he returned from the voyage “a real sailor, a sailor of the Golovin school.” After returning, he was sent to serve in Arkhangelsk. Soon, on the recommendation of Golovin, young Litka was entrusted with the leadership of an expedition heading to the Arctic Ocean. Litke made four expeditions, the results of which were described by him in the essay “Four-time journey to the Arctic Ocean, made by order of Emperor Alexander I on the military brig “Novaya Zemlya” in 1821, 1822, 1823 and 1824 of the fleet by Lieutenant-Commander Fyodor Litke.” The book was soon translated into German and became famous among European geographers and naval officers.

On August 14, 1826, Litke was appointed head of a new round-the-world expedition, which included two sloops: the Moller, under the command of Lieutenant-Commander Stanyukovich, and the Senyavin, under the command of Litke himself. The voyage lasted three years. Upon his return - on September 4, 1829 - Litke was, as a special distinction, promoted through the rank of captain of the 1st rank. A description of this journey was published in 1834-1836 in Russian and French under the title: “A journey around the world, made by order of Emperor Nicholas I on the sloop of war “Senyavin” in 1826, 1827, 1828 and 1829.” fleet captain Fedor Litke."

In 1829, Litke was awarded the Order of St. George, 4th class, “for his impeccable service in officer ranks during 18 six-month naval campaigns.” In the same year he was elected corresponding member of the Academy of Sciences.

In the spring and summer of 1830, Litke led the voyage of senior midshipmen to the shores of Iceland, from there to Brest and back to Kronstadt. On February 1, 1832, Litke was appointed aide-de-camp, and on November 3 of the same year he was appointed to serve under the Grand Duke Konstantin Nikolaevich, who was assigned to serve in the navy by his father, Emperor Nicholas I. In 1835, Litka was awarded the rank of rear admiral. In 1836 he received the Demidov Prize for describing his travels,

In 1842, Fyodor Litke became adjutant general, and in 1843 - vice admiral. In 1850, he was appointed chief commander of the port of Revel and military governor of Revel. In 1852 he was awarded the Order of St. Alexander.

During the Crimean War of 1853-1856, Litke organized the defense of the Gulf of Finland from the superior forces of the Anglo-French squadron, for which he received the rank of full admiral and was appointed a member of the State Council.

On February 23, 1864, Fyodor Litke was appointed president of the Academy of Sciences and left this post only a few months before his death, when he became completely blind. On October 28, 1866, by the highest decree, Litke was elevated to the dignity of a count of the Russian Empire by his descendants “in commemoration of the special Royal favor and in expression of gratitude for his long-term, diligent and useful service, which gained him European fame in the scientific world, as well as for his constant devotion , proven by him in the performance of special important duties, entrusted to him with the highest confidence.”

What is he famous for?

An outstanding navigator who completed two trips around the world and led one of them, Fyodor Litke was at the same time a major scientist who made significant contributions to several areas of physical geography.

In 1833, he published “Experiments on a constant pendulum, carried out while traveling around the world on the sloop of war Senyavin.” Later, based on the materials he collected, Professor Lenz created the work “On the inclination and voltage of the magnetic needle according to Litke’s observations,” and Professor Gelshtrem - “On Litke’s barometric and sympiesometric observations and on heat in tropical climates.” Fyodor Litka himself also owns the works “On the ebb and flow of the tides in the Northern Arctic Ocean”, “Report in. book Konstantin Nikolaevich about the expedition to the Sea of ​​Azov” and others.

In 1845, Litke became one of the founding members of the Russian Geographical Society - he developed the society's charter and took the post of its vice-president (Grand Duke Konstantin Nikolaevich became president).

What you need to know

During his circumnavigation of the world on the Senyavin sloop, Fedor Litke described the coast of Kamchatka north of Avachinskaya Bay to the north. He also described the previously unknown Karaginsky Islands, Matvey Island and the coast of Chukotka. The Caroline Islands were explored in detail, within which Litke discovered a group of islands that he called the Senyavin Islands (now part of the Federated States of Micronesia).

Direct speech

“The second expedition accomplished much more than the first. The highest authorities were pleased with our labors, and according to his proposal, all those who participated in them were awarded the favor of the monarchs. But despite all this, much still remained unfulfilled. The coast of Lapland required a new and detailed inventory, since in 1822 only some of the main anchorages and harbors could be described; the intermediate coast, where several more good harbors could have been found, was either not examined at all, or examined superficially. The part of the coast, stretching from the Kola Bay west to the border, remained completely undescribed; All that was known about it was that it was depicted completely incorrectly on all maps, that the so-called Fisherman’s Island (Fischer Eilant) was a peninsula protruding into the sea much further and in a completely different form, etc. There were also several points on the Novaya Zemlya side dubious and unknown. After comparing our map with the navigation map of the Dutch sailors, located in the Great Atlas, Blau turned out to be between the longitude of the cape, which we took for Cape Zhelaniya, and the longitude of the Barents Cape of this name, a difference of up to 15 degrees. Such an error in the definition of Barents seemed completely impossible, especially since the difference in the position of other points was very small; and from this the suspicion was revived whether it was another cape, for example, Nassau, that we mistook for Cape Zhelaniya. Although the inventory of navigator Rozmyslov there was no particular reason to suspect infidelity; It was desirable to use a new dimension of the Matochkin Ball to remove this rather important point in the geography of Novaya Zemlya once and for all from doubt. The southern coast of Novaya Zemlya was still completely unknown. Even less so is the eastern shore, which, however, there was little hope of describing on a seaworthy vessel. The position of the islands of Vaigach and Kolguev was not determined. Finally, the longitude of Kanin Nos required a new check. To fulfill all this, it was ordered to send me on the same brig.”

From the book “Four-time voyage to the Arctic Ocean, made by order of Emperor Alexander I on the military brig “Novaya Zemlya” in 1821, 1822, 1823 and 1824 of the fleet by Lieutenant-Commander Fyodor Litke”

“Litke’s extensive knowledge in the field of natural sciences was generally expressed in the fact that he excellently made many observations that did not have an essential connection with his journey, but were very important for resolving certain scientific questions. His observations of a permanent magnet are especially remarkable - such experiments determine the compression of the globe, an element whose exact knowledge is very important for various geodetic works and for the most accurate study of some complex movements in the solar system; Litke’s experiments and observations are among the best in their field.”

Nikolay Chechulin

“I had no intention of writing a complete biography of me. The purpose of this note is to convey to my children the information that is available about the past of our family, and to present an outline of the first half of my life, from which they can see how an orphan, in the first years of his youth, was almost abandoned, without any protection, maybe with with the help of God, through your own labors, make your way in life and leave your descendants a good, untarnished name.”

From the autobiography of Fyodor Litke.

7 facts about Fedor Litka

• The Litke family traces its history back to Johann Philipp Litke (?—1771/1772), a master of philosophy who studied physics and theology, a man of versatile knowledge. He was invited to Russia during the reign of Anna Ioannovna as rector of the academic gymnasium in St. Petersburg and rector of the Petrishule school. Fyodor Petrovich Litke was his grandson.
• Litka came up with the idea of ​​the first recording “tide gauge” (1839), built and installed in 1841 on the shores of the Arctic and Pacific oceans.
• In the late 1870s, during disputes between Germany and Spain over the Caroline Islands, decisions were based on descriptions made by Litke during his trip around the world.
• The diaries of Fyodor Litke, which he kept from 1832 to 1868, occupy eleven volumes in manuscript.
• Fyodor Litke's son Konstantin also became a famous navigator.
• A cape, a peninsula, a mountain, and a bay on Novaya Zemlya are named after Fyodor Litke; cape in Chukotka; islands in the Franz Josef Land archipelago, Baydaratskaya Bay, the Nordenskiöld archipelago, the strait between Kamchatka and Karaginsky Island, as well as a crater on the far side of the Moon
• The Russian Geographical Society awards the medal named after Fyodor Litke.

Materials about Fedor Litka

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 put on the map, 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.

Forward
Table of contents
Back

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 is one of the prominent geographers of the 19th century, an admiral of the Russian fleet, known for his exploration of the Arctic and circumnavigation of the world. He was one of the initiators and founders of the Russian Geographical Society, its honorary member and for 20 years he headed its work, holding the position of vice-chairman. Since 1864 - President of the St. Petersburg Academy of Sciences. F.P. Litke was born in St. Petersburg on September 17 (28), 1797. His childhood was difficult and joyless. His mother died at his birth. The father soon married a young woman who disliked her five stepsons and stepdaughters. At the age of seven, Fedor was sent to the boarding school of the German Meyer. After four years of study, he learned to speak German, French and English, knew arithmetic operations, and could name the main countries of the world and major cities.

In 1808, F.P.’s father died. Litke and the boy were left an orphan. He lived with his mother’s brother, member of the State Council, Senator F.I. Engel. From 11 to 15 years old, Fedor remained without any supervision and did not have a single teacher. The boy's only consolation was his uncle's rich library. He read many books on history, astronomy, philosophy, and geography. I was especially fond of reading books about travel. One day he read a book that described the journey of the Dutch navigator V. Barents to Novaya Zemlya. The persistent struggle of travelers with difficulties, pictures of the harsh, unique beauty of the Arctic nature made an indelible impression on the little reader.

In 1810, in the life of F.P. Changes have occurred in Litka. His sister Natalya married captain-lieutenant I.S. Sulmeneva. Often visiting his sister, he listened with enthusiasm to stories about trips around the world, geographical discoveries and victories of the Russian navy. Frequent visits to his sister’s apartment and weekly sailings along the Gulf of Finland to Kronstadt and back instilled in the boy a love of the sea. The young man decided to devote his life to naval service and, at the request of his sister’s husband, in 1812 he was accepted as a volunteer in the rowing flotilla. For his resourcefulness and courage, he was soon promoted to midshipman.

In 1813, a 16-year-old young man F.P. Litke, as part of the landing party from the ship "Aglaya", participated three times in battles against French units taking refuge in Danzig. His courage, self-control and exemplary performance of combat missions under enemy artillery fire were highly praised by the command. F.P. Litke was promoted to midshipman and awarded the Order of St. Anne, 4th degree.

He continued to persistently study astronomy, navigation, instructions on maritime practice, the complex structure of sailing ships and their management, and read books about the circumnavigations of Russian and foreign sailors. Litke’s old dream grew stronger to make the same trips as those made by V. Bering, I.F. Krusenstern, Yu.F. Lisyansky.

In 1817, with the assistance of I.S. Sulmenev, a 20-year-old young man was appointed senior midshipman on the sloop of war "Kamchatka", which circumnavigated the world under the command of V.M. Golovnina. The voyage continued for more than two years. It brought great benefits to the young officer, expanding his knowledge in the field of oceanography, astronomy, physics, ethnography, navigation and determined his future activity as a researcher-traveler. V.M. Golovnin highly appreciated the abilities of F.P. Litke, and upon returning from the voyage, recommended him to the post of head of a hydrographic expedition to describe the shores of Novaya Zemlya.

In the chronicles of polar travel, a prominent place is occupied by Russian navigators and explorers, who discovered and described vast spaces, made many discoveries, paved the way to the North and began its economic development. Russian sailors visited Novaya Zemlya and the Kara Sea already in the 15th century. There are suggestions that individual Russian sailors visited these harsh, inaccessible places back in the 11th century. Russia is rightly proud of the glorious names of Russian polar sailors.

However, the valuable information of the Pomors, obtained through enormous courage, severe trials and overcoming incredible difficulties, was not generalized, and by the beginning of the 19th century. Novaya Zemlya remained unexplored. In 1807, the single-masted ship “Pchela” was sent to the shores of the archipelago under the command of navigator G.I. Pospelov. During this voyage, the shores from Kostin Shar to Matochkin Shar were described and mapped. In 1819, a new expedition was equipped under the command of Lieutenant A.P. Lazarev, which ended in failure. From the assessment of the work of all expeditions to Novaya Zemlya, a disappointing conclusion followed: information about it is scanty, fragmentary and vague.

It was necessary to carry out a lot of painstaking research work. For sailing to the Arctic, the brig “Novaya Zemlya” was built at the Arkhangelsk shipyard. It was a two-masted sailing ship with straight sails, with a carrying capacity of 200 tons. F.P. was appointed commander of the brig. Litke. On his instructions, the living deck was cleared of cargo and two cast-iron stoves were installed on it, which maintained a normal temperature. This seemingly insignificant measure provided the brig’s crew, consisting of 43 people, with quite acceptable living conditions. There were no deaths during the voyage. On the brig “Novaya Zemlya” F.P. Litke made four trips to the Arctic Ocean in 1821, 1822, 1823 and 1824.

The first voyage was a reconnaissance voyage. Only on August 10 did the brig reach the Goose Land peninsula. Despite the impassable ice fields, the expedition managed to clarify the position of the coastline in the area of ​​Kanin Nos and Svyatoy Nos. This voyage enabled F.P. Litka familiarize himself with the sailing conditions and ice conditions off the coast of Novaya Zemlya. During the second voyage, a description of the shores and many new geographical objects of the Kola Peninsula was made. The coordinates of the mouth of Matochkina Shar were determined.

Submitted by F.P. Litke's report on two years of research received a good rating from the Admiralty. He was tasked with making a third and then a fourth voyage to the Arctic Ocean. Four-year studies by F.P. Litke in the Arctic Ocean significantly expanded geographical and hydrographic knowledge of the Arctic. The western shores of Novaya Zemlya, the coast of the mainland from the Yugorsky Shar Strait to Cape Russky Zavorot and from the Holy Nose on the Kola Peninsula to the Russian-Swedish border were described and mapped; sea ​​depths were measured, soil samples were taken, and sea level fluctuations were recorded.

Sloop "Senyavin". Hood. E.V. Voishillo, B.M. Starodubtsev.

The result of F.P.’s voyages Litka received his book “Four-time voyage to the Arctic Ocean on the military brig “Novaya Zemlya” in 1821 - 1824.” He became known as a major Arctic explorer. Soon after this expedition F.P. Litke was appointed commander of the Senyavin sloop, which was heading on a circumnavigation of the world with the task of carrying out a number of works in the Bering Sea and in the Caroline Archipelago. This expedition took place in 1826 - 1829. She collected extensive geographical, hydrographic and geophysical materials. The coordinates of important points on the Kamchatka coast north of Avachinskaya Bay were determined, a number of islands of the Kuril ridge were described, and the coast of Chukotka from Cape Dezhnev to Anadyr was described.

The expedition carried out a large amount of geographical work in the South Pacific Ocean, where the Caroline Islands were surveyed. 12 were rediscovered and 26 groups and individual islands were described, the Bonin Islands were found, the location of which was then inaccurately known. For all these geographical objects, maps were drawn up, inventories and drawings were made, and a separate atlas was compiled. The expedition collected extensive material on sea currents, water and air temperatures, and atmospheric pressure. An important part of the work was gravimetric and magnetic observations, which served as a valuable contribution to world science. The expedition collected significant material on zoology (more than one and a half thousand specimens of various animals were collected), botany, geology, ethnography, etc.

This entire enormous amount of work was accomplished with very modest means and a small number of employees. F.P. Litke had lieutenants N.I. as assistants. Zavalishin and A.N. Aboleshev, eight midshipmen and other junior commanders, three scientists - A.G. Mertensa, A.F. Postelsa, F.G. Kitlitsa and 48 sailors. We must not forget that the expedition was carried out on a sailing ship, which required a lot of attention, labor and skill of the entire crew. The ship sailed both in the calm zone and in the stormiest areas of the ocean; in a wide variety of climatic conditions - from the equator to the Arctic Circle, from the tropics to the Arctic. During all three years of sailing on the expedition there were no accidents, and the expedition never found itself in a difficult situation. It is not without reason that it is considered the happiest and most fruitful of all the numerous Russian voyages around the world in the first half of the 19th century, of which our country has the right to be proud.

F.P.'s circumnavigation of the world Litka on the Senyavin turned out to be his last. In 1832, Nicholas I appointed him teacher of his son Konstantin. For 16 years, Fyodor Petrovich was forced to stay at the royal court. He did not like court life, shunned vanity and lust for power, and was far from court intrigues. In 1835 he wrote: “My service is in many ways contrary to both my nature and spiritual needs.” But even while at court, Fyodor Petrovich managed to remain a scientist. He attended meetings of the Academy of Sciences, wrote an article on tides in the Arctic Ocean, and did not break ties with his sailor friends.

F.P. Litke made a proposal about the need to unite all geographers, researchers and travelers into the scientific community and obtained permission to create the Russian Geographical Society. The founding members of the society were: the famous naturalist, Russian explorer Academician K.M. Baer, ​​famous polar explorer F.P. Wrangel, geographer, historian and statistician academician K.I. Arsenyev, an outstanding astronomer, founder and director of the Pulkovo Observatory V.Ya. Struve, Admiral I.F. Krusenstern and others. In September 1845, at a meeting of the founders F.P. Litke was elected vice-chairman of the Russian Geographical Society (the chairman, by position, was a member of the imperial family). F.P. Litke led the Russian Geographical Society for over 20 years in the period 1845 - 1850. and 1857 - 1873

From 1850 to 1853 F.P. Litke was the main commander and governor of the port of Revel, and during the Crimean War - the main commander and military governor of the Kronstadt port. He was awarded the rank of admiral.

F.P. Litke actively participated in the work of the Russian Academy of Sciences. From 1864 to 1882 he was its president. In this capacity he contributed to the development of scientific societies and institutions. The activities of the Pulkovo Observatory, opened in 1839, were expanded. The Pulkovo Observatory became world famous and for several decades was the “astronomical capital” of the world. In 1849, the world's first climatological center was created in Russia - the Main Physical Observatory. F.P. Litke contributed to the further expansion of the activities of the Pavlovsk Magnetic Meteorological Observatory.

Oceanographic research vessel "Fedor Litke"

Fyodor Petrovich Litke died on October 8, 1882 at the age of 85. His name was worthily immortalized on the world map. 15 geographical objects on maps of the Arctic and Pacific Ocean are named after F.P. Litke. The memory of the great geographer is reflected in the names of streets and ships. It is deeply symbolic that the first ship to make a through passage from the Far East to Murmansk in one navigation was the ice cutter “Fedor Litke”. In the second half of the 20th century, the icebreaker “Fedor Litke” and the oceanographic research vessel “Fedor Litke” took over the sea watch.

Even after the death of Fyodor Petrovich Litke, his name continued to serve the development of geographical science. In 1873, the Imperial Russian Geographical Society established the Litke gold medal, awarded for outstanding geographical research. In 1946, the Council of Ministers of the USSR passed a resolution on the restoration of the F. P. Litke Gold Medal to encourage works in the field of geographical sciences.

Medal of the Russian Geographical Society named after F.P. Litke

Major Vladimir Pryamitsin,
Deputy Head of the Research Department
Institute of Military History VAGSH RF Armed Forces, Candidate of Military Sciences