Few people know the name of the strait that Dezhnev discovered. Little is known about the life of this person. For a long time nothing was known about the outstanding geographical discovery of the Russian navigator. It should be noted that so far there is not enough information about the history of the journey, which was made by Dezhnev Semen Ivanovich. What this man discovered and what it mattered is discussed in this publication.
From the life of Semyon Ivanovich Dezhnev
Dezhnev was born in Veliky Ustyug presumably in the first years of the 17th century. From there he went to Siberia, where he began his service in Tobolsk, and then in Yeniseisk. In 1641, he, together with M. Stadukhin, went on a campaign against Oymyakon.
The future pioneer Semyon Dezhnev took part in the founding of the Nizhnekolymsky fortress, which became the reference point for Russian travelers who set off to find an outlet to the mouth of the Anadyr River. In addition, he made several trips along the rivers Kolyma, Indigirka, Yana, to the mouth of the Lena. However, Dezhnev was most attracted to the Anadyr River. According to rumors, there were large reserves of walrus bone, which was highly valued in Russia. In 1647, he fell on the expedition of F. A. Popov, as part of which he made an unsuccessful attempt to reach the mouth of the Anadyr River and go around Chukotka. 63 travelers on four vessels marched eastward by sea. However, large ice floes blocked their path, and the explorers were forced to turn back.
The beginning of a new campaign
After an unsuccessful first trip, it was decided to make a new trip to the mouth of the Anadyr River. On June 30, 1648, an expedition led by Semyon Dezhnev, consisting of 90 people, left Kolyma. Ships moved eastward by sea. The journey was very difficult. Several ships of the Dezhnev expedition disappeared in sea storms (2 of them crashed on ice floes, and 2 more were carried away during a storm). Semyon Ivanovich in his memoirs noted that only 3 kocha (ships) entered the strait. They were led by Dezhnev, Ankundinov and Alekseev. They reached the cape, which was called the Chukchi Nose, and saw several small islands. So Dezhnev discovered the strait between Asia and America.
The base of the Anadyr prison
The strait, which was discovered by Dezhnev, solved the most important geographical problem. He became evidence that America is an independent continent. In addition, this journey testified to the fact that from Europe to China there is a path through the northern seas around Siberia.
After the ships passed the strait that Dezhnev discovered, they went to the Anadyr Gulf, and then circled around the Olyutor Peninsula. The expedition ship, on which there were 25 people, was washed ashore. From here, travelers traveled north on foot. By the beginning of 1649, 13 people reached the mouth of the Anadyr River. Then Dezhnev and his comrades climbed up the river and laid the winter hut there. In addition, seafarers founded the Anadyr prison. Here Dezhnev and lived 10 years.
Dezhnev's research
From 1649 to 1659, Dezhnev explored the Anadyr and Anyui river basins. Progress reports were sent to Yakutsk. These reports described in detail the strait discovered by Dezhnev in 1648, the Anadyr and Anyuy rivers, and also drew the terrain drawings. In 1652, Semen Ivanovich opened the sandbank, where the walrus rookery was located. After that, Dezhnev managed to establish a hunt for this beast in the Anadyr Gulf, which brought great income to Russia.
The fate of the traveler
In 1659, Dezhnev transferred control of the Anadyr prison to K. Ivanov. A year later, the traveler moved to Kolyma. In 1661, Semen Ivanovich Dezhnev went to Yakutsk, where he reached only in the spring of 1662. From there he was sent to Moscow in order to deliver the sovereign's treasury. Dezhnev provided the king with reports detailing his travels and explorations. In 1655, Semen Ivanovich was granted the rank of Cossack chieftain. Nothing is known about the further fate of the Russian navigator.
The value of the discovery of Semyon Dezhnev
The main merit of the Russian traveler is that he opened the passage from the Arctic to the Pacific Ocean. He described this path and made a detailed drawing of it. Despite the fact that the maps developed by Semyon Ivanovich were very simplified, with approximate distances, they were of great practical importance. The strait, which Dezhnev discovered, was an accurate evidence that the sea separates Asia and America. In addition, the expedition led by Semyon Ivanovich first reached the mouth of the Anadyr River, where walrus deposits were discovered.
In 1736, forgotten reports by Dezhnev were first found in Yakutsk. From them it became known that the Russian navigator did not see the shores of America. It should be noted that 80 years after Semen Ivanovich, the Bering expedition sailed in the southern part of the strait, which confirmed the discovery of Dezhnev. In 1778, Cook visited this area, who was only aware of the expedition at the beginning of the 18th century. It was he who called this strait Bering.