Russian history of discoveries is full of names. A huge number of researchers were from the territory of the Russian Empire, therefore, their campaigns were carried out on its territory. One of such pioneers was the polar explorer Wrangel Ferdinand Petrovich. A brief biography that has discovered and other interesting information will be presented to your attention in the article.
Childhood
Baron Ferdinand, according to the notes of his cousin, found in 1884, was born on December twenty-ninth, 1796 in the city of Pskov. His father was Peter Berendtovich in his Russian name, and in German - Peter Ludwig Wrangel, and his mother - Dorothea-Margarita-Barbara von Freiman. But these are not all the famous names in his family tree. Since Fedor himself came from a family of Germans in the Baltic, there should be a logical explanation for this. His grandfather was a chamberlain at the court of Peter III. But as soon as Catherine II ascended the throne, he had to flee.
A very unusual story is connected with the birth of Fyodor Petrovich, which is still not very easy to believe in. On the night of December 29, 1796, he himself is born. But instead of letting him continue his life in his own cradle, they put him in the one that was intended for a completely different child of Baron Vasily.
On January 6, 1797, this same long-awaited member of the family is born, and, instead of transferring Fedor to another cradle, Vasily is laid with him. Thus, these two boys live together almost from their very first breath.
Several years pass, and Ferdinand's parents die. The exact cause of their death is unknown, but many attribute this to accidents rather than old age or illness. Since then, young Fedor has been living on his uncle’s estate, again with Vasily.
Study
As a brief biography of Ferdinand Wrangel testifies, in 1807 he was identified in the Naval Cadet Corps. This is one of the oldest (despite a break in activity in 1917) military educational institutions. As a rule, primary school students were called cadets, and senior students were called midshipmen. True, this title still had to be earned, since serious requirements were imposed on students.
A little time passes, Fedor tries his best, and on June 8, 1812, just in the year of World War II, he was awarded the title of midshipman. Why was it so valuable? This is a non-commissioned officer rank in the Russian Navy, which existed from 1716 to 1917. As a rule, it was worn by especially distinguished students of the academies, or in the period from 1716 to 1752 and from 1860 to 1882 it was drill-type.
Almost two years later, on April 6, 1814, Fedor received the long-awaited rank of non-commissioned officer. This is not the highest rank that can be obtained by serving in the Navy, but it was sufficient to enter the junior command staff of the Armed Forces.
In the years 1816-1817, Wrangel sailed in the Gulf of Finland on board the frigate Avtroil as part of the 19th naval crew. More precisely, he served in the city of Revel, currently called Tallinn.
First expeditions
The years 1817-1819 remained in Fedor's memory as time spent on a round-the-world trip on the Kamchatka sloop with Vasily Golovnin. In addition to Ferdinand, geographers such as Fedor Litke and Fedor Matyushkin also got a good practice. And in confirmation that the sailors really went on a trip around the world, most often provided 43 drawings made by the artist Mikhail Tikhanov.
Thanks to this expedition, Ferdinand was able to receive the Order of Anna of the 4th degree. Fedor was now able to wear a special cross on the hilt of his cold steel and a lanyard from the Order ribbon (popularly nicknamed “Cranberry”), and also received up to 50 rubles of pension annually.
In the winter of 1819-1820, Fedor studied astronomical, physical, and mineralogical sciences in the city of Dorpat. One of the most densely populated at the moment (after Tallinn), now it is called Tartu. The researcher also listened to lectures by teachers V. Ya. Struve (one of the founders of astronomy) and Moritz von Engelhardt. All this knowledge was eventually useful to him in the future.
First own expedition
It's time to talk about what Ferdinand Wrangel discovered. In 1820, Fedor was promoted to lieutenant, which gave him permission to personally lead a small fleet. Ferdinand did not miss this opportunity, so from 1820 to 1824 he explored the north-eastern coast of Siberia.
In addition to Ferdinand himself, the ship was midshipman Matyushkin, navigator Kozmin, Dr. Kiber, locksmith Ivannikov and sailor Nekhoroshkov. Despite the fact that the composition of the expedition was not too large in comparison with the same that Golovnin arranged, many discoveries were made that were important for the Russian geographical society.
During this expedition, records were made about the coast of Siberia from the Indigirka River to the Kolyuchinskaya Bay. This later helped many researchers working on land, not from the sea. Bear Islands were also mapped.
As soon as Fedor returned to St. Petersburg, he was awarded a lifetime lieutenant pension for his discovery. He was granted four years of service, the Order of St. George and the next rank.
"Mild" conquers the world
On December 12, 1824, Ferdinand Wrangel was promoted to lieutenant commander due to discoveries made during his first own expedition. Then Fedor Petrovich decided on the second, but already round-the-world trip, which he had for the very first time.
In the years 1825-1827 the crew of the ship "Krotkiy", headed by Fedor Petrovich Wrangel, made his journey around the world. As soon as the captain returned from him, he received the Order of St. Anne of the second degree, as well as the captain-lieutenant salary.
But the rewards of the researcher did not end there. On October 13, 1827, he becomes a captain of the second rank, and on December twenty-ninth of the same year, luck smiles at him and he is elected a corresponding member of the IAN.
Russian America
According to the biography, Ferdinand Petrovich Wrangel in 1828-1829 controlled the ship "Elizabeth", which later became part of the Baltic Fleet. He belonged to the rank of 44-cannon, despite the fact that during the re-calculation 63 guns were noticed. On the same ship on March 12, Ferdinand received the rank of captain of the first rank.
Until 1835, Fedor Petrovich was the chief administrator of Russian America (Alaska, the Aleutian Islands, and the like), arriving there in 1830. During his stay in Alaska, he examined the entire western North American coast, starting from the Bering Strait, right up to California. Also, under his leadership, an observatory was created, now called the Sitka.
Third trip around the world
Ferdinand’s third round-the-world trip happened, oddly enough, through Mexico in 1836, when he carried out the assignment of the Russian-American company. In the same year, June 8, he was assigned the rank of rear admiral. This title is the first in the fleets of many countries of the world.
In addition to the new title, Fedor Petrovich was appointed manager of the Department of Ship Forests on August 5. A year later, on November twenty-ninth, he received the Order of St. George of the fourth degree, and a year later his chest began to adorn the Order of St. Stanislav of the second degree.
Since 1837, Wrangel Ferdinand Petrovich was a full member of the Royal London Geographical Community, founded in 1830 to support geographical science under the auspices of William IV.
Russian activity
Since 1840, Fedor Petrovich Wrangel was the director of the RAK, located in St. Petersburg. This is a semi-state colonial trading company, which was founded by Grigory Shelikhov and Nikolai Rezanov in July 1799.
True, he did not stop at this post for too long. Seven years later, in 1847, Ferdinand was replaced by Vladimir Gavrilovich Politkovsky. But in 1845, the baron himself became a full member of the Russian geographical community.
Ferdinand did not have to sit idle for a long time, and during 1847-1849 he was director of the Department of Ship Forests of the Ministry of the Sea. He was also elected Chairman of the General Geography Division.
Career ending
In 1849, Fedor Petrovich resigned from his posts as vice admiral. This title is the third oldest in the entire system of ranks of the navy, second only to the admiral and admiral of the fleet. At the moment, it is comparable to a lieutenant general in the ground forces.
True, even when Ferdinand Petrovich Wrangel was retired, he worked quite closely with the St. Petersburg Academy of Sciences, in 1855 he became a member with special honors. In general, the St. Petersburg Academy of Sciences is the generalized name of a higher scientific institution, adopted in the literature for the Russian Empire from 1724-1917.
In the same year, he became the founder of the Russian Geographical Society, one of the oldest in the world, second only to Paris, founded in 1821.
Crimean War
With the onset of the Crimean War, Ferdinand had to return from a well-deserved rest, and on September 8, 1854 he was appointed director of the Hydrographic Directorate, which has existed from the time of Peter I to the present day. Then Baron Wrangel is replaced by Mikhail Frantsevich Reinecke, who, in turn, leaves this post only in 1859.
On February 23, 1855, he was appointed chairman of the Maritime Scientific Committee, after some time, on April 13, as inspector of the naval naval corps.
In the years 1855-1857, Baron Frangel Ferdinand was Minister of the Sea, and served as manager in the ministry. At the moment it is called the Ministry of Maritime Affairs. In the same year he received the Order of St. Vladimir of the second degree.
Admiral
On April 15, 1856, for his services at the front, Baron Wrangel received the title of Admiral Adjutant. This rank is very honorable in a number of countries, if only because it is, in fact, the second oldest. Previously, he was a soldier, but from the 18th - early 20th centuries he was retinue. That is, all the people who had it were in the personal retinue of the emperor (empress).
On August 26 of the same year, he became an admiral, thereby gaining a foothold at the very top of command in the navy. True, he did not have to command for a long time. On August 8, 1857, due to heart problems, he was dismissed from the post of Minister of the Sea and resigned from the Ministry.
Ferdinand Petrovich Wrangel, whose biography is full of interesting facts and events, did not grieve, because he still remained a member of the State Council - the highest legislative body of the Russian Empire in 1810-1906, as well as the upper house of the Parliament of the Russian Empire in 1906-1917. On September 8, 1859, Ferdinand was awarded the Order of the White Eagle.
Second resignation attempt
The year 1864 was remembered by Fedor Petrovich because he then retired. True, now no wars were supposed to be on the horizon. He moved permanently to Estonia, in the estate of Roel. It was a one-story house built in the 1st half of the 18th century. At the end of the century, the building was being completed, because of which the right wing became a two-story building. The whole building was built in the characteristic Baroque style.
The last six years of his life, Ferdinand Wrangel, a brief biography of which is presented to your attention in the article, spent in solitude, engaged in numerous meteorological observations. Most of them are described in his diary, which has survived to this day. This work, if one can call it that, was the starting point for many researchers in the future.
last years of life
Ferdinand Petrovich Wrangel (which you already know) discovered that he spoke very negatively about the sale of Alaska to the United States of America, despite the fact that it was equally beneficial to both states. In his opinion, it was an irreparable loss, which could not be compensated for by any money offered by the United States.
Fyodor Petrovich Frangel died on the twenty-sixth of May (sixth of June, New Year) in 1870, when Yuriev was passing by. This is a city located on the river Emajõgi. The exact cause of death is currently known - heart rupture, presumably due to old age. At the time of his death, Ferdinand was seventy-three years old.
A researcher was buried in Estonia, on the Viru-Jagupi family site. Photos of Wrangel Ferdinand you also have the opportunity to see in the article.