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Vitus Jonassen Bering
Russian navigator, officer Russian fleet, captain-commander. Origin Dane.
B 1725—1730 and 1733—1741 led the First and Second Kamchatka expeditions. Passed through the strait between Chukotka and Alaska (subsequently Bering Strait), reached North America and discovered a number of islands Aleutian ridge.
Named after Bering island, strait and sea in the north Pacific Oceanand also Commander Islands. B archeology northeastern Siberia, Chukotka, and Alaska (which are now thought to have previously been connected by a strip of land) are often referred to by the common term Beringia.
June 4 1741 - in the year when Vitus Bering turned 60 years old - "St. Peter"under the command of V. Bering and"St. Paul"(A. Chirikov) went to the northwestern shores of America. June 20 in a storm and thick fog, the ships lost each other. After several days of fruitless attempts to connect, the sailors had to continue their journey one by one. "St. Peter"under the command of V. Bering went east and July 16 1741 (one day later "St. Paul"and the third of the Russian ships) at a latitude of 58 ° 14 'reached the coast of North America in the area mountains of St. Elijah.
After landing on about. Kayak, packet boat turned back to the coast of Kamchatka, following along the southern coast Alaska and the Aleutian Ridge. Island were discovered along the wayKodiak, Evdokeevsky i Shumaginsky islands, St. John's Islands (Atha), St. Markian (kiska) and St. Stephen (Buldyr). November 5 packet boat came to replenish water supplies on the island, later called Bering Island, where November 28 was washed ashore by a strong wind. In difficult conditions of forced wintering from scurvy 19 people died, and on December 8, Vitus Bering also died. Navigator lieutenant took command Sven Waxel. Spring 1742 46 remaining (out of 75) crew members managed to build a packet boat from the wreckage gookor (also named "St. Peter”) and in August 1742, overcoming 250 km, reached Avacha Bay.