2 shock Elizarov Vasily Yakovlevich Chichagov. Vasily Yakovlevich Chichagov

Yuryev Vasily Yakovlevich (born in 1879 - died in 1962) Breeder. The author of many popular varieties of grain crops. The word “bread” among our people probably occupies the same place as “sun” and “mother”. Bread is not just food, it is a symbol of life, it is work, well-being,

Chichagov Vasily Yakovlevich

Chichagov Pavel Vasilievich

Chichagov, Vasily Yakovlevich

Admiral, known for his participation in the Swedish War of 1789-1790. Originally from the nobility of the Kostroma province, Ch. was born on February 28, 1726 and received his secondary education at the Naval School (school of navigational sciences), established by Peter the Great in Moscow, after completing the course in which he left for England in order to expand his knowledge. On April 10, 1742, he was enlisted in the naval service as a midshipman, and in 1744 he was assigned to the Revel coastal command, a year later he was promoted to midshipman, and in 1751 he was appointed naval secretary. Three years later he received the rank of lieutenant, and in 1757 he made his first voyage on the frigate "St. Michael", sent "by secret commission" to the Sound. From Revel to Kronstadt he returned as the commander of the named ship. In 1758, he received the rank of captain-lieutenant, 4 years later - captain of the 2nd rank, in the same 1762 he served on the passage of the ship "St. Catherine" from St. Petersburg to Kronstadt. In 1763 we find him in Kazan, where he was sent to inspect the timber harvested at the pier, and the next year he, already with the rank of captain of the 1st rank, commanded the ship "Revel".

1764-1765 promoted Ch. from among his peers. On the initiative of Lomonosov, by decree of May 14, 1764, a “secret” expedition to the Arctic Ocean was equipped, “even from the Senate,” with the goal of exploring the route through the Polar Sea to Kamchatka. In the summer and autumn, preparations were made, and in 1765 Ch., appointed head of the expedition, which consisted of three ships, set out to sea from Kola, where he arrived in September 1764. The voyage was unsuccessful. The expedition was immediately delayed by ice and was forced to enter Klokbayk Bay on the island of Spitsbergen and remain there for some time. Having gone to sea in early July, Ch. headed west, but the solid ice encountered by the expedition forced him to turn north. On July 23, he reached 80 ° 26 "N, but did not go further, since the approach of autumn and floating ice began to inspire fear for the successful outcome of the expedition. After consulting with the captains of the ships, Ch. turned to Arkhangelsk, where he arrived on 20 August 1st. In St. Petersburg they were dissatisfied with the result of the expedition and accused its leader of turning to the north, whereas, according to the exact meaning of the instructions he received, he was supposed to keep heading west, to the shores of Greenland. "Total But what seems more important is that the sailors seemed to have thought of a return route early, without waiting for real need or danger to force them to do so." The next year, Ch., commanding the same three ships, again went to sea with the same goal - to find a sea route through the Arctic Ocean to Kamchatka. This time the expedition was also not successful. Having reached 80°30" N. sh., Ch. returned back, since there was no way to break through the ice encountered. Despite the failure, he was awarded half his pension salary for sailing twice into the Northern Ocean.

In 1767, Ch. returned by land from Arkhangelsk to St. Petersburg and was immediately appointed commander of the St. Petersburg ship crew. In 1768, he took the position of chief commander of the Arkhangelsk port, in which he remained until 1770, when, having received the rank of rear admiral, he was summoned to St. Petersburg. In the same year, he, commanding a squadron, sailed to the island of Gotland and, upon his return, was appointed chief commander of the Revel port, but in 1771 he again went to the Baltic Sea, having a flag on the ship "Count Orlov" and commanding the squadron, and in 1772, commanding three ships, sailed in the Mediterranean Sea. In October he returned by land to St. Petersburg and was awarded the Order of St. Anna and took up his duties as the head of the Revel port. The following year, he was appointed chief commander of the Kronstadt port and, commanding the Kronstadt squadron, cruised to the island of Gotland, having a flag on the ship "St. Andrew". In the same 1773, Ch. was sent to the Don expedition and, under the command of Admiral Senyavin, defended the Kerch Strait from the Turkish fleet, and did not allow it to enter the Sea of ​​​​Azov. Awarded the Order of St. George 4th degree, Ch. On June 10, 1775, on the day of the celebration of the Kuchuk-Kainardzhi Peace, he was promoted to vice admiral and appointed a member of the Admiralty Board. In 1771 he was given an annual leave, and in 1776 he commanded a practical squadron at Krasnaya Gorka: in 1782 he received the rank of admiral and the Order of St. Alexander Nevsky; in the same year he sailed at the head of a squadron in the Mediterranean Sea; in 1788 he again served as the chief commander of the Revel port. Appointed commander of the Baltic Fleet and commanding a squadron of 20 ships, Ch. On July 15, 1789, he met off the island of Öland with a Swedish flotilla, which included up to 22 ships, and, after a seven-hour battle, forced the Swedes to retreat to Karlskrona, and he himself went to the Gulf of Finland. On August 6 of the same year, Catherine II, dissatisfied with the actions of the Baltic Fleet, wrote to the Council: “From the reports received from Admiral Ch., it is clear that the Swedes attacked him, and not he them, that he had a shootout with them, that in it he lost the captain of the brigade rank and several hundred other warriors without any benefit to the Empire, who finally returned to these waters, as if to cover the Gulf of Finland. I demand that the behavior of Admiral Ch. in the Council be compared with the instructions given to him..." Council, upon consideration Ch.’s course of action, found that “this admiral completely satisfied the instructions given to him, except for one point - his return to the Gulf of Finland, which he did not need.” This was the end of the matter, and on May 2, 1790, the famous Battle of Revel took place. The Swedish fleet, consisting of 26 battleships and various other vessels, attacked the Russian squadron, which was under the command of Ch. in the Revel roadstead; There were only 10 ships in this squadron. After a stubborn battle that lasted 2½ hours, the Swedes were defeated, and the Russians captured the 64-gun ship Prince Charles and 300 people; another similar ship was burned. They say, by the way, that when Catherine II sent Ch. to Revel, entrusting him with command of the squadron, then, having weighed the forces of the Russians and Swedes, she expressed concern about the outcome of the battle that was about to take place. To this Ch. calmly replied: “Well, what?.. They won’t swallow it!..” The Empress liked this answer so much that she instructed Derzhavin to compose an inscription for the bust of the admiral, which would certainly include his expression. Derzhavin and the Empress's secretary composed several more or less successful quatrains. Not content with this, Catherine II herself composed the following inscription:

"The Swedes came at him with triple force,

Having learned, he said: God is my protector!

They won't swallow us!

Having repelled, he captured and received victory."

For the Battle of Reval, Ch. was awarded the Order of St. Andrew the First-Called and the grant of 1388 souls of peasants into hereditary possession.

After joining the Revel squadron with the Kronstadt squadron, Ch. blocked the Swedish fleet in Vyborg Bay and, when the latter tried to break through, inflicted a decisive defeat on it, for which he received the Order of St. George 1st class, a sword with diamonds, a silver service and 2417 souls of peasants for hereditary possession. In addition, Catherine II granted him a noble coat of arms with a handwritten rescript.

With the accession of Pavel Petrovich, Ch. in 1797, at the request, was dismissed from service and in recent years lived in St. Petersburg, where he died on April 4, 1809. Ch. was buried in the Alexander Nevsky Lavra.

In conclusion, to characterize Ch. as a person, we present Catherine II’s review of him, taken from the Empress’s letter to Grimm dated September 14, 1790: “I cannot see Ch. without remembering the words of Prince de Ligne about Field Marshal Loudon , when someone asked about him how he could be recognized: “Go,” he said, “you will find him outside the door, embarrassed by his dignity and his talents.” This is the exact image of my admiral.”

For more details about Ch., see: “General Marine List”, St. Petersburg, 1885, vol. II; "Portrait Gallery of Russian Figures", St. Petersburg, ed. Munster, 1865, article by Khmyrov; - A. S. Shishkov, “Military actions of the Russian fleet against the Swedish in 1788, 89 and 90,” ed. 1826; "Kronstadt Bulletin", 1876, No. 82; “Russian expeditions to describe the northern shores of Siberia,” etc.; "The War of Russia with Sweden 1789-90", op. Brickner, in the "Journal of the Ministry of Public Education", 1869, Nos. 2, 3, 4, 6; "Sea Collection", 1857, No. 9, 1859, No. 10, 1871, No. 8; "Lomonosov's Project and Chichagov's Expedition", ed. Hydrograph. department, 1854; "Readings in the Imperial Society of History and Antiquities of Russia", 1862, No. 1; I. Chistovich, "Historical note on the council during the reign of Emperor Catherine II", St. Petersburg, 1870; Leonid Chichagov, "Archive of Admiral P.V. Chichagov", issue I, St. Petersburg, 1885; "Collection of Russian Historical Society," vol. XXIII, p. 495; "Russian Antiquity", 1873, no. 8; "Historical Bulletin", 1899, vol. LXXVI, p. 782, vol. LXXIII, p. 436; - “Encyclopedic Dictionary” by Efron, vol. LXXVI.; "Encyclopedia of Military and Naval Sciences", vol. VIII; "Dictionary" by Starchevsky, vol. XII; "SPb. Bulletin", 1805, part VI, p. 119; "Son of the Fatherland", 1849, No. 5, "Russian History", pp. 16-18; "Readings in General History and Ancient Russia.", 1862, vol. I, 174-177.

B. Savinkov.

(Polovtsov)

Chichagov, Vasily Yakovlevich

(1726-1809) - admiral. After completing his studies in England, Ch. entered the naval service in 1742; Appointed in 1764 as assistant to the chief commander of the Arkhangelsk port, he twice (1765 and 1766) traveled with three ships from Kola on a “secret expedition” to find a “sea passage through the Northern Ocean to Kamchatka,” but because of the ice he could only reach 80° 21" north latitude. Subsequently, he was the chief commander of the ports of Arkhangelsk, Revel and Kronstadt. After the death of Admiral Greig, Catherine II entrusted Ch. with the main command of the fleet in the war with the Swedes (1789-1790), and he won three brilliant victories over a stronger enemy The fleet - near the island of Öland, on the Revel roadstead and near Vyborg - captured many ships, frigates and other vessels, more than 5,000 soldiers and up to 200 officers, led by a rear admiral.This forced Gustav III to make peace as quickly as possible.

V. P-v.

(Brockhaus)

Chichagov, Vasily Yakovlevich

(Polovtsov)

Chichagov, Vasily Yakovlevich

(February 28, 1726 - October 9, 1809) - Russian. polar navigator, admiral. In 1764 he was appointed head of an expedition with a secret mission to pass through the North. Arctic approx. to the shores of the North. America, then on 3. and through the Bering Strait. to Kamchatka. In 1765 he reached 80°26"N latitude north-west of Spitsbergen and, encountering heavy ice, returned to Arkhangelsk; the second attempt in 1766 was also unsuccessful, during which he reached 80°30"N. w. During the Russian-Swedish the war of 1788-90 was commanded by a Russian. fleet and distinguished himself in the Battle of Eland (1789) and the Battle of Revel (1790).

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Vasily Yakovlevich Chichagov Vasily Yakovlevich Chichagov (February 28 (March 11), 1726 April 4 (16), 1809, St. Petersburg) Russian navigator, admiral (from 1782). Studied at the school of navigational sciences. He improved in England. In the navy since 1742. 26... ... Wikipedia

Chichagov (Vasily Yakovlevich, 1726 1801) admiral. After completing his studies in England, Chichagov entered the naval service in 1742; Appointed in 1764 as assistant to the chief commander of the Arkhangelsk port, he traveled twice (1765 and 1766) with three ships... Biographical Dictionary

- (1726 1809) Russian naval commander and navigator, admiral (1782). In 1764 66 the head of the expedition to find a sea route from Arkhangelsk through the North. The Arctic Ocean to the shores of the North. America and Kamchatka. During the Russian-Swedish War 1788 90... ... Big Encyclopedic Dictionary

Russian navigator, admiral (1782). He studied at the school of navigational sciences and continued his education in England. In the navy since 1742. In 1764 he was appointed head of an expedition to find a sea route from... ... Great Soviet Encyclopedia

Chichagov, Vasily Yakovlevich- CHICHAGOV Vasily Yakovlevich (1726 1809), Russian military leader and navigator, admiral (1782). In 1764 66 he headed an expedition to find a sea route from Arkhangelsk across the Arctic Ocean to the shores of North America and Kamchatka. IN… … Illustrated Encyclopedic Dictionary

Wikipedia has articles about other people with this surname, see Chichagov. Vasily Yakovlevich Chichagov ... Wikipedia

- (1726 1809), naval commander and navigator, admiral (1782). In 1764 66 he was the head of a Russian expedition to find a sea route from Arkhangelsk across the Arctic Ocean to the shores of North America and Kamchatka. During the Russian-Swedish War 1788 90... ... encyclopedic Dictionary

The Russian fleet is significant. The period of service of this admiral and explorer occurred in the 18th century - stormy and significant. This time was rich in events and the personalities who created these events.

Admiral Vasily Yakovlevich Chichagov

Like the bulk of battleships at the Highest Review, the heroes of Russian history rise - their ranks are closed, the separating intervals are small. Vasily Chichagov occupies an honorable and, moreover, not entirely noticeable place in this glorious and dense formation. Not everyone will see his pennant behind the forest of masts, not everyone will remember his name, rank and merits. Nevertheless, this man, whose career did not develop at all in the coastal position of some ruler of inkwells or provisions stores, deserves to be remembered.

Vasily Yakovlevich Chichagov was born into a noble family of no particular wealth near Kostroma on February 28 (or March 11 according to the new style) 1726. It is not possible to determine the antiquity of this surname and the circumstances of its granting the title of nobility, since all the relevant documentation burned in the flames of the Moscow fire in 1812. It is only known that a certain Artemy Chichagov was in public service and died in 1673, leaving three sons. Vasily Chichagov was this ancestor’s great-great-grandson.

In those distant times, people grew up quickly, and soon the question of the future life path of the young offspring was put on the agenda. It was a long way from the leisurely and tranquil landowner life of a 19th-century master - service for nobles in the 18th century was mandatory. Like the vast majority of representatives of his class, Vasily Chichagov had two options: to be enrolled in the guard or to enroll in some educational institution in the capital.

Staying in the capital was considered too burdensome for a poor family, and the boy was sent to study at the Navigation School located in Moscow. Created by Peter I, the school by the period described had lost its monopoly on training personnel for the navy, since the Maritime Academy was fully functioning in St. Petersburg. Nevertheless, the Navigation School was a convenient place to accommodate the children of poor, small-scale nobles. The most diligent students who had not lost their desire for education had a chance to continue their studies at the Maritime Academy.

Vasily Chichagov showed himself to be a diligent and, most importantly, capable student, for which he was sent to the capital to continue his studies. The young man began his naval career in the spring of 1742, at the height of the Russian-Swedish war. On April 10 (21 New Style) Vasily Chichagov was assigned to the fleet as a midshipman. At that time, midshipmen signed for ships - after completing navigation, the young people returned to Kronstadt for theoretical studies. In 1744, Chichagov was listed in the coastal crew. In March 1745, he was promoted to midshipman for diligent service. In November 1751 he became the ship's secretary, and in March 1754 he received the rank of lieutenant.

Vasily Chichagov met the beginning of one of the largest conflicts of the mid-18th century - the Seven Years' War - while already serving on the frigate "Archangel Michael". In the spring of 1757, the frigate not only cruised off the coast of Prussia, but was also used as a messenger ship to communicate with Denmark and Sweden. The important issue of Stockholm's entry into the war against Prussia and England was being decided, and it was necessary to clearly know the position of Copenhagen, in whose hands were the straits leading to the Baltic - the threat of the passage of the British fleet through them was considered.

Kotzebue Alexander Evstafievich. "The Capture of the Kolberg Fortress", 1852

In March 1758, Chichagov received another rank - lieutenant commander. In 1761, he took an active part in the operation of the Russian-Swedish fleet during the third siege of the Kolberg fortress, earning the praise of Vice Admiral Andrei Ivanovich Polyansky. In April 1762, Chichagov became captain of the 2nd rank. In the same year, he commanded the battleship “St. Catherine” during its escort from St. Petersburg to Kronstadt.

After the short reign of Peter III, which was marked by a peace treaty with the recent enemy - Prussia and the conclusion of an allied agreement with King Frederick II, Catherine II ascended the throne with the active help of guards bayonets. Many officers pinned their career hopes and dreams on the new reign that had begun so suddenly, but Chichagov was unlucky. Due to the slander of ill-wishers, who are always and everywhere driven into a frenzy by capable and active natures, he fell into disgrace. Instead of the bridge of a battleship, Chichagov was entrusted with the mission of inspecting timber warehouses located in Kazan.

With the assignment entrusted to him, the captain of the 2nd rank coped with his inherent responsibility, and the clouds that had gathered over his head began to gradually dissipate. At the end of April 1764, Chichagov received the rank of captain of the 1st rank, and at the beginning of May the Admiralty Board appointed him commander of the battleship Revel.

However, on June 1 of the same year, Chichagov’s career took an unexpected and not the last turn in his life. The newly appointed captain of the 1st rank was sent as an assistant to the acting chief commander of the Arkhangelsk port, Captain-Commander P. A. Chaplin. The previous person who held this position, Rear Admiral A. M. Davydov, died shortly before. In the near future, this appointment led to Chichagov’s participation in a large-scale enterprise, the details of which were not subject to excessive publicity.

Lomonosov's plan

Mikhail Vasilievich Lomonosov. Lifetime image, 1757 (E. Fessard and K. A. Wortman. Paper, burin engraving)

In 1763, the outstanding Russian scientist Mikhail Vasilyevich Lomonosov completed his treatise “A Brief Description of Various Travels in the Northern Seas and an Indication of the Possible Passage of the Siberian Ocean to Eastern India.” Due to its importance for the state, Lomonosov considered this work secret and intended for the top officials of the empire. Soon the scientist managed to get an audience with Catherine II. On it, Lomonosov, in addition to such pleasant and memorable nuances as presenting Her Majesty with a mosaic portrait and the newly published work “Metallurgy,” introduced the Empress to “A Brief Description of Various Travels.” Possessing an extraordinary mind, Catherine quickly appreciated the essence of the idea proposed by Lomonosov: to find a way through the polar waters to the Pacific Ocean with the subsequent organization of trade with eastern countries. Soon after the said highest audience, Lomonosov was awarded the rank of state councilor with an impressive salary of 1875 rubles a year at that time. One must think that the rank and salary were granted to Mikhail Vasilyevich not only for the mosaic portrait of the Empress, executed with soul.

Catherine’s acquaintance with the work of the Russian scientist ultimately became one of the main impulses that launched the process that led to the organization of a secret polar expedition. It had to prove in practice the possibility of sea communication with the Pacific Ocean. It should be noted that the very concept of reaching India and China by traveling through the northern, circumpolar waters was not new. It originated at the very dawn of the Age of Discovery, along with the assumption of the existence of the Northwest Passage. In the middle of the 16th century, an English expedition under the leadership tried to find the way to the east through the Arctic. Later, the Dutchman Willem Barents set himself the same task.

However, the harsh Arctic reliably protected its possessions from uninvited guests, and buried many of them in its possessions forever. In 1603, Henry Hudson was able to reach the coordinate 80 ° 23 "off the western coast of the island of Spitsbergen, but, faced with impassable ice, was forced to turn back. This record of advancing north remained unbroken for almost a century and a half, and the question of the possibility of sailing to the East through the northern water, installed in the time of Giovanni Caboto, remained open.

For a long time, this harsh region was known to the Russian Pomors - they repeatedly made trips to the island of Spitsbergen, which was called Grumant, and went to the shores of Novaya Zemlya, which greeted the Barents so inhospitably. And it is quite possible that in several stages they reached the shores of Alaska long before the expedition of Bering and Chirikov. Lomonosov, who himself came from Pomors, knew the peculiarities of the north not only from books. Based on his scientific experience and the revised experience of the Pomors, the Russian scientist suggested that there was no land around the pole, and in the summer months a large area of ​​ice-free water formed there, using which it was possible to make an unhindered transition through the pole to the Pacific Ocean.

The temptation to trade with the rich countries of the East, bypassing the very long and difficult route across the Atlantic and the Indian or Pacific Ocean, was too great. In addition, in St. Petersburg they were already aware of the Aleutian Islands, abundant in fur and sea animals, and other so far no-man’s territories on the eastern coast of North America, where the vector of trade and territorial expansion could be directed.

By the way, Mikhail Vasilyevich had been working on his concept for a long time: back in 1755, a detailed work on the possibility of sailing to the East Indies using the “Siberian Ocean” came out of his pen. Among some officials of the Admiralty, such ideas caused some, and not unfounded, skepticism, but the attention with which the young empress treated the scientist’s report inspired those who were more optimistic. Among the latter was none other than a member of the Admiralty Board, Lieutenant General, Count Ivan Grigorievich Chernyshev, who later became, with full approval from above, the main locomotive for promoting the project of the future expedition.

Under the leadership of Chernyshev and the outstanding Russian scientist and cartographer Vice Admiral Alexei Ivanovich Nagaev, an expedition plan was drawn up. The preparation of the plan was greatly facilitated by the detailed and voluminous recommendations of Lomonosov himself. He proposed sending small, durable ships with reinforced hulls and provisions for a long time. The personnel were supposed to be composed of experienced, knowledgeable officers and lower ranks who were familiar with the north first-hand and preferably had experience sailing in northern waters. The scientist emphasized the need to include Pomors in the upcoming expedition, who could provide invaluable assistance with their experience and knowledge.

The expedition itself was to consist of two detachments. The first detachment was supposed to leave Arkhangelsk and, moving north, pass between Spitsbergen and Greenland and reach the polar latitudes, where, according to Lomonosov’s calculations, there should be ice-free waters. Then it was supposed to reach the Bering Strait without hindrance. It was planned to send a similar one from Okhotsk to meet the Arkhangelsk detachment. He was supposed to move north along the Far Eastern coasts, while simultaneously exploring and securing new territories for Russia. The proposed meeting was to take place in the Bering Strait area. Special identification signals were developed.

Polar explorer

The enterprise began to gain momentum. Already on May 4, 1764, Catherine II sent the Admiralty Board instructions to begin recruiting personnel, and on May 17, the commander of the Arkhangelsk port received an order to prepare suitable ships. On the island of Spitsbergen it was planned to equip an intermediate base - there it was necessary to prepare provisions in the required quantity and build dwellings for possible wintering. The enthusiasm of the authorities was so persistent and impatient that, getting excited, they wanted to send an expedition already in the current year, 1764.

However, as often happens when desire significantly outstrips possibilities, circumstances turned out differently. The available ships were not suitable for long navigation in the ice; provisions were not prepared in the required quantities, much less transported to Spitsbergen. It was decided to build expedition ships in Arkhangelsk according to a special project, to prepare provisions in sufficient quantities, avoiding theft, which is common in such cases in the absence of quality.

The construction and equipment of the expedition ships was to be supervised by the captain of the Arkhangelsk port, captain-commander Pyotr Avraamovich Chaplin, who had valuable experience in preparing for and participating in the 1st Kamchatka expedition of 1727–1729. The shipbuilding work was supervised by the English shipwright James Lamb, who was specially hired and sent to Arkhangelsk.

On June 25, 1764, the Admiralty Board approved Captain 1st Rank Vasily Yakovlevich Chichagov as the head of the expedition and commander of the flagship. The two smaller ships were to be commanded by Lieutenant Commanders Vasily Babaev and Nikifor Panov. Three lieutenants were appointed to help them: P. Poyarkov, P. Bornovolokov and F. Ozerov. By a special decree of the empress, the personnel of the expedition received double pay during its implementation. On July 1, 1764, Vasily Yakovlevich Chichagov became captain of the rank of brigadier, and captain-lieutenant Nikifor Panov became captain of the 2nd rank.

At the beginning of July, the command staff, along with part of the crews, left for Arkhangelsk. There, the construction of three ships was already in full swing, which, without further ado, were named after their commanders. The flagship "Chichagov" had 16 guns and 74 crew members. The crews of the 10-gun "Babaev" and "Panov" consisted of 48 people. The sides of the ships were reinforced with additional plating, and the supply of provisions was designed for six months.

Pomeranian Koch. Artist Konstantin Cherepanov

While the listed ships were hastily equipped, a flotilla under the command of Lieutenant Mikhail Nemtinov, consisting of the Elephant transport and five hired Pomor ships, left Arkhangelsk. They brought provisions, dismantled huts, a bathhouse, timber and other materials to Spitsbergen. At the beginning of August, this flotilla reached Klokbay Bay, or Bell Bay, where it carried out the planned unloading. Leaving a support group of 17 people on the shore to arrange the winter quarters, the flotilla returned to Arkhangelsk.

On September 1, 1764, the ships of the expedition under the command of Captain 1st Rank Vasily Yakovlevich Chichagov left Arkhangelsk and wintered in the Ship Harbor on the Kola Peninsula, renamed by Chichagov to Ekaterininskaya. The total number of participants in the voyage was 178 people, including almost 30 experienced Pomor industrialists.

Wintering in this long-known and convenient place was successful, and on May 9 of the following year, 1765, the expedition left Catherine Harbor and headed north. She was met with unfavorable weather with cold winds. On May 16, Bear Island remained astern, behind which the ships saw the first floating ice. As we moved towards Spitsbergen, the amount of ice increased, and fogs were frequent.

On the way they met a single fishing ship from Hamburg. Its captain, who turned out to be Dutch, visited the Chichagov and had a long conversation with the head of the expedition and his officers. The captain complained that the ice conditions this year are very difficult, so his fishing leaves much to be desired. His ship, despite its well-fortified hull, was damaged by ice and is now being returned for repairs.

On June 16, Chichagov and his subordinates finally reached Klokbay Bay, where the sailors abandoned last year were eagerly awaiting them. It turned out that they were all present, although they suffered from illnesses in the winter. Having anchored, they began loading provisions and putting the ships in order. On June 26, a lot of ice rushed into the bay and began to hit the sides. By order of Chichagov, the crews cut out dock channels in the standing ice around their ships to protect them from the elements.

On July 3, when large areas of ice-free water appeared, the ships left Klokbay Bay and, according to the instructions received, moved west, gradually deviating to the north. At first, Chichagov and his people saw only free water around them, but on July 9, ice again appeared in abundance around the ships. As we advanced, it became more and more numerous, and there were no signs of an ice-free circumpolar sea. The situation worsened, the ships desperately maneuvered among the ice, often changing course.

On July 23, 1765, the expedition of Vasily Yakovlevich Chichagov reached the coordinate of 80 degrees 26 minutes north latitude, thereby improving the result of Henry Hudson, which had remained unchanged for almost a century and a half. However, ahead of the Russian ships there were only continuous ice fields.

On July 29, Chichagov assembled an officer council, at which it was decided to return to Arkhangelsk due to the impossibility of moving forward. On August 20, 1765, three expedition ships returned to Arkhangelsk. The first attempt to break through to the Pacific Ocean through northern waters was unsuccessful, but Vasily Yakovlevich Chichagov was determined to repeat his attempt the following year, 1765.

To be continued…

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Admiral, known for his participation in the Swedish War of 1789-1790. Originally from the nobility of the Kostroma province, Ch. was born on February 28, 1726 and received his secondary education at the Naval School (school of navigational sciences), established by Peter the Great in Moscow, after completing the course in which he left for England in order to expand his knowledge. On April 10, 1742, he was enlisted in the naval service as a midshipman, and in 1744 he was assigned to the Revel coastal command, a year later he was promoted to midshipman, and in 1751 he was appointed naval secretary.

Three years later he received the rank of lieutenant, and in 1757 he made his first voyage on the frigate "St. Michael", sent "by secret commission" to the Sound. From Revel to Kronstadt he returned as the commander of the named ship. In 1758, he received the rank of captain-lieutenant, 4 years later - captain of the 2nd rank, in the same 1762 he served on the passage of the ship "St. Catherine" from St. Petersburg to Kronstadt. In 1763 we find him in Kazan, where he was sent to inspect the timber harvested at the pier, and the next year he, already with the rank of captain of the 1st rank, commanded the ship "Revel". 1764-1765 promoted Ch. from among his peers.

On the initiative of Lomonosov, by decree of May 14, 1764, a “secret” expedition to the Arctic Ocean was equipped, “even from the Senate,” with the goal of exploring the route through the Polar Sea to Kamchatka.

In the summer and autumn, preparations were made, and in 1765 Ch., appointed head of the expedition, which consisted of three ships, set out to sea from Kola, where he arrived in September 1764. The voyage was unsuccessful.

The expedition was immediately delayed by ice and was forced to enter Klokbayk Bay on the island of Spitsbergen and remain there for some time. Having gone to sea in early July, Ch. headed west, but the solid ice encountered by the expedition forced him to turn north. On July 23rd it reached 80°26"" N. sh., but did not go further, since the approach of autumn and floating ice began to inspire fear for the successful outcome of the expedition.

After consulting with the captains of the ships, Ch. turned to Arkhangelsk, where he arrived on August 20th.

In St. Petersburg they were dissatisfied with the result of the expedition and accused its leader of turning to the north, whereas, according to the exact meaning of the instructions he received, he should have kept to the west, to the shores of Greenland. “The most important thing seems to be that the sailors, it seems, thought of a return route early, without waiting for real need or danger to force them to do so.” The following year, Ch., commanding the same three ships, again went to sea with the same goal - to find a sea route through the Arctic Ocean to Kamchatka.

This time the expedition was also not successful.

Having reached 80°30"" s. sh., Ch. returned back, since there was no way to break through the ice encountered. Despite the failure, he was awarded half his pension salary for sailing twice into the Northern Ocean.

In 1767, Ch. returned by land from Arkhangelsk to St. Petersburg and was immediately appointed commander of the St. Petersburg ship crew.

In 1768, he took the position of chief commander of the Arkhangelsk port, in which he remained until 1770, when, having received the rank of rear admiral, he was summoned to St. Petersburg.

In the same year, he, commanding a squadron, sailed to the island of Gotland and, upon his return, was appointed chief commander of the Revel port, but in 1771 he again went to the Baltic Sea, having a flag on the ship "Count Orlov" and commanding the squadron, and in 1772, commanding three ships, sailed in the Mediterranean Sea. In October he returned by land to St. Petersburg and was awarded the Order of St. Anna and took up his duties as the head of the Revel port. The following year, he was appointed chief commander of the Kronstadt port and, commanding the Kronstadt squadron, cruised to the island of Gotland, having a flag on the ship "St. Andrew". In the same 1773, Ch. was sent to the Don expedition and, under the command of Admiral Senyavin, defended the Kerch Strait from the Turkish fleet, and did not allow it to enter the Sea of ​​​​Azov. Awarded the Order of St. George 4th degree, Ch. On June 10, 1775, on the day of the celebration of the Kuchuk-Kainardzhi Peace, he was promoted to vice admiral and appointed a member of the Admiralty Board.

In 1771 he was given an annual leave, and in 1776 he commanded a practical squadron at Krasnaya Gorka: in 1782 he received the rank of admiral and the Order of St. Alexander Nevsky; in the same year he sailed at the head of a squadron in the Mediterranean Sea; in 1788 he again served as the chief commander of the Revel port. Appointed commander of the Baltic Fleet and commanding a squadron of 20 ships, Ch. On July 15, 1789, he met off the island of Öland with a Swedish flotilla, which included up to 22 ships, and, after a seven-hour battle, forced the Swedes to retreat to Karlskrona, and he himself went to the Gulf of Finland. On August 6 of the same year, Catherine II, dissatisfied with the actions of the Baltic Fleet, wrote to the Council: “From the reports received from Admiral Ch., it is clear that the Swedes attacked him, and not he them, that he had a shootout with them, that in it he lost the captain of the brigade rank and several hundred other warriors without any benefit to the Empire, who finally returned to the local waters, as if to cover the Gulf of Finland.

I demand that Admiral Ch.’s behavior in the Council be compared with the instructions given to him...” The Council, after considering Ch.’s mode of action, found that “this admiral completely satisfied the instructions given to him, except for one point - his return to the Gulf of Finland , which he did not need." This was the end of the matter, and on May 2, 1790, the famous Battle of Revel took place.

The Swedish fleet, consisting of 26 battleships and various other vessels, attacked the Russian squadron, which was under the command of Ch. in the Revel roadstead; There were only 10 ships in this squadron.

After a stubborn battle that lasted 2? hours, the Swedes were defeated, and the Russians captured the 64-gun ship "Prince Charles" and 300 people; another similar ship was burned.

They say, by the way, that when Catherine II sent Ch. to Revel, entrusting him with command of the squadron, then, having weighed the forces of the Russians and Swedes, she expressed concern about the outcome of the battle that was about to take place.

To this Ch. calmly replied: “Well, what?.. They won’t swallow it!..” The Empress liked this answer so much that she instructed Derzhavin to compose an inscription for the bust of the admiral, which would certainly include his expression.

Derzhavin and the Empress's secretary composed several more or less successful quatrains.

Not content with this, Catherine II herself composed the following inscription: “The Swedes came at him with triple force. Having learned, he said: God is my protector! They will not swallow us! Having repelled, captured and received victory.” For the Battle of Reval, Ch. was awarded the Order of St. Andrew the First-Called and the grant of 1388 souls of peasants into hereditary possession.

After joining the Revel squadron with the Kronstadt squadron, Ch. blocked the Swedish fleet in Vyborg Bay and, when the latter tried to break through, inflicted a decisive defeat on it, for which he received the Order of St. George 1st class, a sword with diamonds, a silver service and 2417 souls of peasants for hereditary possession.

In addition, Catherine II granted him a noble coat of arms with a handwritten rescript.

With the accession of Pavel Petrovich, Ch. in 1797, at the request, was dismissed from service and in recent years lived in St. Petersburg, where he died on April 4, 1809. Ch. was buried in the Alexander Nevsky Lavra. In conclusion, to characterize Ch. as a person, we present Catherine II’s review of him, taken from the Empress’s letter to Grimm dated September 14, 1790: “I cannot see Ch. without remembering the words of Prince de Ligne about Field Marshal Loudon , when someone asked about him how he could be recognized: “Go,” he said, “you will find him outside the door, embarrassed by his dignity and his talents.” This is the exact image of my admiral.” For more details about Ch., see: “General Marine List”, St. Petersburg, 1885, vol. II; "Portrait Gallery of Russian Figures", St. Petersburg, ed. Munster, 1865, article by Khmyrov; - A. S. Shishkov, “Military actions of the Russian fleet against the Swedish in 1788, 89 and 90,” ed. 1826; "Kronstadt Bulletin", 1876, No. 82; “Russian expeditions to describe the northern shores of Siberia,” etc.; "The War of Russia with Sweden 1789-90", op. Brickner, in the "Journal of the Ministry of Public Education", 1869, Nos. 2, 3, 4, 6; "Sea Collection", 1857, No. 9, 1859, No. 10, 1871, No. 8; "Lomonosov's Project and Chichagov's Expedition", ed. Hydrograph. department, 1854; "Readings in the Imperial Society of History and Antiquities of Russia", 1862, No. 1; I. Chistovich, "Historical note on the council during the reign of Emperor Catherine II", St. Petersburg, 1870; Leonid Chichagov, "Archive of Admiral P.V. Chichagov", issue I, St. Petersburg, 1885; "Collection of Russian Historical Society," vol. XXIII, p. 495; "Russian Antiquity", 1873, No. 8; "Historical Bulletin", 1899, vol. LXXVI, p. 782, vol. LXXIII, p. 436; - “Encyclopedic Dictionary” by Efron, vol. LXXVI.; "Encyclopedia of Military and Naval Sciences", vol. VIII; "Dictionary" by Starchevsky, vol. XII; "SPb. Bulletin", 1805, part VI, p. 119; "Son of the Fatherland", 1849, No. 5, "Russian History", pp. 16-18; "Readings in General History and Ancient Russia.", 1862, vol. I, 174-177. B. Savinkov. (Polovtsov) Chichagov, Vasily Yakovlevich (1726-1809) - admiral.

After completing his studies in England, Ch. entered the naval service in 1742; Appointed in 1764 as assistant to the chief commander of the Arkhangelsk port, he twice (1765 and 1766) traveled with three ships from Kola on a “secret expedition” to find a “sea passage through the Northern Ocean to Kamchatka,” but because of the ice he could only reach 80° 21"" north latitude.

Subsequently, he was the chief commander of the ports of Arkhangelsk, Revel and Kronstadt.

After the death of Admiral Greig, Catherine II entrusted Ch. with the main command over the fleet in the war with the Swedes (1789-1790), and he won three brilliant victories over a stronger enemy fleet - near the island of Öland, on the Revel roadstead and near Vyborg - took captured many ships, frigates and other vessels, more than 5,000 soldiers and up to 200 officers, led by a rear admiral. This forced Gustav III to quickly conclude peace. V. P-v. (Brockhaus) Chichagov, Vasily Yakovlevich admiral, hero of the Swedish war at Ekat. II; R. February 28, 1726, † April 4, 1809 (Polovtsov) Chichagov, Vasily Yakovlevich (Feb. 28, 1726 - Oct. 9, 1809) - Russian. polar navigator, admiral.

In 1764 he was appointed head of an expedition with a secret mission to pass through the North. Arctic approx. to the shores of the North. America, then on 3. and through the Bering Strait. to Kamchatka.

In 1765 it reached 80°26"" N. w. to the north-west from Spitsbergen and, having encountered heavy ice, returned to Arkhangelsk; The second attempt in 1766 was also unsuccessful, during which he reached 80 ° 30 "" N. w. During the Russian-Swedish the war of 1788-90 was commanded by a Russian. fleet and distinguished himself in the Battle of Eland (1789) and the Battle of Revel (1790).