Great Russian Seafarers

Russian seafarers made a worthy contribution to expanding knowledge about our planet. Their achievements include discovering Antarctica, the northwestern coasts of North America, the strait separating America and Eurasia, studying the Commander Islands, Aleutian Islands, Kuril Islands, Novaya Zemlya, and the coast of the Arctic Ocean, as well as describing the Marquesas, Mariana, and Hawaiian islands. These voyages involved the best naval officers, gaining invaluable experience in navigation across the open ocean. On ships participating in circumnavigations, corporal punishment was usually not practiced, but exemplary discipline was maintained.

Long-distance maritime expeditions also had a huge impact on the development of the Russian navy. In the book “Great Russian Seafarers,” readers will find everything that past circumnavigations were rich in—storms and hurricanes, uninhabited islands and cannibal tribes, shipwrecks, mysterious incidents, and astonishing discoveries. Numerous illustrations created by artists during the expeditions will help the reader become a direct participant in these journeys.

The text’s author is journalist Dmitry Ivanov, who has spent many years studying the history of geographical discoveries. Among his publications on this topic are articles in the magazine “Vokrug Sveta,” the books “Great Geographical Discoveries. Large Illustrated Atlas,” and “Arctic. The History of the Exploration of the Far North. Large Illustrated Atlas.”