Three Accounts of the Vasil'ev-Shismarev Expedition of 1819-1822

OverviewStatisticsSubjectsWorks List

Pages That Mention Asia

The Chronological History of all the Voyages to the Arctic

mss142-vasilevShishmarev-i2-009
Incomplete

mss142-vasilevShishmarev-i2-009

- 42 -

could not keep up with the sloops, Cap. Vasilev took it in tow, and continued on the way to the Aleutian chain. Upon approaching Unalashka, Cap. Vasilev entered the harbor in order to repair some damages.

Here Cap. Vasilev formed a new plan for the impending voyage in arctic waters. He instructed Cap. Lieut. Shishmarev, upon putting to sea, to proceed toward the northeastern shores of Asia and to look for a passage into the northern sea. In case of failure in that, he was instructed to survey the shore of Chukotski land [ Chukchi Peninsula]. Cap Vasilev kept the boat for himself and intended to survey the shore of America between Bristol Bay and Norton Sound with it. After that, he planned to go to the Arctic Sea along the northwest coast of America and look for a passage into the Atlantic Ocean.

Vasilev's Voyage, 1821

On June 27th, Cap. Vasilev put to sea. The sloop Good Intent made its way to the shores of Asia, and the Discovery and the boat sailed towards [St.] Paul and [St.] George islands, and again verifying their geographic position sailed toward Cape Newenham, casing anchor on the southern side.

Here Cap. Vasilev appointed Lieut. Avinov commander of the boat, and giving him in assistance Midshipman Hall, son of the Honorable Vice-Admiral Roman Romanovich Hall, who had sailed those seas under the command of Cap. Billings in 1790 and 1791. Cap. Vasilev instructed Lieut. Avinov to survey

This page is incompleteEdit this page
Last edit about 2 months ago by Vibha Vasanth
mss142-vasilevShishmarev-i2-012
Incomplete

mss142-vasilevShishmarev-i2-012

- 45 -

strong that they broke three-inch thick planks.

On August 9th, Captain Vasilev sighted Cape Lisburne and the coast of Asia. On this date he says, "We came out of the Arctic Sea."

On August 13th, Captian Vasilev arrived at Cape Darby, and learning that Lieut. Avinov had not been there, went toward Stuart Island. Casting anchor there he sent Lieut. Boil ashore in an armed longboat. This officer, returning on the 16th, reported, "The inhabitants who had come to this island from Cape Stephens stated that they had never seen foreigners, and that no vessel had ever visited them. To the south of Cape Stephens," they continued, "flows into the sea a large river, Kuiukht-pak [Yukon], from which shoals extend far out."

"Not finding the boat," says Cap. Vasilev, "we weighed anchor, and taking a course W went to a depth of seven and eight sazhens. Having rounded the shoals we bore up to the eastern side of St. Lawrence Island, passed on the north side of [St.] Matthew Island and among the Commander, Bering, and Attu islands. On September 8 we arrived at the port of Petropavlovsk, where we found the sailing boat.

Avinov's Voyage, 1821

Lieutenant Avinov reported to Cap. Vas. that on July 6th he sailed from Bristol Bay toward Cape Newenham. A strong wind and heavy seas forced him to head for Hagenmeister [Hagemeister] Bay. Coming out of it on the 19th he surveyed the shore to Cape Newenham, and from it, northward. On the

This page is incompleteEdit this page
Last edit about 2 months ago by Vibha Vasanth
mss142-vasilevShishmarev-i2-015
Incomplete

mss142-vasilevShishmarev-i2-015

- 48 -

near the Asiatic shores, and everywhere met ice, and for the most part, bad weather. On that day he dropped anchor near the American shore at latitude 67° 34' in order to take on a supply of wood and water. This coast was low and covered with grass, and not far away, a lake was visible. One could see a great deal of driftwood, and some trees lay in places rising 40 feet above sea level at a considerable distance from the sea. Here they gathered wild onions, dock, wormwood, and they saw many different varieties of flowers and grasses. Besides the birds inhabiting the polar regions, they noticed gray snipes here. The ocean current proved to be 20 miles southward in 24 hours.

On July 22, Cap. Lieut. Shishmarev again got under sail and sailed toward the coast of Asia where the ice surrounding the sloop did not permit him to come near it. Cap. Lieut. Shishmarev says, "Turning in all directions we could not find free passage any place and were liberated [from the ice] only by making our way through solid ice and receiving three blows from large ice floes, without any damage, however, to the sloop."

After this unsuccessful trip, Mr. Shishmarev directed his way to the north and reached latitude 70° 11' where he saw very high solid ice and encountered fresh north winds. On August 1, Mr. Shishmarev was at latitude 70° 13' where he again encountered ice and rather thick snow that covered all the sails, rigging, and deck. On the 4th, we saw Cape Serdtse Kamen. Mr. Shishmarev says, "The shore from this cape has

This page is incompleteEdit this page
Last edit about 2 months ago by Vibha Vasanth

Journey of the sloop Good Intent to explore the Asiatic and American shores of Bering Strait, 1819 to 1822. Part one

mss142-vasilevShishmarev-i3-002
Page Status Needs Review

mss142-vasilevShishmarev-i3-002

– 52 –

where there would be no hope of obtaining such things, we sailed from Port Jackson [Sydney, Australia] , a charming and unique land that has nothing in common with other parts of the world either in the animal or the plant kingdom.

Upon leaving this port, our commander, Captain-Lieutentant Shishmarev, announced instructions received from the commander of the sloop "Discovery" and of the whole expedition, Captain-Lieutenant Vasilev, to sail separately to New California to stock up on wheat needed for biscuits, of which there was a shortage, because the greater part of them taken ______ Admiral and General-Commissioner of the Fleet), Mikhail Nikolaevich Vasilev, and had the purpose of exploring the shores of America northward as far as possible beginning with the Alaska Peninsula, and the shores of Asia only from East Cape. The expedition reached the latitudes practicable in the two summers in the Arctic Ocean, overcoming almost insurmountable obstacles, and resolving the question concerning the feasibility of penetrating from this side [Asia?] as far north as the point reached by its vessels.

The author, Mr. Hillsen, chose as the beginning of his narrative the time of sailing from Port Jackson because places hitherto visited by him such as Brazil, Cape of Good Hope, and New South Wales are already well known.

Last edit about 2 months ago by EileenG
mss142-vasilevShishmarev-i3-048
Page Status Needs Review

mss142-vasilevShishmarev-i3-048

– 98 –

started to increase and we had to delay our intention to continue surveying the next day and moved away from shore. Coming to an open place, we sailed close–hauled and stood under least sail. During the night, the wind increased to such an extent that we were forced to reef all topsails. It continued until the evening of the 3rd, then slackened, but the fog and gloomy weather started again, so that we could not continue our survey. Therefore, following the moves of the "Discovery," we bore away to Cape Oriental, or East Cape, of Asia. We did not sail long with a favorable wind. It shifted to the SW and almost turned into a storm, delaying us, and we reached the mentioned cape only on the ninth. It appeared to us at dawn of that day in all the majesty of its wild nature. High rocks rise vertically, and the ocean waves breaking against them produced a thundering noise heard 20 or more miles on the wind. Here and there in the [valleys] and on the slopes we noticed the summer yurts of the coastal Chukchi, settled there to catch sea birds nesting in the rocky gorges, seals, and fish.

We rounded East Cape the same day and took a course to St. Lawrence Bay, lying almost on the same parallel of the island by the same name. The intention of our captains was to enter it to buy deer from the Chukchi to supply the crew with fresh food, necessary to prevent scurvy, especially as going from here to Unalashka or to Sitka we probably could not obtain anything of this kind, and would have to wait until our arrival in California where we intended to go from [Sitka] .

Last edit about 2 months ago by EileenG
Displaying pages 1 - 5 of 6 in total