This Week in Alaskan History: On July 15, 1741 Dutch explorer Vitus Bering and Russian explorer Aleksei Chirikov were the first Europeans to view Alaska. The Bering Sea, Bering Straight, Bering Glacier, Bering Island, and Bering Land Bridge are all named after Bering.
Vitus Bering
Bering, a Russian explorer of Danish descent, was the captain-commander of two expeditions that explored the positions of the coasts of Siberia and North America.
Vitus Bering’s First Expedition
Bering’s first expedition left the Kamchatka coast of Russia in 1728. The expedition sailed northward into the Arctic Ocean and eventually discovered St. Lawrence Island and the Diomede Islands. Bering didn’t sight the coast of North America during this expedition. However, he was convinced that Asia and North America were not joined by land. When Bering returned to St. Petersburg from his expedition, his critics found the results of his expedition inconclusive. A second expedition was ordered.
Vitus Bering’s Second Expedition
On the second expedition Bering commanded the St. Peter while his second officer, Alexei Chirikov, commanded the St. Paul. The two ships left the Kamchatka coast together in 1741. However, the ships lost sight of each other in the Pacific Ocean. Chirikov’s ship sighted the coast of southeast Alaska while Bering’s ship sighted Mt. St. Elias several days afterwards.
On the return voyage the two ships separately sighted and explored some of the Aleutian Islands. Chirikov’s ship successfully returned. Unfortunately, Bering’s ship wrecked on what is now known as Bering Island. Bering and nineteen of his men died. However, the survivors of the wreck built a small boat out of the wreckage and sailed for Kamchatka in 1742.
The Consequences of Vitus Bering’s Expeditions
Because valuable sea otter and other pelts were brought back from the North American islands during Bering’s second expedition, a fur rush was sparked. Eventually, this resulted in the Russian conquest of Alaska. The Russian Empire claimed Alaska as theirs until they sold it to the United States in 1867.
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Info Source: Encyclopedia.com
Photo Source: Wikimedia Commons
