Adam Johan Krusenstern: Biography, Voyages and Discoveries
Adam Johann Ritter von Krusenstern (also known by his Russian name Ivan Fyodorovich Kruzenshtern: Иван Фёдорович Крузенштерн) was born on November 8/19, 1770 in Hagudi (German: Haggud) near Rapla in Estonia, then part of the Russian Empire.
This man had a tangible impact on both the history of national maritime expeditions and navigation in general.
Few people know that the author of the first Atlas of the South Sea was Adam Johan Krusenstern. A brief biography of this Russian navigator can be found in school textbooks.
Adam Johan Krusenstern: A Brief Biography
He came from a German noble family of Baltic Germans, whose founder was great-grandfather Philipp Crusius. He was born on November 8 or 19, 1770 in Hagudi near Rapla in Estonia, then part of the Russian Empire. His father was a judge. From early childhood, the future admiral dreamed of circumnavigating the world. And although his entire life was always connected to the sea, this dream was not realized immediately.
After church school, where he studied for three years, at age 12 Adam Johan enrolled in the only educational institution at that time in Kronstadt that trained naval officers – the Naval Cadet Corps.
The young cadet's first expedition took place in 1787 on the Baltic Sea. Soon the Russo-Swedish War began. Like many others, Adam Johan, who had not yet completed his studies, was prematurely called to a military commander aboard the ship Mstislav. This occurred in 1788.
Distinguished in the Battle of Hogland that same year, young Ivan was commended by order for his merits in naval battles and promoted to sub-lieutenant.
Fun fact: During the Russo-Swedish War, a relative from the Krusenstern family commanded on the Swedish side.
Volunteering Period in Great Britain
In 1793, twelve outstanding officers from Russia were sent to England to improve international relations. Among them was Adam Johan Krusenstern. The future admiral's biography from this time begins to grow rapidly. After leaving the Russian Empire, he sailed for a long time on the frigate Thetis off the northern coast of America, where he took part in battles with French ships, visited Surinam, Barbados, and Bermuda. To explore the waters of the East Indies, he traveled to the Bay of Bengal. His goal was to establish the route of Russian trade in the region.
Adam Johan Krusenstern, already a Knight of the Order of St. George, fourth class, was very interested in the fur trade between Russia and China, whose route went overland from Okhotsk to Kiakhta. Being in Canton, he had the opportunity to see what benefits Russia could gain by selling its fur products directly to China by sea. Furthermore, despite his relatively young age, the future Admiral Krusenstern tried to establish a direct connection with the Russian metropolitan possessions in America to provide them with everything necessary.
Moreover, he had already begun seriously considering the ambitious project of circumnavigating the world, which had originated before the Swedish war. Therefore, sailing the waters of the Indian, Pacific and Atlantic oceans, the navigator studied all possible ways of undertaking such a journey.
The First Russian Circumnavigation
In 1803, he took command of the first Russian circumnavigation organized at the initiative of Tsar Alexander I and Count Nikolai Rumyantsev. The purpose of the expedition was to establish political and commercial contacts with China and Japan and to explore the coasts of Alaska.
The expedition consisted of two ships purchased in England – "Nadezhda" and "Neva" – which departed from Kronstadt on July 26, 1803. The route led through the Atlantic around Cape Horn, then through the Pacific to Polynesia, Hawaii, the Japanese Islands, from there to Sakhalin and Kamchatka, and then around Africa back to Russia.
Commonly regarded as the first Russian sailor to circumnavigate the Earth, he actually returned to Kronstadt on the "Nadezhda" as the second on August 7, 1806, while Yuri Lisyansky returned first on the "Neva" on July 24, 1806.
After the expedition's completion (1806), Johann Krusenstern was promoted to admiral and honorary member of the Academy of Sciences in St. Petersburg.
Read more about the expedition →
Scientific and Organizational Activity
At the beginning of the Patriotic War in 1812, Krusenstern donated one-third of his fortune to the people's militia. At the time this was a large sum – one thousand rubles. That same year he published a three-volume edition of "Voyage Around the World…", and in 1813 he was elected a member of many scientific societies and even academies in England, Denmark, Germany and France.
Until 1836, Krusenstern was publishing his "Atlas of the South Sea", which contained extensive hydrographic notes. Many distinguished travelers and navigators turned to Krusenstern for support or advice. He organized expeditions led not only by Otto Kotzebue, but also by Vasiliev and Shishmarev, Bellingshausen and Lazarev, Stanyukovich and Litke.
From 1810 to 1814, he compiled and published accounts of the journey around the Earth. From 1815 to 1818 and 1823 to 1826, together with Otto von Kotzebue and Dr. Karl Espenberg, he circumnavigated the world again, conducting research in Alaska and the Pacific.
After returning, he settled at the Kiltsi estate, where the "Atlas of the South Seas" was created – the cartographic result of Pacific research. From 1827 to 1842 he was commandant of the Naval Academy in Kronstadt.
Leadership of the Naval Corps
In 1827, Krusenstern became director of the Naval Corps. Almost at the same time he became a member of the Admiralty Council. Sixteen years in the leadership position were marked by fundamental changes in this military educational institution: Adam Johan introduced new subjects, enriched the library and museums with many textbooks. Fundamental transformations affected not only the moral and educational level. The Admiral founded an officers' class, a physics office and an observatory.
At Ivan Fyodorovich's special request, in 1827 the Corps became the Naval Academy.
Physical Training
According to contemporaries, Krusenstern distinctly stood out in his surroundings with an athletic physique and surpassed everyone with a heroic chest. Interestingly, during voyages, despite the bewilderment of his colleagues, he carried kettlebells and exercised with them daily. His favorite exercise was the bench press.
In Memory
In St. Petersburg, since 1874, a monument to Krusenstern has stood, designed by architect Monighetti and sculptor Schroeder, opposite the Naval Corps. It was built with private funds, though the state provided a small tax relief.
A strait, a coral reef, islands, capes and a crater on the Moon, as well as two ships, were named in honor of this great Admiral and navigator.
In 1993, the Russian bank issued commemorative coins from the series "First Russian Voyage Around the World".
He died on August 12, 1846 at Kiltsi. He was buried in the cathedral in Tallinn.