 Vostok and its captain,Fabian Gottlieb von Bellingshausen on a commemorative coin of theBank of Russia, 1994 | |
| History | |
|---|---|
| Russian Empire | |
| Name | Vostok |
| Namesake | East |
| Builder |
|
| Launched | 1818 |
| Home port | Kronstadt |
| Fate | Broken up in 1828 |
| General characteristics | |
| Type | 24-gunsloop-of-war[1] |
| Displacement | 900 tonnes[1] |
| Length | 39.62 m (130 ft 0 in)[1] |
| Beam | 10.36 m (34 ft 0 in)[1] |
| Depth of hold | 4.8 m (15 ft 9 in)[1] |
| Sail plan | Full-rigged ship |
| Speed | 10knots (19 km/h)[1] |
| Complement | 117[1] |
| Armament |
|
Vostok (Russian:Восток) was a 28-gunsloop-of-war of theImperial Russian Navy, the lead ship of the First Russian Antarctic Expedition in 1819–1821, during whichFabian Gottlieb von Bellingshausen (commander of the ship) andMikhail Lazarev (commandingMirny, the second ship)circumnavigated the globe, discovered the continent ofAntarctica and twice circumnavigated it, and discovered a number of islands and archipelagos in theSouthern andPacific Oceans.[1]
Vostok was launched in 1818 atOkhta Admiralty shipyard,Saint Petersburg.[1]
On 14 July [O.S. 3 July] 1819Vostok under the command ofCommander Fabian Gottlieb von Bellingshausen, the leader of the expedition, alongsideMirny under the command ofLieutenant Commander Mikhail Lazarev leftKronstadt and on 28 January [O.S. 16 January] 1820 reached the shore ofAntarctica, which was sighted for the first time in history. After repair inSydney inAustralia, the expedition explored the tropical parts of the Pacific, and on 12 November [O.S. 31 October] 1820 again turned to Antarctica. On 22 January [O.S. 10 January] 1821 the sloops reached the southernmost point of their voyage at 69° 53' S and 92° 19' W. On 5 August [O.S. 24 July] 1821 they returned to Kronstadt.[1]
In 751 days they covered 49,723 miles (approx. 92,300 km). Apart from the discovery of the world's sixth continent,Antarctica, 29 islands were mapped and complex oceanographic works carried out. A medal was issued by theRussian Admiralty to commemorate the expedition.[1]
In 1828 sloopVostok was excluded fromnavy lists and scrapped.[1]
