Real Journeys · History
Krusenstern and Lisyansky: The First Russian Circumnavigation
In August 1803 two small Russian sloops sailed from Kronstadt on the first Russian voyage round the world. Adam Johann von Krusenstern led the expedition on the Nadezhda, and Yuri Lisyansky captained the Neva; the Neva was back almost three years later.
This route follows seven turning points, from the Marquesas and Kamchatka to the Tlingit fort at Sitka, the closed door of Nagasaki and the tea trade at Canton. The two ships often sailed apart, so the stops are markers, not one line. Day dates follow the main source, which gives the outward voyage in the modern (New Style) calendar; Russian logs of the time used the Old Style, so the homecoming in 1806 is given by season only. Pins mark towns and bays, not exact anchorages.
Timeline & locations
What do the location labels mean?
- Approximate
- The right area — a town, park or district — but not a precise spot.
The first round-the-world voyage begins at the naval port of Kronstadt. The sloops Nadezhda and Neva arrive on 5 June 1803, and Emperor Alexander I watches both from his own sloop. They finally sail at 10 am on 7 August. Adam Johann von Krusenstern commands the expedition; Yuri Lisyansky captains the Neva.
Open area inGoogle MapsApple MapsOrganic MapsOpenStreetMap59.99083, 29.77472Visitability not confirmedLocation precision: The pin marks the town of Kronstadt; the sources do not give the exact berth where the ships lay.
Sources
- First Russian circumnavigation
- Locator:
- Expedition (Baltic to Kronstadt return)
- Adam Johann von Krusenstern
- Locator:
- Career
- First Russian circumnavigation
The Nadezhda spends 11 days in the Marquesas, from 7 to 18 May 1804, using Anna-Maria Bay (Tayohae) as its base. The Neva joins on 11 May. Crews trade iron for food, and Krusenstern has his wife's name tattooed on his arm. Aboard, tension peaks: on 14 May the ambassador Rezanov and Krusenstern have an open argument, with Lisyansky taking part.
Open area inGoogle MapsApple MapsOrganic MapsOpenStreetMap-8.90972, -140.10139Visitability not confirmedLocation precision: The pin marks Taiohae, the main village on Anna-Maria Bay, where the expedition anchored; the exact anchorage is not given.
Sources
- First Russian circumnavigation
- Locator:
- Expedition (Baltic to Kronstadt return)
- First Russian circumnavigation
The Nadezhda drops anchor at Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky at 1 pm on 15 July 1804, five months out of Brazil. Fresh bread and fish daily bring the crew back into shape. The mood ashore is tense: in a letter Rezanov complains that "naval officers rebelled on my board". An official truce between him and Krusenstern is made on 16 August, clearing the way for the embassy to Japan.
Open area inGoogle MapsApple MapsOrganic MapsOpenStreetMap53.01667, 158.65000Visitability not confirmedLocation precision: The pin marks the town centre; the ships lay in Avacha Bay.
Sources
- First Russian circumnavigation
- Locator:
- Expedition (Baltic to Kronstadt return)
- First Russian circumnavigation
While the Nadezhda heads for Japan, Lisyansky's Neva is in Russian America. Merchant Alexander Baranov asks him to help liberate Sitka from the Tlingit. On 1 October 1804 the Neva's naval guns bombard the Tlingit fort, but the shells are small and the palisade is thick. Negotiations follow, and on 7 October the Tlingit main force flees through the mountains.
Open area inGoogle MapsApple MapsOrganic MapsOpenStreetMap57.05333, -135.33472Visitability not confirmedLocation precision: The pin marks the town of Sitka; the fort and the Neva's anchorage lay nearby.
Sources
- Yuri Lisyansky
- Locator:
- Biography
- First Russian circumnavigation
- Locator:
- Expedition (Baltic to Kronstadt return)
- Yuri Lisyansky
Nadezhda reaches the Nagasaki strait around 5:30 pm on 8 October 1804, carrying Rezanov's embassy. Japanese officials demand the same ceremonial as the Dutch. The crew may go ashore only on 17 December, and the sailors get a fenced strip 140 steps long. In early April 1805 the officials reject any kind of trade relations, and at the farewell ceremony on 7 April the Russian gifts are not accepted.
Open area inGoogle MapsApple MapsOrganic MapsOpenStreetMap32.74472, 129.87361Visitability not confirmedLocation precision: The pin marks Nagasaki city; the sources do not locate the Russian anchorage and house more precisely.
Sources
- First Russian circumnavigation
- Locator:
- Expedition (Baltic to Kronstadt return)
- First Russian circumnavigation
Both sloops come to Canton (Guangzhou) with furs. Krusenstern lodges in the Austrian trading post, Lisyansky in the Armenian one. They sell furs for 191,621.5 Spanish piastres and load tea and other goods. On 22 January 1806 the governor orders loading stopped until Beijing replies. The ships are told to meet at Saint Helena if storms part them.
Open area inGoogle MapsApple MapsOrganic MapsOpenStreetMap23.13000, 113.26000Visitability not confirmedLocation precision: The pin marks the centre of Guangzhou; the sources do not say where the sloops anchored or where the lodgings stood.
Sources
- First Russian circumnavigation
- Locator:
- Expedition (Baltic to Kronstadt return)
- First Russian circumnavigation
Lisyansky's Neva is the first of the two sloops to return to Kronstadt. His voyage lasts almost three years, 1095 days, and covers 45,083 nautical miles. The emperor visits the Neva and has breakfast on board. When the Nadezhda follows, Alexander I comes aboard her too and stays until 3 pm.
Open area inGoogle MapsApple MapsOrganic MapsOpenStreetMap59.99083, 29.77472Visitability not confirmedLocation precision: The pin marks the town of Kronstadt; the exact mooring is not given in the sources.
Sources
- First Russian circumnavigation
- Locator:
- Expedition (Baltic to Kronstadt return)
- Yuri Lisyansky
- Locator:
- Biography
- First Russian circumnavigation
