23 / 48
23
Arctic Exploration
S
coresby (1798-1857) first went to the Arctic on his father’s whaling ship.
He explored many miles of Arctic coastline.
Unconvinced
The Tsar still believed that Siberia and North America were
connected and wanted Bering to look again. Bering was
delayed for six years in Russia but started again in 1740. He
had to repeat his trek across Siberia and build new ships.
But this time luck was with him and he explored the west
coast of Alaska and the Aleutian Islands. He also mapped
long stretches of the north Siberian coastline.
Disaster struck in 1741. On the return voyage from
North America their ship ran aground and was wrecked.
Bering died of
scurvy
, bringing the total who perished on
the expedition to 30. But Bering had discovered rich sealing
and whaling grounds, which brought wealth to the Tsar.
B
ering was born in Denmark in 1681. He died of scurvy in 1741 on an island
off the Alaskan coast.
Scoresby –
A Scientific Whaler
William Scoresby was one of the most
successful Arctic whaling captains. He
first sailed in ships owned by his father.
He was well educated and his books
about the Arctic contained more
scientific knowledge than any before.
During his voyages he drew snowflakes
and measured the temperature of the
sea. He discovered that warmer water
lies underneath the cold surface of the
Arctic waters and he was the first to
record the currents in the Arctic Ocean.