Bering

Bering or Behring, Vitus (1681–1741), Danish explorer, born at Horsem, Jutland. He entered the Russian Navy in 1704 and served in it during Russia's war with Sweden. In 1725 Peter the Great, who was looking to expand his empire, sent him to discover whether Asia and North America were joined together. Bering crossed Siberia to Kamchatka, where he had several ships built, and in 1728 he sailed through the strait that now bears his name; and though he did not sight Alaska he rightly concluded the two continents were not connected. During this voyage he also discovered what are now known as the Big and Little Diomede Islands, St Lawrence Island, and the Bering Sea. However, he was not the first to discover what became the Bering Strait, as another Russian, Semyon Dezhnyov (1605–73), had sailed through it as early as 1648, but the description of his voyage lay unnoticed in an archive until 1736.

In 1730 Bering received a similar commission of exploration from the Empress Anna (reigned 1730–40). This became Russia's Great Northern Expedition which, between 1733 and 1743, surveyed much of the Arctic coast of Siberia. During this time Bering also founded the port of Petropavlovsk, and in 1741 he sailed from there with two ships, the St Peter and St Paul. They became separated, but Bering sailed on and this time discovered Alaska, later owned by Russia until purchased by the USA in 1867.

On the return voyage Bering suffered from scurvy and was so debilitated that he could not command his ship properly. It was wrecked on the westernmost of the Aleutian Islands, now called after him and where he lies buried.

See also exploration by sea.