Mulovsky Expedition

In 1786, the proposals of Vorontsov and Bezborodko formed the basis of the decree of Catherine II of December 22, 1786 on the organization of a round-the-world expedition, as well as the instruction of the Admiralty Board to the head of the upcoming first Russian round-the-world expedition of April 17, 1787 . The expedition's list of tasks included various goals: military, economic, political, scientific. After discussing various candidates, the head of the expedition was appointed 29-year-old captain of the 1st rank Grigory Ivanovich Mulovsky , illegitimate son of Vice President of the Admiralty Board I. G. Chernyshev .

Five ships were included in Mulovsky’s squadron: Kholmogor (Kolmagor) with a displacement of 600 tons, Solovki 530 tons, Sokol and Turukhan (Turukhtan) 450 tons each, the transport ship Smely . The crew of the flagship vessel “Kholmogor” under the command of Grigory Mulovsky himself totaled 169 people, “Solovkov” under the command of the captain of the 2nd rank Alexei Mikhailovich Kireevsky - 154 people, “Falcon” and “Turukhan” under the command of captain-lieutenants Efim (Joakim) Karlovich von Sivers ^[1] and Dmitry Sergeevich Trubetskoy ^[2] - 111 people each. The flagship was equipped with an infirmary for forty beds with a trained physician, and other ships were identified for other vessels. A priest was also appointed, with a clerk on the flagship and hieromonk on other ships.

The complex expedition envisaged the solution of a number of diverse tasks: military (delivery of serf guns for the Peter and Paul Harbor and other ports, foundation of a Russian fortress in the southern Kuril Islands, etc.), economic (delivery of necessary goods to Russian possessions, including livestock for breeding, seeds of various vegetable crops, a trade establishment with Japan and other neighboring countries), political (approval of the Russian right to land discovered by Russian sailors in the Pacific Ocean by installing cast-iron emblems in and medals with the image of the Empress and so forth.), research (mapping, conducting a variety of research, the study of Sakhalin , the mouth of the Amur and other objects).

The scientific part of the expedition was entrusted to academician Peter Simon Pallas , who was promoted to the rank of historiographer of the Russian fleet on December 31, 1786. To "conduct a thorough travel journal with a clean calm journal", Secretary Stepanov, who studied at Moscow and English universities, was invited. The expedition's scientific squad also included Cook's astronomer William Bailey, naturalist Georg Forster, botanist Sommering, and four painters. In England, it was planned to purchase astronomical and physical instruments: Godley sextans, Arnold’s chronometers, quadrants, telescopes, thermometers and barometers, for which Pallas entered into correspondence with the Greenwich astronomer Maskelyne. The British naval officer James Trevenen (also a member of the Cook expedition), whom Catherine II invited specially from England, was also included in the expedition.

The expedition was prepared very carefully: the crews of the ships were assembled, all the officers moved to Kronstadt . The ships were raised on the stocks, they delivered products of domestic production: cabbage, salted sorrel, dried horseradish, onions and garlic. 600 poods of cloudberries were delivered from Arkhangelsk , 30 barrels of sugar molasses, more than 1000 buckets of whipped meat, 888 buckets of twin beer were harvested. It was decided to purchase meat, butter, vinegar, cheese in England. Travelers were well armed: 90 guns , 197 rangers , 61 hunting, 24 fittings, 61 musketons, 61 pistols and 40 officer swords.

On October 4, 1787, the vessels of the Mulovsky expedition, in full readiness for sailing, stood on the Kronstadt raid. Pilots were already ordered by the Russian ambassador to England, waiting for the squadron in Copenhagen to escort her to Portsmouth . But the urgent dispatch from Constantinople about the beginning of the war with Turkey crossed out all plans and works. The highest command followed:

“The expedition prepared for a long voyage under the command of the captain Mulovsky’s fleet should be postponed for the present circumstances, and both the officers, sailors and other people assigned to this squadron and the ships and various supplies prepared for it should be transferred to the part of our fleet that according to our decree dated the 20th of this month, the Admiralty College is to be sent to the Mediterranean Sea. ”

With the cancellation of the expedition and the outbreak of war with Sweden , Mulovsky was appointed commander of the ship " Mstislav ". On this ship in 1788 he participated in the battle of Fr. Gogland . In 1789 , with the rank of captain of brigadier rank , Mulovsky participated in the battle near Fr. Åland , during which he was killed.

With the death of G.I. Mulovsky, the Russian government abandoned the plan of world travel ^[3] .

The first Russian circumnavigation of the ships of the Russian-American company “Nadezhda” and “ Neva ” under the command of Captain-Lieutenant I. F. Kruzenshtern and Captain-Lieutenant Yu. F. Lisyansky took place only in 1803-1806.

For the expedition, gold silver and copper medals ( 42 mm in diameter ) were minted, which, according to the decree of April 17, 1787, instructed to supply “ ... following the example of the North-Eastern expedition and the expedition (Mulovsky) equipped with the Baltic Sea with the same number of medals ... ... 100 gold “ 400 silver and 600 copper medals with ears, as well as 10 gold, 30 silver and 60 copper without ears .” They were also intended to be presented to Toyons (elders of foreigners ) at ceremonies of accepting the population of newly discovered lands and islands in the Pacific Ocean into Russian citizenship. Medals for his expedition were stored in the Monetary Department, but were never claimed ^[4] . Cast iron medals with a diameter of 60 mm were also cast .

Non-ferrous metal medals were made at the St. Petersburg Mint , cast-iron medals were cast at the Aleksandrovsky Olonets factory , their authors were masters - T. Ivanov and P. I. Bobrovshchikov ^[5] .

• Mulovsky and his expedition
• Captain Mulowsko's unfulfilled dream
• Medal "Glory to Russia"