MercoPress. South Atlantic News Agency

Russia to celebrate 200th anniversary discovery of Antarctica by Bellingshausen

In honor of this event, plans are underway for the round-the-world sailing of the tall ships Pallada, Sedov and Krusenstern in 2019-2020.

Russia's tall ships are to undertake a round-the-world trip to celebrate the 200th anniversary of Antarctica's discovery by the Bellingshausen-Lazarev expedition, according to official information from Moscow. In effect, 2020 marks the 200th anniversary of the discovery of Antarctica by the expedition led by Fabian Bellingshausen and Mikhail Lazarev. In honor of this event, plans are underway for the round-the-world sailing of the tall ships Pallada, Sedov and Krusenstern in 2019-2020.

The south polar expedition consisting of two sloops-of-war, the Vostok, commanded by Fabian Bellingshausen, and the Mirny, commanded by Mikhail Lazarev, left Kronstadt in 1819 and discovered Antarctica on 28 January 1820. In 1821, the ships returned to Kronstadt. They stayed at sea for 751 days and covered over 92,000 km. In addition to Antarctica, the expedition discovered 29 islands and one coral reef. The Russian sailors conducted scientific research, including oceanographic research.  

The global tour is planned to start at the end of 2019 when the ships set sail from their respective ports: Pallada from Vladivostok, Sedov from Kronstadt and Krusenstern from

Kaliningrad. Thus, the expedition will consist of Sedov and Pallada sailing around the world and Krusenstern taking a transatlantic voyage. Most of the places and ports the ships will call on were discovered by the Russians during their expeditions around the world.

Milestone events during the expedition will be the meetings of the three ships in the Atlantic Ocean on the Ushuaia-Cape Town leg, in the UK South Georgia and South Sandwich Islands, with Pallada’s itinerary reaching its nearest point to Antarctica.

Sedov takes off from Kronstadt in December 2019 and will be back in Kaliningrad in December 2020. This ship’s goal is to carry out a transatlantic passage to the appointed place and then sail together with the Pallada frigate, after which it will continue solo sailing.

After the leg dedicated to the 200th anniversary of the discovery of the Antarctica the vessel will start the second stage of the expedition dedicated to the 75thanniversary of victory in WWII.

Sedov will sail across the Indian and the Pacific Oceans, reaching the Atlantic through the Panama Canal, it will continue sailing with the aim of visiting places associated with the most important events of WWII.

The Krusenstern’s voyage will start in Kaliningrad in December 2019 and will come to an end in September 2020. The ship’s task is to carry out a transatlantic passage to the appointed meeting place and then sail together with the Pallada. It will continue alone to the Black Sea and call on the Russian ports of Sevastopol, Novorossiysk, Yalta and Sochi.

After completing the first stage of the expedition and meeting with the other two tall ships near the UK island of South Georgia, Krusenstern will continue its voyage dedicated to the 75th anniversary of victory in WWII, calling on the ports of hero-cities, cities of military glory and European ports with memorials to those who perished in the war against Nazism.