Pyotr Anjou
Pyotr Fyodorovich Anschu (Russian Пётр Фёдорович Анжу; * February 15, 1796 in Wyschni Wolotschok, † October 12, 1869 in Saint Petersburg ) was a Russian polar explorer and admiral. In the years 1820-1824 he explored and mapped more of the New Siberian Islands and created the first accurate maps of the coast between the rivers course Olenjok and Indigirka.
Breakfast time
Anschu came from a Protestant family which had emigrated a few decades before his birth from France to Russia. The son of a doctor embarked upon a career as an officer in the Navy. After attending a military school in St. Petersburg, he served on ships in the Baltic Sea.
Expedition to the North Siberian coast
Beginning of the 19th century, the coastline in northeastern Russia and Siberia unknown in many parts. Only Vitus Bering had toured the area during his expedition in the years 1733-43. The Swedish researcher Mathias of Hedenström went during an expedition from 1808 to 1811 reports on land northeast of the Lena Delta in Siberia to and explored the New Siberian Islands. In addition, he reported of further land to the northeast of these islands, which he called Sannikov Land.
After the Russian campaign of Napoleon in 1812, the Russian Admiralty decided to put together an expedition under the leadership of the German - Baltic Lieutenant Ferdinand von Wrangel to explore the territory of the New Siberian Islands and the local coastline detail. The exact knowledge of the geography in this area could be in future wars of strategic importance. The expedition should be auftgeteilt into two groups: One group should explore the Kolyma from the area north of the Chukchi Peninsula, while the second on the banks of Jana build their base in Ust- Jansk and should explore from there, the New Siberian Islands. Wrangell himself took over the leadership of the first group and entrusted his friend Pyotr Anschu, whom he knew from their time together at the cadet school, the responsibility for the second group.
On May 23, 1820, both groups journeyed from Moscow. About Irkutsk and Yakutsk they reached the Lena. The group around Anschu made subsequently traveled to Ust - Jansk on where they wintered and began work in March 1821. First, they went first by dogsled after Stolbowoi and then charted the Kotelny Island. Continue from there drove Anschu to the north in search of the Sannikov Land, but met within 80 km open water, which surprised him. At that time it was assumed that the entire Arctic Ocean was covered throughout the year by an ice sheet. Two other attempts in the north had to stop Anschu after open water made a further travel. Anschu the southern reaches of a large polynya had discovered off the northern coast of Siberia, an area in the Arctic Ocean, which never froze up. Also Wrangell had to stop his search for the Sannikov Land, after he had come across the same polynya.
As the ice thickness decreased further during the summer, Anschu returned to the mainland and explored the coast between Jana and Indigirka. After another winter in Ust- Jansk he shared in the spring of 1822 his group. A group under the leadership of Petr Ivanovich Illinois should map the coastline west of Jena, while Anschu with the second group went in search of Sannikov again. He first explored the Liakhov Islands, and then tried again, continue to go from Faddeya to the north. After only about 20 km, it had to turn back again because the ice was too thin.
Anschu now began to doubt whether Sannikov actually existed - in any case could only get there by boat, on the did not have his expedition. After another winter he explored from February 1823 three smaller of the New Siberian Islands: Vasilyevskiy, Semyonovsky and Belkovski. After he had created maps of the whole area, he returned on March 23 to Ust- Jansk. In the summer, he finally made his return journey. He met in Yakutsk with Wrangell, and both came in August 1824 back to Saint Petersburg.
Other years
As a result of his expedition Anschu suffered from rheumatism. 1825 and 1826 led Anschu cartographic expeditions to the Caspian Sea and the Aral Sea. On board the battleship Gangut he took in 1827 at the Battle of Navarino and suffered severe injuries. From 1828 to 1840 he was commander of several warships in the Baltic Sea. In 1866 he was promoted to Admiral. He died in 1869 at the age of 73 years in Saint Petersburg.
After Anschu the Anschuinseln and Anschu Peninsula were named.