Vitus Bering

Vitus Jonassen Bering (baptised 5 August 1681 – 19 December 1741) was a Danish-born cartographer, explorer and officer in the Russian Navy. He led two major expeditions across the North Pacific on behalf of the Russian Empire, passed through the strait that now bears his name in 1728, and in 1741 sighted the coast of Alaska, opening the way for Russian colonization of North America. He died of illness during the return voyage on an uninhabited island that was later named after him [1].

Early Life and Naval Service

Vitus Bering was baptised on 5 August 1681 in Horsens in Denmark–Norway. He joined the Russian Navy in 1704 during the reign of Tsar Peter I, who was expanding Russian naval power and was eager to learn more about the geography of the empire’s eastern frontier [1]. His service in Russia lasted the rest of his life.

First Kamchatka Expedition

Peter I ordered Bering to lead an expedition to map the far northeast of Asia and to determine whether Asia and North America were joined by land. The First Kamchatka Expedition lasted from 1725 to 1730 [1]. In 1728, aboard the ship St. Gabriel, Bering sailed into the strait that now bears his name. He turned back without proving that the two continents were separate landmasses [1]. The strait was named later by James Cook, although the Russian explorer Semyon Dezhnyov had passed through it earlier [1].

Great Northern Expedition

The second venture, known as the Great Northern Expedition or Second Kamchatka Expedition, ran from 1733 to 1741 and was one of the largest scientific expeditions of its time. Its aim included sailing east from Kamchatka to reach North America [1]. Bering commanded the St. Peter, while a companion ship was commanded by Aleksei Chirikov [1][2].

Reaching Alaska

On 16 July 1741 the expedition sighted Mount Saint Elias, a major peak on the Alaskan coast. Bering, by then ill and exhausted, decided to turn back, and the ship later reached the coast of Alaska near Kayak Island [1]. Bering and Chirikov are credited with reaching the Alaskan coast in 1741, and Bering is said to have claimed the territory for Russia [2].

Georg Steller and Scientific Work

Bering recruited the German naturalist Georg Steller for the expedition. Steller documented wildlife of the North Pacific and is remembered in the names of species such as Steller’s sea cow and Steller’s jay [1]. His observations were among the first scientific descriptions of the natural history of the Alaskan coast.

Death on Bering Island

The return voyage ended in disaster when the St. Peter was wrecked on an uninhabited island in the Bering Sea. Bering died there on 19 December 1741 at the age of 60. Scurvy was long assumed to be the cause of his death, but a 1991 analysis of his remains suggested heart failure [1].

Legacy

Bering’s voyages opened the sea otter fur trade that drew Russian merchants to the Aleutian Islands and the Alaskan mainland, and led in time to the colony known as Russian America [2]. Features named for him include the Bering Strait, the Bering Sea, Bering Island, Bering Glacier, Vitus Lake and the Bering Land Bridge [1]. His name remains among the most prominent in the geography of the North Pacific.

The Geographic Question

One of the central questions of the era was whether Asia and North America were connected. When Peter I ordered the First Kamchatka Expedition, he wanted this settled, and Bering’s 1728 voyage through the strait that bears his name was a first step. Because fog is common in the region and Bering turned back before reaching a clear conclusion, the voyage left some doubts, which the later Great Northern Expedition was designed to resolve [1].

Scale of the Great Northern Expedition

The Great Northern Expedition, which ran from 1733 to 1741, was a very large undertaking for its time. It involved mapping the Arctic coast of Siberia, exploring the Pacific and recruiting scientists such as Georg Steller, and it is often counted among the major scientific expeditions of the eighteenth century [1]. The expedition’s reports and maps contributed to European knowledge of northeastern Asia and the North Pacific.

Wreck of the St. Peter

After the sighting of Mount Saint Elias, the St. Peter made its way back west, hampered by storms and illness among the crew. The ship was wrecked on an island in the Bering Sea, and the survivors spent the winter there. Bering was among those who died, and the island was later named in his honor [1]. The survivors were eventually able to build a smaller vessel from the wreckage and return to Kamchatka, bringing with them sea otter pelts that sparked commercial interest in the region [2].

Naming and Commemoration

The Bering Strait, Bering Sea, Bering Island, Bering Glacier, Vitus Lake and the Bering Land Bridge all carry his name [1]. In Alaska he is remembered alongside Aleksei Chirikov, whose ship reached a different part of the coast during the same expedition, and together they are regarded as the first Russian explorers to reach the continent [1][2].

Historical Assessment

Historians generally regard Bering as a capable and cautious naval officer whose expeditions were limited by weather, distance and the difficulties of supplying parties across Siberia. His voyages nonetheless established the Russian presence in the North Pacific, and the maps produced by his officers were among the first to show the coastline of the region [1].

FAQs

Who was Vitus Bering? A Danish-born Russian naval officer and explorer who led two expeditions to the North Pacific and sighted Alaska in 1741.

Did Vitus Bering discover Alaska? He and Aleksei Chirikov reached the Alaskan coast in 1741. Alaska had been home to Native peoples for thousands of years before that.

What is the Bering Strait named for? It is named for Vitus Bering, who entered it in 1728, although the name was given later by James Cook.

How did Vitus Bering die? He died on 19 December 1741 on what is now Bering Island. Scurvy was long blamed, but a 1991 analysis suggested heart failure.

Who was Georg Steller? A German naturalist on Bering’s second expedition who documented wildlife such as Steller’s sea cow and Steller’s jay.

Sources

1. Wikipedia: Vitus Bering
2. Wikipedia: Russian America

Editorially reviewed by Specialty Digest Editorial TeamLast reviewed November 11, 2026Researched and drafted with AI assistanceReport an issue