Mikhail Dmitriyevich Tebenkov (russian: Михаил Дмитриевич Тебеньков; also Tebenkof; 1802 – April 3, 1872) was a Russian
hydrographer and
vice admiral of the
Imperial Russian Navy
The Imperial Russian Navy () operated as the navy of the Russian Tsardom and later the Russian Empire from 1696 to 1917. Formally established in 1696, it lasted until dissolved in the wake of the February Revolution of 1917. It developed from ...
. From 1845 to 1850, he served as director of the
Russian American Company
The Russian-American Company Under the High Patronage of His Imperial Majesty (russian: Под высочайшим Его Императорского Величества покровительством Российская-Американс ...
and the governor of
Russian America
Russian America (russian: Русская Америка, Russkaya Amerika) was the name for the Russian Empire's colonial possessions in North America from 1799 to 1867. It consisted mostly of present-day Alaska in the United States, but a ...
.
He is especially noted for having surveyed and mapped the still little-known coast of
Alaska
Alaska ( ; russian: Аляска, Alyaska; ale, Alax̂sxax̂; ; ems, Alas'kaaq; Yup'ik: ''Alaskaq''; tli, Anáaski) is a state located in the Western United States on the northwest extremity of North America. A semi-exclave of the U.S. ...
. His ''Atlas of the Northwest Coasts of America: from Bering Strait to Cape Corrientes and the Aleutian Islands'' was published in 1852 and contained 39 engraved maps.
Career
In 1821, Mikhail Tebenkov graduated from the Naval Cadet Corps School. For the next three years, he served on different ships in the
Baltic Sea
The Baltic Sea is an arm of the Atlantic Ocean that is enclosed by Denmark, Estonia, Finland, Germany, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, Russia, Sweden and the North and Central European Plain.
The sea stretches from 53°N to 66°N latitude and ...
. In 1824, Tebenkov was put in charge of logging for shipbuilding purposes near
Narva
Narva, russian: Нарва is a municipality and city in Estonia. It is located in Ida-Viru county, at the eastern extreme point of Estonia, on the west bank of the Narva river which forms the Estonia–Russia international border. With 54 ...
.
In January 1825, he joined the
Russian American Company
The Russian-American Company Under the High Patronage of His Imperial Majesty (russian: Под высочайшим Его Императорского Величества покровительством Российская-Американс ...
, which led colonizing and trade efforts in North America. He would later command the company-owned brigantines ''Golovnin,'' ''Ryurik,'' ''Chichagov,'' and a
sloop named ''Urup'' in 1826–1834.
Tebenkov surveyed
Norton Sound
Norton Sound (russian: Нортон-Саунд) is an inlet of the Bering Sea on the western coast of the U.S. state of Alaska, south of the Seward Peninsula. It is about 240 km (150 mi) long and 200 km (125 mi) wide. The Yukon ...
on behalf of the Imperial
Russian Hydrographic Service
The Russian Hydrographic Service, full current official name Department of Navigation and Oceanography of the Ministry of Defence of the Russian Federation ( rus, Управление навигации и океанографии Министер ...
in 1831 and was the first European to sight the bay that now bears his name. He surveyed
Tebenkof Bay in 1833 before returning to
St. Petersburg
Saint Petersburg ( rus, links=no, Санкт-Петербург, a=Ru-Sankt Peterburg Leningrad Petrograd Piter.ogg, r=Sankt-Peterburg, p=ˈsankt pʲɪtʲɪrˈburk), formerly known as Petrograd (1914–1924) and later Leningrad (1924–1991), i ...
.
In 1835 Tebenkov sailed from
Cronstadt
Kronstadt (russian: Кроншта́дт, Kronshtadt ), also spelled Kronshtadt, Cronstadt or Kronštádt (from german: link=no, Krone for "crown" and ''Stadt'' for "city") is a Russian port city in Kronshtadtsky District of the federal city of ...
back to Alaska via
Cape Horn
Cape Horn ( es, Cabo de Hornos, ) is the southernmost headland of the Tierra del Fuego archipelago of southern Chile, and is located on the small Hornos Island. Although not the most southerly point of South America (which are the Diego Ramí ...
as commander of the Russian American Company's ship ''Elena.'' He arrived in
Sitka
russian: Ситка
, native_name_lang = tli
, settlement_type = Consolidated city-borough
, image_skyline = File:Sitka 84 Elev 135.jpg
, image_caption = Downtown Sitka in 1984
, image_size ...
in April 1836. Between 1845 and 1850, Tebenkov served as the director of the
Russian American Company
The Russian-American Company Under the High Patronage of His Imperial Majesty (russian: Под высочайшим Его Императорского Величества покровительством Российская-Американс ...
and the governor of
Russian America
Russian America (russian: Русская Америка, Russkaya Amerika) was the name for the Russian Empire's colonial possessions in North America from 1799 to 1867. It consisted mostly of present-day Alaska in the United States, but a ...
.
Tebenkov was perhaps the most outstanding Russian surveyor of the time, dedicating much time and patient work to the improvement of charts of the Alaskan coast.
Legacy
Trebenkov's noted ''Atlas of the Northwest Coasts of America: from Bering Strait to Cape Corrientes and the Aleutian Islands'' was published in 1852. The 39 maps of this atlas were engraved at Sitka around 1849 by
Kozma Terentev Kozma is a Hungarian surname. Notable people with the surname include:
* Dominik Kozma (born 1991), Hungarian swimmer
* István Kozma (footballer) (born 1964), Hungarian footballer
* Július Kozma (1929-2009), Slovak chess player
* Mihály Kozma ( ...
(or Terentief), an Alaskan-Russian
creole man.
Besides Tebenkof Bay, other geographic features of Alaska, including
Tebenkof Glacier,
Mount Tebenkof and
Point Tebenkof were named after Captain Mikhail Tebenkov.
Works
*''Atlas sieverozapadnykh beregov Ameriki.'' Sitka (1872).
*''Gidrograficheskiia zamiechaniia k Atlasu sieverozapadnykh beregov Ameriki.'' Sitka (1872).
References
External links
Atlas, images
{{DEFAULTSORT:Tebenkov, Mikhail
1802 births
1872 deaths
Imperial Russian Navy admirals
Bering Sea
Governors of the Russian-American Company
Russian and Soviet polar explorers
Explorers from the Russian Empire
Explorers of Asia
Explorers of Alaska
Russian explorers of North America