Vasili Vasilyevich Pronchishchev (russian: Василий Васильевич Прончищев) (1702–) was a Russian explorer. In 1718, Vasili Pronchishchev graduated from

Moscow School of Mathematics and Navigation Moscow School of Mathematics and Navigation () was a Russian educational institution founded by Peter the Great in 1701. Situated in the Sukharev Tower, it provided Russians with technical education for the first time and much of its curriculum w ...

and was promoted to naval cadet. In 1733, he was promoted to the rank of lieutenant and appointed head of one of the units of the

Second Kamchatka Expedition The Great Northern Expedition (russian: Великая Северная экспедиция) or Second Kamchatka Expedition (russian: Вторая Камчатская экспедиция) was one of the largest exploration enterprises in hi ...

, the purpose of which was to map the shores of the Arctic Ocean from the mouth of the Lena to the mouth of the Yenisey. In 1735, Vasili Pronchishchev went down the Lena River (from Yakutsk) on his

sloop A sloop is a sailboat with a single mast typically having only one headsail in front of the mast and one mainsail aft of (behind) the mast. Such an arrangement is called a fore-and-aft rig, and can be rigged as a Bermuda rig with triangular sa ...

''Yakutsk'', doubled its delta, and stopped for wintering at the mouth of the

Olenek River The Olenyok (russian: Оленёк, sometimes spelled ''Оленек'', ''Olenek''; sah, Өлөөн, Ölöön) is a major river in northern Siberian Russia, west of the lower Lena and east of the Anabar. It is long, of which around is navigable. ...

. Many members of the crew fell ill and died, mainly owing to scurvy. Despite the difficulties, in 1736, he reached the eastern shore of the Taymyr Peninsula and went north along its coastline. Finally Pronchishchev and his wife Maria (also referred to as Tatyana Feodorovna) succumbed to scurvy and died on the way back. Despite the death toll, the expedition was successful regarding the fulfillment of its goals. During his journey, Vasili Pronchishchev discovered a number of islands off the northeastern coast of the Taymyr Peninsula (

Faddey Islands The Faddey Islands (Russian: Острова Фаддея; Ostrova Faddeya) is a group of islands in the Laptev Sea, Russia. Geography The Faddey Islands group is located in the coastal region, off Faddey Bay (залив Фаддея) in the coa ...

Komsomolskoy Pravdy Islands The Komsomolskaya Pravda Islands (russian: Острова Комсомольской Правды, ''Ostrova Komsomol'skoy Pravdy'') are an archipelago in the far north of the Russian Federation. The islands are uninhabited and are covered with tun ...

, Saint Peter Islands). His expedition was the first to accurately map the Lena River from Yakutsk to its estuary and the Laptev seacoast from the Lena's mouth to the Gulf of Faddey. Pronchishchev's wife Maria Pronchishcheva (died 12(23) September 1736), who took part in his expedition, is considered the first female polar explorer. After their deaths, both of them were interred at the mouth of the Olenek River. Further information is now available from the Hakluit Society via a summary written by William Barr in July 2018, "The Arctic Detachments of the Russian Great Northern Expedition (1733-43) and their largely forgotten and even Clandestine Predecessors". On page 12 of the summary is shown information and maps on the Lena-Khatanga detachment led by Pronchishchev. A part of the eastern coastline of the Taymyr Peninsula and a ridge between the mouths of the Olenek and Anabar Rivers bear Vasili Pronchishchev's name. Icebreaker ''Vasili Pronchishchev'', built in 1961 in Leningrad, was also named after this pioneering Arctic explorer. Maria Pronchishcheva Bay in the Laptev Sea is named after his wife Maria.

References

Historical data
* Excavations at the burial site of the couple

{{DEFAULTSORT:Pronchishchev, Vasili 1702 births 1736 deaths Explorers of the Arctic Explorers from the Russian Empire Explorers of Asia Explorers of Siberia Laptev Sea Deaths from scurvy 18th-century people from the Russian Empire Great Northern Expedition Imperial Russian Navy personnel