In 1819, the navigator, captain of the 2nd rank, Thaddeus Bellingshausen headed the first round-the-world Antarctic expedition. The purpose of the voyage was to study the waters of the Pacific, Atlantic and Indian oceans, as well as proof or refutation of the existence of the sixth continent - Antarctica. Equipped with two sloops - "Peace" and "East" (under the command of Mikhail Lazarev), Bellingshausen's detachment went into the sea.
The expedition lasted 751 days and entered many bright pages into the history of geographical discoveries. The main one-the discovery of Antarctica-was made on January 28, 1820.