Nikita Shalaurov
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Nikita Shalaurov (Russian: Никита Шалауров; ? - 1764) was a merchant from Veliky Ustyug, Russia and an Arctic explorer[1].
Nikita Shalurov took part in the Arctic expedition of Afanasy Bakhov (1748-1749) as Bakhov's assistant. Then he took part in another polar expedition of Bakhov (1757-1760) as the leader's chief assistant. Later he organized his own expedition to discover new islands and the full passage to the Pacific Ocean (Northeast Passage)[1][2]. The expedition was the only Russian expedition in the few decades after the Great Northern Expedition by Vitus Bering. It was carried out by Nikita Shalaurov, a trader without government support[3].
Nikita Shalaurov's ship was named "Vera, Nadezhda i Lubov'" translating into Russian as Faith, Hope and Love. Shalaurov sailed from the Lena River[4], tried to sail east from the Kolyma River to the Bering Strait in 1762 but was foiled by ice; trying again in 1764, he and his party disappeared. The Chukchi later told of finding the expedition's wintering site littered with skeletons [5]. Apparently Nikita Shalaurov together with his ship and the whole crew died in 1764[1].
An island in East Siberian Sea is named Mys Shalaurova translating as Cliff of Shalaurov after Nikita Sharaulov. A recent expedition in 2005 was formed to explore the island, named R0K [1]. The website features images and documentation of the 2005 expedition. A weather station is located on the island, and the weather conditions can be monitored through Wunderground.com [2].
