Chelyuskin Semen Ivanovich
(1707 – November 1764)

Navigator, participant Great Northern Expedition.
Born in the city of Przemysl, Kaluga province, in the family of a small local nobleman. The Chelyuskin family from the XVI century was listed in the lists of Kaluga nobles.
He graduated from the Moscow School of Navigation and the St. Petersburg Maritime Academy. In February 1726, Chelyuskin was enlisted in the naval service with the rank of sub-navigator. In 1733, at the suggestion of V.V. Pronchishchev, whom he knew from childhood, he filed a report on his inclusion in the Great Northern Expedition. On April 17, the report was satisfied, and Chelyuskin, promoted to navigators, was assigned to the Leno-Yenisei detachment under the command of Pronchishchev. At the disposal of the detachment was transferred dubel-boat "Yakutsk". In the summer of 1735, a detachment from Yakutsk descended down the Lena and reached its mouth on 2 August. Attempts to go to sea on one of the western Lena ducts were unsuccessful. It was decided to go east Bykovskaya channel, which significantly lengthened the route. Rounding the Lena Delta, travelers moved along the coast, making measurements and inventory of the coast. This voyage did not become useless: the completed survey allowed us to put the Lena Delta in its true outlines on the map. It is clear that the responsibility for navigating equally lay with the commander and the navigator. By the end of August, they managed to reach the mouth of the Olenek River, where the detachment had to stay for the winter. The winter was successful, but in the spring many crew members, including the commander, became sick with scurvy. Nevertheless, in the summer of 1736, “Yakutsk”, together with the already seriously ill Pronchishchev, went west to the mouth of the Anabar, then moved north and reached latitude 77° 29'N (according to updated data 77° 55'N). After that they returned to the new wintering at the mouth of the Olenek, where Pronchishchev died. The command of the detachment took Chelyuskin, who sent Bering to Yakutsk a detailed report on navigation, and in the winter went to Yakutsk, where he could reach only in July. He handed over the logs and the map he made to Lieutenant D.Ya. Laptev, who was leaving for Petersburg.
Dubbel boat came to Yakutsk in September 1737. Chelyuskin, confident that the work will be continued, waiting for the new chief, did everything possible to prepare for the upcoming voyages.
New Chief, H.P. Laptev, arrived in Yakutsk in May 1739. Thanks to Chelyuskin, the ship was already ready to sail.
In the summer of 1739, under the command of Laptev, the vessel passed along the coast of Taimyr to Cape Thaddeus, wintering at the mouth of the Khatanga.
In the summer of 1740, the Yakutsk advanced north only to 75° 21' N, where the vessel was trapped by ice and left in a hopeless condition by the crew. Together with the team Chelyuskin returned to the place last year's wintering. After the loss of the vessel, the leadership of the detachment came to the conclusion that the inventory of the unexplored territory should be done by land. It was decided to be led by three small detachments, which were led by Laptev, Chelyuskin and Chekin. The main burden of work and major achievements fell to the share of Chelyuskin.
In the spring of 1741, he walked by dog overland to the Pyasina River, went down it to the mouth and repeated the inventory of D.V. Sterlegov west coast of Taimyr to Cape Sterlegov. There he met Laptev and with him on deer he reached the Yenisei. In the winter of 1741 - 1742 on dogs, Chelyuskin traveled from Turukhansk to the mouth of Khatanga and then made the main task of his life: he described the entire eastern coast of Taimyr to the “Eastern-Northern Cape” - the northernmost point of Eurasia. From there, he turned to the south-west and completed an inventory of the coast at 76° 42'N - the point at which Kh. Laptev marched from the west in 1741. The task was completed, and Chelyuskin went to Petersburg through Yeniseisk.

In subsequent years, after the death of Chelyuskin, attempts were made to diminish the feat of this remarkable man. So F.P. Wrangell wrote: “…. how no observations were made to determine latitudes, and the inventory was very superficial; then we know only that we wash the ocean with this ocean, without connecting to any unknown land lying to the north; from Chelyuskin’s journal one cannot see even the numerical latitude of the northernmost tip of this coast .... so that the position of the Northeast, otherwise Taimur Cape, i.e. of the northernmost cape of Asia, remains undefined ...”. Such a review allowed K. Baer to conclude that "... the tip of the Northeast Cape and from the dry path was never reached ...", that Chelyuskin "... to unleash a hated enterprise, he decided to unjustly report ...", which is why "... the northern coast of Siberia can be extended much further”.  It is unclear what prevented Wrangel from sorting out Chelyuskin’s materials. The detailed extract from the Chelyuskin journal, made in 1851 by the historian A. Sokolov, and the position of the coast on the map refute the conclusion about the insufficiency of the shooting made by Chelyuskin. It has not only a number, but also an astronomically determined point on the northern tip of Asia. As Sokolov said, "... this justifies the unjustly suspected memory of the venerable worker, and geography acquires an undeniable fact, cleared of arbitrary reasoning". R. Amundsen owns the words: “... His map is the best proof of what he has done. Cape Chelyuskin is right on it”.  Academician A.F. Middendorf gave the highest assessment to Chelyuskin: “... He succeeded this feat, failed others, precisely because his personality was higher than others. Chelyuskin is undoubtedly the crown of our sailors who acted in that region with great perseverance".  
In 1742 Chelyuskin was promoted to midshipman, then he served in the Baltic Fleet and in 1751 was promoted to lieutenant. He was assigned to command the court yachts, but in this position he did not come to court. In 1754 he was promoted to captain-lieutenant. There was no talk about new voyages and explorations. In 1760, after retiring with the rank of Captain 3 rank, he settled in his village near the city of Przemysl, where he died. The burial place is not established.
Cape , the northernmost point of Asia. Named by academician A.F. Middendorf in 1843.
An island in the Taimyr Bay. Named by academician A.F. Middendorf in 1843.