The Great Northern Expedition

Bering answered the criticisms of his first expedition by suggesting a second expedition. The new exploration would investigate unmapped areas of Siberia and explore the unknown North American coast.

In December 1732, the Russian Senate approved the plan for Bering's second chance as an explorer. Bering was to return to Kamchatka, build two ships, and then sail to the American coast. Due to the immense scale of the undertaking and its achievements, the expedition became known as the Great Northern Expedition.

The second expedition met difficulties equal to those of the first. Poor roads, 5,000 miles of distance, and harsh Siberian winters made transporting the men and supplies to the distant Pacific coast for the larger second expedition difficult. It would take seven years before Bering could build and launch his two ships at Okhotsk in June 1740. The St. Peter and the St. Paul were each 80 feet long and 20 feet wide. The explorers spent the winter of 1740 to 1741 moving vessels and supplies from Okhotsk to Petropavlovsk on the Kamchatka Peninsula. In the summer of 1741, they were finally ready to start their journey.

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