Okhotsk
Encyclopedia
Okhotsk is an urban locality (an urban-type settlement
) and a seaport at the mouth of the Okhota River
on the Sea of Okhotsk
, in Okhotsky District
, Khabarovsk Krai
, Russia
. Population: 4,470 (2010 est.);
Located at the eastern end of the River Route
from the Urals, Okhotsk was the first Russian settlement on the Pacific Coast
. It was established as a wintering camp in 1643 by the Cossacks under Semyon Shelkovnikov. The fort of Kosoy Ostrozhok was constructed in 1649. Although the Russian pioneers were skilled in building river boats they lacked the knowledge and equipment to build sea-going vessels. When the Russians entered Kamchatka they had to travel overland. In 1714, Peter the Great sent a party of shipbuilders to Okhotsk to allow faster access to the furs of Kamchatka. In 1718, Kozma Sokolov built the first vessel in Okhotsk and embarked upon a voyage to Kamchatka. This route became so popular with Russian navigators that by 1731 Okhotsk had been firmly established as the foremost Russian seaport on the Pacific.
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At various points in its history, Okhotsk was a center for the Russian-American Fishing and Fur-Trading
activities. It is known for being the headquarters for the explorer Vitus Bering
, who sailed from here for two extraordinary expeditions, discovering the Bering Strait
on one and Alaska
on the other. The Portuguese Jew Anton de Vieira
was the town's governor at that time.
The growth of Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky
dislodged Okhotsk from its leading commercial position in the early 19th century, although it remained important as the base of the Siberian Military Flotilla, a predecessor of the Russian Pacific Fleet. In 1812, the town was moved to a new site across the Okhota River.
During the early 19th century Okhotsk was the administrative center of Okhotsk Okrug within larger Yakutsk Oblast.
Okhotsk gradually lost its strategic importance in the second half of the 19th century.
In 1856, it became part of new Primorskaya Oblast centered at Khabarovsk
. In 1840, work began to move to a better port at Ayan 270 miles down the coast, but with the Amur Annexation
in 1860 and the shift of naval power to Vladivostok
both Okhotsk and Ayan lost their importance.
The Russian territorial gains along the Pacific coast were recognized by Qing China in the Treaty of Aigun
of 1860.
Okhotsk was of some military importance during the Russian Civil War
, when the White army generals Vasily Rakitin and Anatoly Pepelyayev
used it as their place of arms in the Far East
.
Okhotsk was also a launch site of sounding rockets between 1981 and 2005. The rockets reached altitudes of up to 1,000 km http://www.astronautix.com/sites/okhotsk.htm.
The importance and population of Okhotsk sharply declined following the demise of the Soviet Union.
Urban-type settlement
Urban-type settlement ; , selyshche mis'koho typu ) is an official designation for a type of locality used in some of the countries of the former Soviet Union...
) and a seaport at the mouth of the Okhota River
Okhota River
The Okhota River is a river in Khabarovsk Krai, historically it was the easternmost end of the Siberian River Routes.It rises in Suntar-Khayata Range. After river flows in wide valley between Yudom and Kukhtuy Ranges into Sea of Okhotsk. The mouth of river is near Okhotsk.Okhota River is 393 km...
on the Sea of Okhotsk
Sea of Okhotsk
The Sea of Okhotsk is a marginal sea of the western Pacific Ocean, lying between the Kamchatka Peninsula on the east, the Kuril Islands on the southeast, the island of Hokkaidō to the far south, the island of Sakhalin along the west, and a long stretch of eastern Siberian coast along the west and...
, in Okhotsky District
Okhotsky District
Okhotsky District is an administrative and municipal district , one of the seventeen in Khabarovsk Krai, Russia. Its administrative center is the urban locality of Okhotsk. District's population: Population of Okhotsk accounts for 47.7% of the district's population....
, Khabarovsk Krai
Khabarovsk Krai
Khabarovsk Krai is a federal subject of Russia , located in the Russian Far East. It lies mostly in the basin of the lower Amur River, but also occupies a vast mountainous area along the coastline of the Sea of Okhotsk, an arm of the Pacific Ocean. The administrative center of the krai is the...
, Russia
Russia
Russia or , officially known as both Russia and the Russian Federation , is a country in northern Eurasia. It is a federal semi-presidential republic, comprising 83 federal subjects...
. Population: 4,470 (2010 est.);
Located at the eastern end of the River Route
Siberian River Routes
Siberian River Routes were the main ways of communication in the Russian Siberia before the 1730s, when roads began to be built. The rivers also were of primary importance in the process of Russian exploration and colonisation of vast Siberian territories...
from the Urals, Okhotsk was the first Russian settlement on the Pacific Coast
Russian Far East
Russian Far East is a term that refers to the Russian part of the Far East, i.e., extreme east parts of Russia, between Lake Baikal in Eastern Siberia and the Pacific Ocean...
. It was established as a wintering camp in 1643 by the Cossacks under Semyon Shelkovnikov. The fort of Kosoy Ostrozhok was constructed in 1649. Although the Russian pioneers were skilled in building river boats they lacked the knowledge and equipment to build sea-going vessels. When the Russians entered Kamchatka they had to travel overland. In 1714, Peter the Great sent a party of shipbuilders to Okhotsk to allow faster access to the furs of Kamchatka. In 1718, Kozma Sokolov built the first vessel in Okhotsk and embarked upon a voyage to Kamchatka. This route became so popular with Russian navigators that by 1731 Okhotsk had been firmly established as the foremost Russian seaport on the Pacific.
Russian-American Company
The Russian-American Company was a state-sponsored chartered company formed largely on the basis of the so-called Shelekhov-Golikov Company of Grigory Shelekhov and Ivan Larionovich Golikov The Russian-American Company (officially: Under His Imperial Majesty's Highest Protection (patronage)...
activities. It is known for being the headquarters for the explorer Vitus Bering
Vitus Bering
Vitus Jonassen Bering Vitus Jonassen Bering Vitus Jonassen Bering (also, less correNavy]], a captain-komandor known among the Russian sailors as Ivan Ivanovich. He is noted for being the first European to discover Alaska and its Aleutian Islands...
, who sailed from here for two extraordinary expeditions, discovering the Bering Strait
Bering Strait
The Bering Strait , known to natives as Imakpik, is a sea strait between Cape Dezhnev, Chukotka Autonomous Okrug, Russia, the easternmost point of the Asian continent and Cape Prince of Wales, Alaska, USA, the westernmost point of the North American continent, with latitude of about 65°40'N,...
on one and Alaska
Alaska
Alaska is the largest state in the United States by area. It is situated in the northwest extremity of the North American continent, with Canada to the east, the Arctic Ocean to the north, and the Pacific Ocean to the west and south, with Russia further west across the Bering Strait...
on the other. The Portuguese Jew Anton de Vieira
Anton de Vieira
António Manuel de Vieira, known in Russia as Count Anton Manuilovich Devier, Антон Мануилович Девиер , was one of Peter I's foreign associates, who proved to be an efficient administrator in St Petersburg and Siberia....
was the town's governor at that time.
The growth of Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky
Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky
Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky is the main city and the administrative, industrial, scientific, and cultural center of Kamchatka Krai, Russia. Population: .-History:It was founded by Danish navigator Vitus Bering, in the service of the Russian Navy...
dislodged Okhotsk from its leading commercial position in the early 19th century, although it remained important as the base of the Siberian Military Flotilla, a predecessor of the Russian Pacific Fleet. In 1812, the town was moved to a new site across the Okhota River.
During the early 19th century Okhotsk was the administrative center of Okhotsk Okrug within larger Yakutsk Oblast.
Okhotsk gradually lost its strategic importance in the second half of the 19th century.
In 1856, it became part of new Primorskaya Oblast centered at Khabarovsk
Khabarovsk
Khabarovsk is the largest city and the administrative center of Khabarovsk Krai, Russia. It is located some from the Chinese border. It is the second largest city in the Russian Far East, after Vladivostok. The city became the administrative center of the Far Eastern Federal District of Russia...
. In 1840, work began to move to a better port at Ayan 270 miles down the coast, but with the Amur Annexation
Amur Annexation
The Amur Annexation refers to the annexation of the southeast corner of Siberia by Russia from China in 1858–60. The two areas involved are the Priamurye between the Amur River and the Stanovoy Range to the north and the Primorye which runs down the coast from the Amur mouth to the Korean border...
in 1860 and the shift of naval power to Vladivostok
Vladivostok
The city is located in the southern extremity of Muravyov-Amursky Peninsula, which is about 30 km long and approximately 12 km wide.The highest point is Mount Kholodilnik, the height of which is 257 m...
both Okhotsk and Ayan lost their importance.
The Russian territorial gains along the Pacific coast were recognized by Qing China in the Treaty of Aigun
Treaty of Aigun
The Treaty of Aigun was a 1858 treaty between the Russian Empire, and the empire of the Qing Dynasty, the sinicized-Manchu rulers of China, that established much of the modern border between the Russian Far East and Manchuria , which is now known as Northeast China...
of 1860.
Okhotsk was of some military importance during the Russian Civil War
Russian Civil War
The Russian Civil War was a multi-party war that occurred within the former Russian Empire after the Russian provisional government collapsed to the Soviets, under the domination of the Bolshevik party. Soviet forces first assumed power in Petrograd The Russian Civil War (1917–1923) was a...
, when the White army generals Vasily Rakitin and Anatoly Pepelyayev
Anatoly Pepelyayev
Anatoly Nikolayevich Pepelyayev was a White Russian general who led the Siberian armies of Admiral Kolchak during the Russian Civil War. His elder brother Viktor Pepelyayev served as Prime Minister in Kolchak's government.-Trans-Siberian march:...
used it as their place of arms in the Far East
Yakut Revolt
The Yakut Revolt or the Yakut Expedition was the last episode of the Russian Civil War. The hostilities took place between September 1921 and June 1923 and were centred on the Ayano-Maysky District of the Russian Far East.A formidable rising flared up in this part of Yakutia in September 1921...
.
Okhotsk was also a launch site of sounding rockets between 1981 and 2005. The rockets reached altitudes of up to 1,000 km http://www.astronautix.com/sites/okhotsk.htm.
The importance and population of Okhotsk sharply declined following the demise of the Soviet Union.