Nikolai Rudanovsky, Major General of the Navy, member of the Amur expedition led by G. I. Nevelskoy, explorer of South Sakhalin was born

Nikolai Vasilyevich Rudanovsky, Major General of the Navy, member of the Amur expedition led by G. I. Nevelskoy, explorer of South Sakhalin was born on November 15 (27), 1819 in a town of Vyatka into a large noble family.

Vasili Rudanovsky, Nikolai Rudanovsky’s father, took part in the Patriotic War of 1812, fought in the Caucasian War and left the service in 1816 holding the rank of lieutenant colonel. As to the civil service, he held the position of chairman of the Kazan Civic Chamber.

Nikolai Rudanovsky studied in the 1st navigation school in Kronstadt. He had been travelling on the ships of the Baltic Fleet for a decade, and gained a brilliant experience of research and naval service. In 1851 Rudanovsky was transferred to Kamchatka Flotilla. He served on board Olivutsa corvette and Irtysh vessel. He was the first and the only volunteer to go to Sakhalin to explore the island and successfully performed the task of forming a team out of sailors of the 47th naval crew. Major N. V. Busse was appointed head of the expedition to the island, and Rudanovsky was chosen for a position of his deputy.

Muravyovsky Post, founded by Nevelskoy in Aniva Bay, which was built by Busse, Rudanovsky and Sakhalin landing troops, marked the beginning of the exploration of Sakhalin. During the winter of 1853-1854 in Muravyovsky Post Rudanovsky began the geographical, hydrographic and ethnographic survey of the south of the island. The first expedition took place from October 6 (18) to October 26 (November 7), 1853 in the nearby environs of Muravyovsky Post. Meanwhile Rudanovsky carried out regular meteorological observations. The second expedition began on October 29 (November 11) and lasted until November 14 (26), 1853. On a boat with oarsmen and an Ainu guide Rudanovsky explored the coast of Aniva Bay up to Cape Aniva. The coast of Muravyovsky Post was explored and depth measurements were made as part of the third expedition, which was held from November 21 (December 3) to December 12 (24), 1853. Rudanovsky’s fourth and the main journey was carried out along the winter road from December 20 (January 1) 1853 to January 18 (30), 1854. Together with Cossack S. Beryozkin and an Ainu guide Seriponku he reached the shore of the Sea of ​​Okhotsk (at latitude of 48° N) and from an Ainu village of Manuya he crossed the ridge and reached the shore of the Strait of Tartary of the Sea of ​​Japan. Rudanovsky made his fifth journey, which lasted from February 23 (March 7) to March 3 (15), 1854 to Mordvinov Bay. Out of 250 days in Sakhalin, Rudanovsky spent 140 days in continuous trips around the island. During his journeys on dogs, boats and on foot, he covered over 700 km, explored the territory of South Sakhalin at latitude of 46° - 48° N. Nikolai Rudanovsky’s logbook is available as part of the book “The Feats of Russian Naval Officers in the Far East of Russia” authored by Nevelskoy. Studies focused on the south of Sakhalin entered the works about the island by L. I. Schrenck, P. A. Tikhmenev, A. A. Khalezov, N. I. Sharypov and V. Shenurin. Mercator maps of central and southern parts of Sakhalin, based on Nikolai Rudanovsky’s maps and plans, were printed in 1867. Some materials were provided to Vice-Admiral Ye. V. Putyatin, who used them during the Russian-Japanese negotiations, which ended with the signing of the Treaty of Shimoda of 1855. After the removal of Muravyovsky Post in May 1854, by order of Putyatin Rudanovsky temporarily headed Konstantinovsky Post in the Imperial harbor, thus replacing N. K. Boshnyak, who had health problems. Later he was deputy head of Ayan port, head of Alexandrovsky and Mariinsky Posts.

In 1856 Rudanovsky again arrived in Sakhalin. He was the head of the military Post of Due. He began its construction, initiated coal production, and carried out meteorological observations and hydrographic research. In the summer of 1857 with a team of sailors he was sent to the south of the island, where he founded Kusunaisky Post on August 20 (September 1), surveyed Poyasok isthmus, discovered three deposits of coal on the western coast of Sakhalin. An important result of the research conducted by Lieutenant Nikolai Rudanovsky was the first map of South Sakhalin and the census of indigenous people. According to the census data of 1854, amended in 1857, there were 95 Ainu camps in the south of the island with a population of 2,479 people. This information was extremely important, for it described the population of South Sakhalin shortly before the beginning of the Russian colonization.

From 1858 to 1881 Rudanovsky served in the Baltic Fleet.

He was awarded the following Orders: the Order of Saint Stanislaus 2nd class (1866), the Order of Saint Vladimir 4th class (1867), the Order of Saint Anne 2nd class. (1876).

Nikolai Vasilyevich Rudanovsky died in 1882. He was buried at Uspensky cemetery in St. Petersburg.

Some geographical objects in Sakhalin Region are named after N. V. Rudanovsky. A monument to the explorer of Sakhalin (sculptor V. N. Chebotaryov) was unveiled in Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk on June 29, 2007.

Lit.: Латышев В. М. Записки лейтенанта Н. В. Рудановского о Сахалине в 1857 г. : [обзор] // Вестн. Сахалин. музея. 2014. № 21. С. 48–56; Костанов А. И. Рудановский Николай Васильевич, мореплаватель, гидрограф [Электронный ресурс] // Энциклопедия Сахалинской области. URL: https://encsakhalin.su/article/4459; Южно-Сахалинск: три цвета времени. Владивосток, 2002. С. 8.

The material was provided by the Sakhalin Regional Universal Research Library