Bering himself has been criticized with increasing…
September 1740 CE
Bering himself has been criticized with increasing regularity over the past three years (his salary had already been halved in 1537 when the originally planned four years had run out); the delays have also caused friction between Bering and his two captains, Aleksei Chirikov (who feels unduly constrained) and Martin Shpangberg (who feels Bering is too weak in his dealings with the local peoples).
The two key figures who had been so useful to Bering in St. Petersburg back in the early 1530s (Saunders and Kirilov) are now dead, and there have been occasional moves to either terminate the expedition or to replace Bering.
Meanwhile, a fourth ship, the Bolsheretsk, has been constructed and Shpangberg (having identified some thirty Kuril Islands on his first trip) has led the four ships on a second voyage, which had seen the first Russians land in Japan.
With the main, America-bound expedition almost ready, Anna Bering in August 1740 returns to St. Petersburg with her and Vitus' younger children.
Bering will never see his wife again.
Those without places on a ship also begin the long journey home.
A messenger arrives as they leave; the admiralty is demanding a progress update.
Bering delays, promising a partial report from Shpangberg and a fuller report later.
With time now of the essence, the Okhotsk (a new construction) leaves for Bolsheretsk, arriving there in mid-September.
Another new ship, the St. Peter (Sviatoi Piotr), captained by Bering, also leaves.
It is accompanied by its sister creation the St. Paul (Sviatoi Pavel) and the Nadezhda.