Mirny (sloop-of-war)
Mirny (Russian: Ми́рный, literally "Peaceful") was a 20-gun sloop-of-war of the Imperial Russian Navy, the second ship of the First Russian Antarctic Expedition in 1819–1821, during which Fabian Gottlieb von Bellingshausen (commander of the lead ship "Vostok") and Mikhail Lazarev (commanding "Mirny") circumnavigated the globe, discovered the continent of Antarctica and twice circumnavigated it, and discovered a number of islands and archipelagos in the Southern Ocean and the Pacific. History. "Mirny" was under construction in 1818 at Olonetskaya Shipyards, Lodeynoye Pole. It was initially named "Ladoga" (after Lake Ladoga), but when a new  ship became needed for an Antarctic expedition, the decision was taken not to build a completely new one, but to refit "Ladoga". It was reconstructed under surveillance of its future commander Mikhail Lazarev. On "Vostok" under the captaincy of Commander Fabian Gottlieb von Bellingshausen, the leader of the expedition, alongside "Mirny" under the command of Lieutenant Commander Mikhail Lazarev left Kronshtadt and on reached the shore of Antarctica, which was sighted for the first time in history. After repair in Sydney in Australia, the expedition explored the tropical parts of the Pacific, and on again turned to Antarctica. On the  sloops reached the southernmost point of their voyage at 69° 53' S and 92° 19' W. On they returned to Kronshtadt. In 751 days they covered 49 723 miles (circa 92 300 km). Apart from the discovery of the world's sixth continent, Antarctica, 29 islands were mapped and complex oceanographic works carried out. A medal was issued by the Russian Admiralty to commemorate the expedition.