Shalaurov, Nikita Pavlovich (?–1764)

Shalaurov, Nikita Pavlovich (?–1764) – Russian merchant from Ustyug, one of the first traders’ seamen, who were determined to explore the Northern Sea Route, and an Arctic explorer.

In 1748–1749 he performed the navigation from Anadyr stockade town to Nizhnekamchatskiy Island, having spent the winter on the Commander Islands. At the beginning of the 1750s, S. together with Ivan Bakhov submitted a claim to the government about searching for the Northern Sea Route from the Lena Delta to the Pacific. In 1755 the senate issued a decree, according to which S. and Bakhov were granted a vacation for the search. In the period from 1757 until 1762, he conducted the navigation from Yakutsk down the Lena and then to Cape Shelagskiy by sea on the vessels “Vera,” “Nadezhda,” and “Lyubov.” During the navigation of 1758, S’s vessel could only reach Cape Bykovsky. In 1759 the vessel left the Lena Delta and reached Cape Chokurdakh, where it was crushed in the ice and stranded at the distance of 12 km...