North Pacific High Sea

Far out in the northern Pacific, the sea between Kamchatka and the western Aleutians is exposed to long ocean storms. In 1741 Vitus Bering's expedition crossed these waters on its return from the American coast. The voyage ended in shipwreck on an island off Kamchatka, where Bering died. The survivors brought news of fur-bearing animals back to Russia, encouraging hunters to sail eastward toward the Aleutians.