Laptev, Khariton

Year of birth unknown; died 1763. Russian arctic explorer, naval officer.

Laptev began his naval career in 1718 as a garde marine. From 1739 to 1742 he was in charge of one of the northern detachments of the Second Kamchatka Expedition. Together with S. I. Cheliuskin, N. Chekin, and G. Medvedev he compiled a description of the Taimyr Peninsula from the mouth of the Khatanga River to the mouth of the Piasina River. He also discovered anddescribed several nearby islands. Upon completion of the expedition, Laptev continued to serve in the Baltic Fleet. A coaston the Taimyr Peninsula and a cape on the Cheliuskin Peninsula have been named after him. In addition, one of the seas of the Arctic Ocean has been named in honor of Kh. P. Laptev and D. Ia. Laptev.