Khariton Prokofievich Laptev (1700-1763)

In December 1737, he was appointed commander of one of the northern detachments of the Great Northern Expedition, tasked with surveying and describing the Arctic coast west of the Lena River to the mouth of the Yenisei River. Together with navigator S. Chelyuskin and surveyor N. Chekin, he surveyed the shores of Taimyr using dogsleds.