1878, july 4^th . Adolf Erik Nordenskiold sets sails from Goteborg with the ships Vega and Lena with the intent to discover and to sail through the North East passage that from Europe, the Barents Sea and Russia, goes to the Bering Strait and therefore to the Pacific Ocean.

Once past Cape Celiuskin, in Siberia, the ship Lena goes through the river, that will take its name, and arrives to Jakutsk, after having gone back to the river for quite 1.500 kilometers.

Nordenskiold continues through the Bering Strait but the winter ices block the ship to a day of navigation from the Bering Strait. Therefore he is compelled to pass the winter in the sea of Ciukcy.

One year after the ship, free from the ices, reaches Yokohama in Japan; in September 2^nd 1879 Nordenskiold with the ship Vega is the first one to navigate the passage to North East between Atlantic and Pacific.