Grant Island (74°28′S 131°35′W / 74.467°S 131.583°W) is an ice-covered island, 20 nautical miles (37 km; 23 mi) long and 10 nautical miles (19 km; 12 mi) wide, lying 5 nautical miles (9.3 km; 5.8 mi) east of the smaller Shepard Island off the coast of Marie Byrd Land, Antarctica. Like Shepard Island, Grant Island is surrounded by the Getz Ice Shelf on all but the north side.[1]
 Map of Grant Island | |
  Grant Island Location in Antarctica | |
| Geography | |
|---|---|
| Location | Antarctica |
| Coordinates | 74°28′S 131°35′W / 74.467°S 131.583°W |
| Area | 703 km2 (271 sq mi) |
| Length | 37 km (23 mi) |
| Width | 19 km (11.8 mi) |
| Administration | |
| Administered under the Antarctic Treaty System | |
| Demographics | |
| Population | Uninhabited |
Location
edit Grant Island is in the north, seaward edge of the Getz Ice Shelf. Reynolds Strait is on its north side, which is indented by Ledda Bay, and separates it from Forrester Island. Shepard Island is to the west. Features, from west to east, include Brookman Point, Mount Obiglio, Mount Hummel and McCarthy Point.[2]
Discovery and name
editGrant Island was discovered and charted by personnel aboard USS Glacier on February 4, 1962. It was named by the United States Advisory Committee on Antarctic Names (US-ACAN) for Commander E. G. Grant, Commanding Officer of USS Glacier at the time of discovery.[1]
Features and nearby features
editBrookman Point
edit74°19′S 131°51′W / 74.317°S 131.850°W. The snow-covered northwest point of Grant Island. Discovered and first charted from the USS Glacier (Captain Edwin A. McDonald, United States Navy) in February 1962. Named by US-ACAN for Lieutenant Peter J. Brookman, CEC, United States Navy, Officer-in-Charge at Byrd Station, 1970.[3]
Mount Obiglio
edit74°27′S 131°50′W / 74.450°S 131.833°W. A moderate rock summit 510 metres (1,670 ft) high in the west-central portion of Grant Island. Discovered and charted from the USS Glacier on February 4, 1962 during Operation Deep Freeze 1961-62. Named by US-ACAN for Lieutenant G.M. Obiglio, Argentine naval observer aboard the Glacier, at the suggestion of the Task Unit Commander, Captain Edwin A. McDonald, United States Navy.[4]
Mount Hummel
edit74°28′S 131°19′W / 74.467°S 131.317°W. A snow-capped summit that rises above the east-central portion of Grant Island. Discovered and first charted from the USS Glacier on February 4, 1962. Named by US-ACAN for Lieutenant (j.g.) William T. Hummel, United States Navy Reserve, helicopter pilot aboard Glacier at the time of discovery.[5]
McCarthy Point
edit74°25′S 130°59′W / 74.417°S 130.983°W. An ice-covered point that marks the northeast extremity of Grant Island. Discovered and charted from the USS Glacier on February 4, 1962. Named by US-ACAN for Lieutenant (j-g.) J.F. McCarthy, United States Navy, Disbursing Officer on the Glacier at the time of discovery.[6]
Reynolds Strait
edit74°15′S 132°10′W / 74.250°S 132.167°W. A strait between Forrester Island on the north and Shepard Island and Grant Island along the edge of Getz Ice Shelf on the south. The discovery of Forrester Island from USS Glacier on February 4, 1962 simultaneously established the existence of the strait, which was then sounded. The name was applied by US-ACAN for Ralph R. Reynolds (1938-73), Lieutenant Commander, CEC, United States Navy who was Officer-inCharge of the Navy Nuclear Power Unit at McMurdo Station in 1970.[7]
Ledda Bay
edit74°23′S 131°20′W / 74.383°S 131.333°W. A shallow embayment or bight, 12 nautical miles (22 km; 14 mi) long, in the north side of Grant Island. Discovered and first charted from the USS Glacier on February 4, 1962. Named for R.J. Ledda, QM3, United States Navy, quartermaster aboard the Glacier on the cruise in which the bay was discovered.[8]
Forrester Island
edit74°09′S 132°13′W / 74.150°S 132.217°W. An ice-capped island 3.5 nautical miles (6.5 km; 4.0 mi) long that lies 13 nautical miles (24 km; 15 mi) north-northeast of Shepard Island, off the Getz Ice Shelf. The island was discovered and charted from the USS Glacier on February 5, 1962. Named by US-ACAN after Lieutenant Commander John J. Forrester, United States Navy, Executive Officer aboard Glacier at the time of discovery.[9]
References
edit- ^ a b Alberts 1995, p. 291.
- ^ Grant Island USGS.
- ^ Alberts 1995, p. 96.
- ^ Alberts 1995, p. 537.
- ^ Alberts 1995, p. 354.
- ^ Alberts 1995, p. 473.
- ^ Alberts 1995, p. 615.
- ^ Alberts 1995, p. 525.
- ^ Alberts 1995, p. 252.
Sources
edit- Alberts, Fred G., ed. (1995), Geographic Names of the Antarctic (PDF) (2 ed.), United States Board on Geographic Names, retrieved 2023-12-03
This article incorporates public domain material from websites or documents of the United States Board on Geographic Names. - Grant Island, USGS: United States Geological Survey, retrieved 2024-04-06
- This article incorporates public domain material from websites or documents of the United States Geological Survey.