Kusova or Kusov Island (russian: остров Кусова; ''Ostrov Kusova'') is a small island in the
Shantar Islands
The Shantar Islands (russian: Шантарские острова, translit=Shantarskiye ostrova) are a group of fifteen islands located off the northwestern shore of the Sea of Okhotsk east of Uda Gulf and north of Academy Bay. Most of the isla ...
in the
Sea of Okhotsk
The Sea of Okhotsk ( rus, Охо́тское мо́ре, Ohótskoye móre ; ja, オホーツク海, Ohōtsuku-kai) is a marginal sea of the western Pacific Ocean. It is located between Russia's Kamchatka Peninsula on the east, the Kuril Islands ...
. It lies southeast of
Bolshoy Shantar Island
Bolshoy Shantar ( rus, Большо́й Шантар, r=Bol'shoy Shantar, Big Shantar, p=bɐlʲˈʂoj ʂɐnˈtar) is the main island of the Shantar Islands in the Sea of Okhotsk, Russia; its area is and it measures about . It has a large bracki ...
.
Geography
The island lies towards the eastern end of the group. It is 4.2 km (2.6 mi) in length, with a maximum width of 2.6 km (1.6 mi). It is quite high, rising abruptly to a height of 633 m (2,076 ft).
Kusova Island is separated from
Bolshoy Shantar Island
Bolshoy Shantar ( rus, Большо́й Шантар, r=Bol'shoy Shantar, Big Shantar, p=bɐlʲˈʂoj ʂɐnˈtar) is the main island of the Shantar Islands in the Sea of Okhotsk, Russia; its area is and it measures about . It has a large bracki ...
to the northwest by a 14 km (8.7 mi) wide sound.
History
Kusova was frequented by
American
American(s) may refer to:
* American, something of, from, or related to the United States of America, commonly known as the "United States" or "America"
** Americans, citizens and nationals of the United States of America
** American ancestry, pe ...
whaleships targeting
bowhead whale
The bowhead whale (''Balaena mysticetus'') is a species of baleen whale belonging to the family Balaenidae and the only living representative of the genus ''Balaena''. They are the only baleen whale endemic to the Arctic and subarctic waters, ...
s between 1853 and 1867. They simply called it Round Island. They would anchor off the island and send men ashore to obtain wood.
[''Mary Frazier'', of New Bedford, July 10–11, 1857, June 26, 1859, NWC.]
References
{{Sea of Okhotsk Islands
Shantar Islands