Lemaire Island () is an island long and wide, lying west of Duthiers Point off the west coast of

Graham Land Graham Land is the portion of the Antarctic Peninsula that lies north of a line joining Cape Jeremy and Cape Agassiz. This description of Graham Land is consistent with the 1964 agreement between the British Antarctic Place-names Committee ...

, Antarctica.

Location

Lemaire Island is off the

Danco Coast The Danco Coast () is the portion of the west coast of the Antarctic Peninsula between Cape Sterneck and Cape Renard. This coast was explored in January and February 1898 by the Belgian Antarctic Expedition under Adrien de Gerlache, who named it ...

on the west side of the

Antarctic Peninsula The Antarctic Peninsula, known as O'Higgins Land in Chile and Tierra de San Martin in Argentina, and originally as Graham Land in the United Kingdom and the Palmer Peninsula in the United States, is the northernmost part of mainland Antarctica. ...

. It is near the southern end of the

Gerlache Strait Gerlache Strait or de Gerlache Strait or Détroit de la Belgica is a Channel (geography), channel/strait separating the Palmer Archipelago from the Antarctic Peninsula. The Belgian Antarctic Expedition, under Lt. Adrien de Gerlache, explored the ...

, opposite

Wiencke Island Wiencke Island is an island long and from wide, about in area, the southernmost of the major islands of the Palmer Archipelago, lying between Anvers Island to its north across the Neumayer Channel and the west coast of the Antarctic Peninsu ...

to the west. It is west of Rongé Island and Andvord Bay, and north of Bryde Island and

Paradise Harbour Paradise Harbour () is a wide embayment behind Lemaire Island and Bryde Island, indenting the west coast of Graham Land, Antarctica, between Duthiers Point and Leniz Point. The name was first applied by whalers operating in the vicinity and wa ...

. Cruise ships that have sailed along the

Neumayer Channel Neumayer Channel () is a channel 16 miles (26 km) long in a NE-SW direction and about 1.5 miles (2.4 km) wide, separating Anvers Island from Wiencke Island and Doumer Island, in the Palmer Archipelago. The southwest entrance to this cha ...

Port Lockroy Port Lockroy is a bay forming a natural harbour on the north-western shore of Wiencke Island in the Palmer Archipelago to the west of the Antarctic Peninsula. The Antarctic base with the same name, situated on Goudier Island in this bay, includ ...

often pass by Lemaire Island when taking a different route to return.

Description

The ''Sailing Directions for Antarctica'' (1976) describes Lemaire Island as follows:

Discovery and name

Lemaire Island was discovered by the

Belgian Antarctic Expedition The Belgian Antarctic Expedition of 1897–1899 was the first expedition to winter in the Antarctic region. Led by Adrien de Gerlache de Gomery aboard the RV ''Belgica'', it was the first Belgian Antarctic expedition and is considered the fir ...

(BelgAE), 1897–99, under

Adrien de Gerlache Baron Adrien Victor Joseph de Gerlache de Gomery (; 2 August 1866 – 4 December 1934) was a Belgian officer in the Belgian Royal Navy who led the Belgian Antarctic Expedition of 1897–99. Early years Born in Hasselt in eastern Belgium as t ...

, who named it for

Charles Antoine Lemaire Charles Antoine Lemaire (1 November 1800, in Paris – 22 June 1871, in Paris), was a French botanist and botanical author, noted for his publications on Cactaceae. Education Born the son of Antoine Charles Lemaire and Marie Jeanne Davio, he ha ...

Features

Memorial Point

. On 3 October 2017, the

UK Antarctic Place-Names Committee The UK Antarctic Place-Names Committee (or UK-APC) is a United Kingdom government committee, part of the Foreign and Commonwealth Office, responsible for recommending names of geographical locations within the British Antarctic Territory (BAT) an ...

(UK-APC) approved the name "Memorial Point" for the western tip of Lemaire Island. It commemorates all British personnel who died while working in Antarctica, and who have not had features named after them as individuals.

Rojas Peak

. A peak rising to about high in the center of Lemaire Island. Named "Cerro Rojas" by the

Chilean Antarctic Expedition The First Chilean Antarctic Expedition (1947–1948) was an expedition to Antarctica mounted by the Chilean government and military to enforce its territorial claims against British challenges, namely Operation Tabarin. Among other accomplishmen ...

, 1950-51, after Sargento Angel Gustavo Rojas, who disappeared in a blizzard while returning from hydrographic work at

Discovery Bay Discovery Bay is a picturesque residential community located on Lantau Island. The 2021 census recorded a population of 19,336 residents in DB, with 55% of them being non-Chinese. DB is home to a significant community compared of expatriates ...

, Greenwich Island, September 1, 1949.

Muñoz Point

. The southeast point of Lemaire Island. First mapped by the BelgAE, 1897-99. Named "Punta Munoz" by the Chilean Antarctic Expedition, 1950-51, after Roberto Labra Muñoz, in charge of General Bernardo O'Higgins Station, 1950-51.

Molina Point

. The eastern point of Lemaire Island. Named "Punta Molina" by the Chilean Antarctic Expedition, 1950-51, possibly after a member of the expedition.

Nearby features

Lautaro Island

. An island long, lying just west of Lemaire Island in Gerlache Strait. Probably first seen by the BelgAE (1897-99) under Adrien de Gerlache. Named by the Chilean Antarctic Expedition (1948-49) after the ''Lautaro'', one of the Chilean expedition ships working in the area that season.

O'Neill Point

. The north point of Lautaro Island, lying west-southwest of Lemaire Island. Named by the

(UK-APC) in 1977 for Vincent Michael O'Neill, FIDS radio operator and mechanic at Danco Island, 1957-58, and Deception Island, 1958-59.

Siebert Rock

. A rock off the southwest point of Lemaire Island in the entrance to Lientur Channel. Charted by the Chilean Antarctic Expedition, 1950-51, and named after Capitán de Corbeta Ernesto Siebert G., engineer officer on the expedition transport ship ''Angamos''.

Lientur Channel

. Channel between Lemaire Island and Bryde Island connecting Paradise Harbor with Gerlache Strait. First roughly charted by the BelgAE, 1897-99. Named by the fourth Chilean Antarctic Expedition (1949-50) after the ''Lientur'', one of the ships used during this expedition.

Aguirre Cerda Passage

. A marine channel between Lemaire Island and Danco Coast, permitting northern access to Paradise Harbor. The feature was navigated by the ship ''Belgica'' (BelgAE, 1897-99) and was known to Norwegian whalers in the area from 1913. Chilean Antarctic Expeditions operated a science station on Waterboat Point at Aguirre Passage from 1951-73. Named by the Chilean Antarctic Expedition, 1950-51, after Don

Pedro Aguirre Cerda Pedro Abelino Aguirre Cerda (; February 6, 1879 – November 25, 1941) was a Chilean political figure, educator, and lawyer who served as the 22nd president of Chile from 1938 until his death in 1941. He was Political moderate, moderate. A me ...

(1879-1941), President of Chile, 1938-41.

References

Sources

* * * * {{refend Islands of the Palmer Archipelago