Orca Bay is a bay in

Prince William Sound Prince William Sound ( Sugpiaq: ''Suungaaciq'') is a sound of the Gulf of Alaska on the south coast of the U.S. state of Alaska. It is located on the east side of the Kenai Peninsula. Its largest port is Valdez, at the southern terminus of the T ...

, Alaska. Orca Bay is on the north west and west sides of Hawkins Island, extending westward to Johnstone Point of Hinchenbrook Island. Its northwestern corner is demarcated by Knowles Head, between Port Gravina and Fidalgo Bay on the mainland. Its eastern end can be reached from the port of Cordova, Alaska on Orca Inlet. According to the US Board on Geographic Names, Orca Bay was named for the Orca

salmon cannery A salmon cannery is a factory that commercially cans salmon. It is a fish-processing industry that became established on the Pacific coast of North America during the 19th century, and subsequently expanded to other parts of the world that had e ...

of the

Pacific Steam Whaling Company The Pacific Ocean is the largest and deepest of Earth's five oceanic divisions. It extends from the Arctic Ocean in the north to the Southern Ocean (or, depending on definition, to Antarctica) in the south, and is bounded by the continen ...

, which operated on the southeast shore of Orca Inlet and in turn was named for that company's ship ''Orca''. Ultimately the name is derived from the

orca The orca or killer whale (''Orcinus orca'') is a toothed whale belonging to the oceanic dolphin family, of which it is the largest member. It is the only extant species in the genus '' Orcinus'' and is recognizable by its black-and-white ...

or killer whale. The bay was named ''Puerto Córdova'' by the Spanish explorer

Salvador Fidalgo Salvador Fidalgo y Lopegarcía (6 August 1756 – 27 September 1803) was a Spanish explorer. He commanded an exploring expedition for Spain to Alaska and the Pacific Northwest during the late 18th century. Early career Fidalgo was born in La Se ...

, in 1790, with the English name “Cordova Bay” marked on charts. It was renamed by the early twentieth century, to avoid confusion with

Cordova Bay Cordova Bay is a bay in the Alexander Archipelago of southeast Alaska. It opens onto Dixon Entrance to the south, between Cape Muzon on Dall Island and Point Marsh (a group of small islets just off Prince of Wales Island). The name Puerto Cordov ...

Dixon Entrance The Dixon Entrance (french: Entrée Dixon) is a strait about long and wide in the Pacific Ocean at the Canada–United States border, between the U.S. state of Alaska and the province of British Columbia in Canada. The Dixon Entrance is part o ...

, at the eastern extreme of the Gulf of Alaska. The

United States Navy The United States Navy (USN) is the maritime service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the eight uniformed services of the United States. It is the largest and most powerful navy in the world, with the estimated tonnage ...

seaplane tender USS ''Orca'' (AVP-49), in commission from 1944 to 1947 and from 1951 to 1960, was named for Orca Bay.Naval Historical Cente
''Dictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships'' "Orca"
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References

{{Coord, 60, 34, 43, N, 146, 12, 23, W, display=title Bays of Alaska Bodies of water of Chugach Census Area, Alaska

See also

References