Sandefjord Bay () is a narrow body of water on the west coast of

Coronation Island Coronation Island is the largest of the South Orkney Islands, long and from wide. The island extends in a general east–west direction, is mainly ice-covered and comprises numerous bays, glaciers and peaks, the highest rising to . History T ...

in the

South Orkney Islands The South Orkney Islands are a group of islands in the Southern Ocean, about north-east of the tip of the Antarctic Peninsula Antarctica Antarctica () is Earth's southernmost and least-populated continent. Situated almost entirely south of the Antarctic Circle and surrounded by the Southern Ocean, it contains the geographic South Pole. Antarctica is the fifth-largest contine ...

. It is long and extends in a northeast-southwest direction between Coronation Island and

Monroe Island The Larsen Islands are a small group of islands north-west of Moreton Point, the western extremity of Coronation Island, in the South Orkney Islands of Antarctica. They were discovered by Captains George Powell and Nathaniel Palmer on the occas ...

. Spine Island lies in the entrance of the bay. Just southwest of Spine Island is Mainsail Rock, which is the largest and easternmost of a chain of three rocks trending in a northwest–southeast direction off the southeast side of

History

The bay was discovered and roughly charted by Captain George Powell and Captain

Nathaniel Palmer Nathaniel Brown Palmer (August 8, 1799June 21, 1877) was an American seal hunter, explorer, sailing captain, and ship designer. He gave his name to Palmer Land, Antarctica, which he explored in 1820 on his sloop ''Hero''. He was born in Stoning ...

during their joint cruise in December 1821. The name Sandefjord, presumably for

Sandefjord, Norway Sandefjord () is a city and the most populous municipality in Vestfold og Telemark county, Norway. The municipality of Sandefjord was established on 1 January 1838. The municipality of Sandar was merged into Sandefjord on 1 January 1969. On 1 ...

, center of the Norwegian whaling industry, appears to have been first used on a 1912 chart by

Petter Sorlle Petter may refer to: People: *Petter (given name) * W. E. W. Petter, English aircraft designer *Arlie Petters, a Belizean-American mathematical physicist *Tom Petters, former CEO and chairman of Petters Group Worldwide Place names: *Petter Bay, a ...

, a

Norwegian Norwegian, Norwayan, or Norsk may refer to: *Something of, from, or related to Norway, a country in northwestern Europe *Norwegians, both a nation and an ethnic group native to Norway *Demographics of Norway *The Norwegian language, including the ...

whaling captain. The feature was surveyed by

Discovery Investigations The Discovery Investigations were a series of scientific cruises and shore-based investigations into the biology of whales in the Southern Ocean. They were funded by the British Colonial Office and organised by the Discovery Committee in London, wh ...

(DI) personnel in 1933, who named Mainsail Rock at the same time. The

British Antarctic Survey The British Antarctic Survey (BAS) is the United Kingdom's national polar research institute. It has a dual purpose, to conduct polar science, enabling better understanding of global issues, and to provide an active presence in the Antarctic on ...

constructed a hut on Sandefjord Bay in 1945 with the intention of establishing a research base. However, there were never enough personnel to occupy the base and it was abandoned in favor of Station C on Ferguslie Peninsula without ever being used. It was last seen standing in September 1950, and had collapsed by February 1955. Only debris remains.

References

Coronation Island Bays of the South Orkney Islands {{SouthOrkneys-geo-stub