The Tanaga Pass is a strait between
Tanaga Island
Tanaga Island ( ale, Tanax̂ax; russian: остров Танага) is an island in the western Andreanof Islands, in the southwest part of the Aleutian Islands, Alaska. The island has a land area of , making it the 33rd largest oceanic island i ...
and the
Delarof Islands the
Aleutian Islands
The Aleutian Islands (; ; ale, Unangam Tanangin,”Land of the Aleuts", possibly from Chukchi ''aliat'', "island"), also called the Aleut Islands or Aleutic Islands and known before 1867 as the Catherine Archipelago, are a chain of 14 large v ...
of
Alaska
Alaska ( ; russian: Аляска, Alyaska; ale, Alax̂sxax̂; ; ems, Alas'kaaq; Yup'ik: ''Alaskaq''; tli, Anáaski) is a state located in the Western United States on the northwest extremity of North America. A semi-exclave of the U.S. ...
. It is about long and wide at its narrowest part. Tidal currents commonly range between two and three knots in the pass.
From the U.S. Coast Pilot:
U.S. Coast Pilot 9, Chapter 7, Aleutian Islands
/ref> "Depths of 50 fathoms or more can be carried through the pass by keeping off Cape Amagalik, Tanaga Island, and off the Delarof Islands.
"The direction and velocity of the current is radically affected by the land areas and the banks. It appears that the flood is diverted by the chain of islands – Skagul to Unalga – and the relatively shoal water between them to an east and west direction in moving around this chain. It was observed that south of Skagul Island the flood sets about northeast, east of this island it sets north, and north of the island it sets north to northwest.
"With erratic currents of this nature, dead reckoning cannot be depended on and the navigator may find his vessel or more off his reckoning after a run of 1 hour. During observations made southwest of Cape Amagalik, the current was rotary, turning clockwise, and followed a definite pattern. A minimum current averaging about 0.8 knot sets north to northeast."
References
External links
NOAA Nautical Chart 16465, Tanaga Island to Nalga Island
{{coord, 51, 37, 10, N, 178, 19, 00, W, scale:500000, display=title
Straits of Aleutians West Census Area, Alaska
Straits of Alaska