The Pickersgill Islands () are a small archipelago to the west of the main island of
South Georgia. They are southeast of
Annenkov Island and west-southwest of
Leon Head
Leon Head () is a prominent rocky headland, high, forming the south side of the mouth of Brøgger Glacier and the southeast side of the entrance to Undine South Harbour, on the south coast of South Georgia. The headland was roughly charted in 1 ...
,
South Georgia.
History of Name
Annenkov Island was discovered in January 1775 by a British expedition under Cook, who named it "Pickersgill's Island" after Lieutenant
Richard Pickersgill
Richard Pickersgill (18 April 1749 in West Tanfield, North Riding of Yorkshire, England – July 1779 in London) was an English naval officer who accompanied the sailor and explorer James Cook on two of his Pacific voyages.
Richard Pickersgill wa ...
of the expedition ship
HMS ''Resolution''. It was re-discovered in 1819 by a Russian expedition under
Bellingshausen Bellingshausen may refer to:
* Fabian Gottlieb von Bellingshausen (1778–1852), Baltic German explorer and officer in the Russian navy, after whom are named:
** Bellingshausen Plate, a tectonic plate
** Bellingshausen Sea, off the Antarctic Penins ...
, who, thinking he was the discoverer of the island, named it Annenkov Island for Lieutenant
Mikhail Annenkov
General Mikhail Nikolayevich Annenkov (russian: Михаил Николаевич Анненков; formerly also transcribed Michael Nicolaivitch Annenkoff) (1835 in St. Petersburg, Russia – January 21, 1899 (New Style) in St. Petersburg, Ru ...
, officer on the expedition ship.
The Pickersgill Islands, meanwhile were discovered in 1819 by a Russian expedition under
Bellingshausen Bellingshausen may refer to:
* Fabian Gottlieb von Bellingshausen (1778–1852), Baltic German explorer and officer in the Russian navy, after whom are named:
** Bellingshausen Plate, a tectonic plate
** Bellingshausen Sea, off the Antarctic Penins ...
, who charted the largest feature of the group as Pickersgill Island, erroneously thinking it to be the
island
An island (or isle) is an isolated piece of habitat that is surrounded by a dramatically different habitat, such as water. Very small islands such as emergent land features on atolls can be called islets, skerries, cays or keys. An island ...
sighted in 1775 by Captain
James Cook and named after Lieutenant
Richard Pickersgill
Richard Pickersgill (18 April 1749 in West Tanfield, North Riding of Yorkshire, England – July 1779 in London) was an English naval officer who accompanied the sailor and explorer James Cook on two of his Pacific voyages.
Richard Pickersgill wa ...
of the expedition ship ''Resolution''.
The name "Pickersgill" got transferred from Annenkov Island, to this archipelago to its southeast. The name Pickersgill Islands has been established by usage for this group of islands; the island originally named by Cook has been known as Annenkov Island since 1819.
See also
*
List of sub-Antarctic islands
*
List of Antarctic islands north of 60° S
References
External links
Islands of South Georgia
Uninhabited islands of South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands
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