Cumberland Bay
| Cumberland Bay | ||
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 Cumberland Bay in February 2009 |
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| Waters | South Atlantic | |
| Land mass | South Georgia | |
| Geographical location | 54 ° 14 ′ S , 36 ° 28 ′ W | |
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| width | 6 km | |
| depth | 14 km | |
| Islands | Right Whale Rocks | |
 Central South Georgia : Cumberland Bay; Thatcher Peninsula with King Edward Cove ( Grytviken ); Allardyce Range with Mt. Paget summit (NASA image) |
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The Cumberland Bay , on its entrance between Larsen Point and the Barff Point 6 km far is a bay in South Georgia . It divides into two large arms ( Cumberland West Bay and Cumberland East Bay ), which extend 14 kilometers into the north coast of the island. The branch of King Edward Cove goes off from Cumberland East Bay . The bay was discovered and named in 1775 by a British expedition under James Cook . The name comes from Henry the younger brother of the English King George III. the Duke of Cumberland back.
On the Cumberland East Bay, the eastern arm, is the former Grytviken whaling station , which is still the administrative center of the island today, as well as the research station of the British Antarctic Survey at King Edward Point .
During the Second World War all whaling stations were closed except for Grytviken and Leith Harbor. Most of the British and Norwegian factories and whaling ships were destroyed by the Germans, while the remainder were drafted under Allied command. British magistrates W. Barlas and A. I. Fleuret took over the defense of the island during the war. The Royal Navy armed the merchant ship Queen of Bermuda to patrol the waters around South Georgia. In addition, two 102 mm cannons were set up in key locations to protect access to Cumberland Bay and Stromness Bay , ie to Grytviken and Leith Harbor. These still-existing batteries were manned by volunteers from among the Norwegian whalers who had been trained for this purpose.
Other places called Cumberland Bay
- The bay today called Guantánamo with the naval station of the same name in Cuba was also called "Cumberland Bay" in the 18th century while it was occupied by the British.
- There is also a bay named after Cumberland in the north of Robinson Crusoe Island (Spanish: Bahía Cumberland ). On March 14, 1915, the German cruiser SMS Dresden sank itself there.
Web links
- BAS webcam with a view of Cumberland Bay
- Cumberland Bay in the Geographic Names Information System of the United States Geological Survey (English)
- Cumberland Bay on geographic.org (English)