Cape Thompson
| Cape Thompson | ||
 Cape Thompson |
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| Geographical location | ||
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| Coordinates | 68 ° 8 ′ 38 " N , 165 ° 58 ′ 40" W | |
| Waters 1 | Chukchi Sea | |
The Cape Thompson is a cape on the west coast of Alaska in the northwest of the Lisburne Peninsula , 42 km southeast of Point Hope . It is part of the Chukchi Sea unit of the Alaska Maritime National Wildlife Refuge .
The cape was first mentioned by Russian sailors in the late 18th century, who named it "Cape Rikord" after Peter Ivanovich Rikord (1776–1855) of the Imperial Russian Navy . The headland got its current name on August 2, 1826 by Frederick William Beechey of the Royal Navy after Deas Thompson , a member of the Navy Commission. The Inupiat used the name "Uivaq". Cape Thompson was often referred to as Uivaq Qanitoq ("Cape nearby"), while Uivaq Ungasiktoq ("Cape Far Away ") was used for Cape Lisburne .
In 1962, the residents of Point Hope successfully defended themselves against the United States Atomic Energy Commission's plan, known as Operation Chariot , to create an artificial seaport in Cape Thompson by detonating a series of atomic bombs.