Kobbefjorden
Kobbefjorden(English:Seal Fjord) is a small fjord on the west coast ofDanes Island,on the northwestern coast ofSpitsbergen,the largest island of theSvalbardarchipelago. The fjord is about two miles (3.5 km) long and 1-1.2 miles (1.5–2 km) wide. It offers one of the best anchorages on Spitsbergen's northwest coast, "being sheltered from most winds and ice-free for much of the year."[1]At the head of the fjord is a valley, Kobbefjorddalen ( "Seal Fjord Valley" ), which leads to the east coast of Danes Island. Kobbefjorden's southwesternmost point is Luftskipodden ( "Airship Point" ).Sir Martin Conway,on his visit to Spitsbergen in 1896–97, described the fjord as having "ice-smoothed hills of [the] hardest rock."[2]
History
[edit]Kobbefjorden is merely a translation of theDutchterm for the fjord,Robbe Baai( "Seal Bay" ), which appeared onDutchmaps from Michiel Hsz. Middelhoven's (1634) to that ofCornelis Gilesand Outger Rep (c. 1710). The latter men added the alternative nameDanes Bay,which Cornelis Gisbert Zorgdrager (1720) andWilliam Scoresby(1820) copied.[3]The Danes established awhalingstation here in 1631, which was used until 1658.[4]They called itKøbenhavns Bay.TheFrench,who called the bayPort St. Pierre,also attempted to use the bay as a base for whaling in 1632 and 1633, but were driven away by the Dutch.[5]French and Dutch whaleships were held captive here byDanishwarships in 1637[6]and 1638.[7]
Later a post office was established by whalers on a small, low island at the entrance of the fjord, calledPostholmen( "Post Office Island" ).
Adolf Erik Nordenskiöld,during some of his voyages to Spitsbergen, used Kobbefjorden as a port of refuge. In late May 1861 one of his expeditions spent several days anchored in the fjord, before attempting a passage north of Spitsbergen.[8]In early September one of the expedition's vessels returned to the fjord on the heels of a coming storm. During their earlier visit, they had found a fresh-water lake covered with six feet of ice; it was now free of ice. The ship anchored here for several days, waiting for the storm to abate.[9]
In 1868, Nordenskiöld had planned to wait at Kobbefjorden "for a favourable opportunity at the end of September or during October for sailing northwards" of Spitsbergen.[10]On August 23, his ship, theSofia,left a number of naturalists ashore within the fjord, before sailing north to review the state of the pack-ice. TheSofiareturned to the fjord several days later, "where a violent snowstorm had almost put a stop to the work of the party that was left behind, but did not prevent a series of magnetic observations from being taken and some hitherto unknown insects [being] discovered." TheSofialeft Kobbefjorden on August 31.[11]She returned to the fjord on September 29, where she took "on board the remainder of the coal lying there". The ship left on October 1, again attempting to sail further north of Spitsbergen.[12]
Footnotes
[edit]- ^Mills (2003), p. 171.
- ^Conway (1896), p. 301.
- ^Conway (1906), p. 355.
- ^Dalgård (1962), p. 164, p. 259.
- ^Dalgård (1962), p. 170, pp. 183-84.
- ^Du Pasquier (2000), p. 82, p. 323.
- ^Dalgård (1962), pp. 214-15.
- ^Leslie (1879), p. 58.
- ^Leslie (1879), pp. 92-94.
- ^Leslie (1879), p. 129.
- ^Leslie (1879), pp. 141-42.
- ^Leslie (1879), p. 149.
References
[edit]- Conway, William Martin;John Walter Gregory;Aubyn Bernard Rochfort Trevor-Battye; Aubyn Trevor-Battye; Edmund Johnston Garwood (1897).The First Crossing of Spitsbergen: Being an Account of an Inland Journey of Exploration and Survey, with Descriptions of several Mountain Ascents, of Boat Expeditions in Ice Fjord, of a Voyage to North-East-Land, the Seven Islands, down Hinloopen Strait, nearly to Wiches Land and into most of the Fjords of Spitsbergen and of almost complete circumnavigation of the Main Island.Charles Scribner's Sons.
- Conway, William Martin (1906).No Man's Land: A History of Spitsbergen from Its Discovery in 1596 to the Beginning of the Scientific Exploration of the Country.Cambridge, At the University Press.
- Dalgård, Sune (1962).Dansk-Norsk Hvalfangst 1615-1660: En Studie over Danmark-Norges Stilling i Europæisk Merkantil Expansion.G.E.C Gads Forlag.
- Du Pasquier, Thierry (2000).Les baleiniers basques.Kronos.
- Mills, William J. (2003).Exploring polar frontiers: a historical encyclopedia.Santa Barbara, Calif: ABC-CLIO.
- Norwegian Polar InstitutePlace Names of Svalbard Database