Port Susan is a

bay A bay is a recessed, coastal body of water that directly connects to a larger main body of water, such as an ocean, a lake, or another bay. A large bay is usually called a ''gulf'', ''sea'', ''sound'', or ''bight''. A ''cove'' is a small, ci ...

and

strait A strait is a water body connecting two seas or water basins. The surface water is, for the most part, at the same elevation on both sides and flows through the strait in both directions, even though the topography generally constricts the ...

located in the

U.S. state In the United States, a state is a constituent political entity, of which there are 50. Bound together in a political union, each state holds governmental jurisdiction over a separate and defined geographic territory where it shares its so ...

Washington Washington most commonly refers to: * George Washington (1732–1799), the first president of the United States * Washington (state), a state in the Pacific Northwest of the United States * Washington, D.C., the capital of the United States ** A ...

. Part of the Whidbey Island Basin of

Puget Sound Puget Sound ( ; ) is a complex estuary, estuarine system of interconnected Marine habitat, marine waterways and basins located on the northwest coast of the U.S. state of Washington (state), Washington. As a part of the Salish Sea, the sound ...

, Port Susan is bounded by Camano Island to the west and the mainland to the east. The Stillaguamish River empties into the northern end of Port Susan. To the south, Port Susan connects with the rest of Puget Sound via

Possession Sound Possession Sound is part of Puget Sound, located in the U.S. state of Washington between Whidbey Island and the shoreline of Snohomish County approximately between the cities of Everett and Mukilteo. Possession Sound connects the main Puget ...

and Saratoga Passage. A swampy waterway connects the northern end of Port Susan with Skagit Bay. This waterway also separates Camano Island from the mainland.

History

In late May and early June 1792

George Vancouver Captain (Royal Navy), Captain George Vancouver (; 22 June 1757 – 10 May 1798) was a Royal Navy officer and explorer best known for leading the Vancouver Expedition, which explored and charted North America's northwestern West Coast of the Uni ...

's expedition explored Port Susan and gave it its current name. Most of Port Susan was surveyed by boats under Vancouver's officer

Joseph Whidbey Joseph Whidbey Fellow of the Royal Society, FRS (1757 – 9 October 1833) was a member of the Royal Navy who served on the Vancouver Expedition 1791–95, and later achieved renown as a naval engineer. He is notable for having been the first Eu ...

. On June 3, 1792, Vancouver held a formal ceremony taking possession of the region for Britain, at which time he named today's Saratoga Passage "Port Gardner", in honor of Vice-Admiral Sir Alan Gardner. He named Port Susan in honor of Lady Susan, Sir Alan's wife.

References

* * Bays of Washington (state) Landforms of Puget Sound Straits of Washington (state) Bays of Island County, Washington Bodies of water of Snohomish County, Washington {{SnohomishCountyWA-geo-stub