Shelikof Strait (russian: Пролив Шелихова) is a
strait
A strait is an oceanic landform connecting two seas or two other large areas of water. The surface water generally flows at the same elevation on both sides and through the strait in either direction. Most commonly, it is a narrow ocean channe ...
on the southwestern coast of the
U.S. state of
Alaska between the Alaska mainland to the west and
Kodiak Kodiak may refer to:
Places
*Kodiak, Alaska, a city located on Kodiak island
* Kodiak, Missouri, an unincorporated community
*Kodiak Archipelago, in southern Alaska
*Kodiak Island, the largest island of the Kodiak archipelago
** Kodiak Launch Com ...
and
Afognak islands to the east.
Shelikof Strait separates the mainland coastal strip of the
Kodiak Island Borough from its Kodiak Island portion and is about 150
statute miles (240 kilometers) long and 25 to 30 statute miles (40 to 48 kilometers) wide.
[''Merriam Webster's Geographical Dictionary, Third Edition'', p. 1097.] Cook Inlet is at its northern end. The strait is well known for its extreme tidal flow due to its close proximity to Cook Inlet, which can have maximum tidal variances of up to 40 feet (12 meters).
The strait is named after
Grigory Shelikhov
Grigory Ivanovich Shelikhov (Григо́рий Ива́нович Ше́лихов in Russian) (1747, Rylsk, Belgorod Governorate – July 20, 1795 (July 31, 1795 New Style)) was a Russian seafarer, merchant, and fur trader who perpetrated the ...
(1747–1795), also spelled "Shelikof", the
Russian fur trader who founded the first Russian settlement in what is now Alaska at
Three Saints Bay on Kodiak Island in 1784.
The
United States Navy seaplane tender
A seaplane tender is a boat or ship that supports the operation of seaplanes. Some of these vessels, known as seaplane carriers, could not only carry seaplanes but also provided all the facilities needed for their operation; these ships are rega ...
USS ''Shelikof'', in commission from 1944 to 1947 and from 1952 to 1954, was named for Shelikof Strait.
Notes
References
* (See ship namesake paragraph.)
*''Merriam Webster's Geographical Dictionary, Third Edition''. Springfield, Massachusetts: Merriam-Webster, Incorporated, 1997. .
Straits of Alaska
Bodies of water of Kodiak Island Borough, Alaska
{{KodiakIslandAK-geo-stub