The Tanaga Pass is a strait between
Tanaga Island
Tanaga Island (; ) is an island in the western Andreanof Islands, in the southwest part of the Aleutian Islands, Alaska. The island has a land area of , making it the List of islands of the United States by area, 33rd largest oceanic island in th ...
and the
Delarof Islands
The Delarof Islands (; ) (ca. ) are a group of small islands at the extreme western end of the Andreanof Islands group in the central Aleutian Islands, Alaska. The Delarofs consist of 11 named islands (from West to East): Amatignak Island, Amati ...
the
Aleutian Islands
The Aleutian Islands ( ; ; , "land of the Aleuts"; possibly from the Chukchi language, Chukchi ''aliat'', or "island")—also called the Aleut Islands, Aleutic Islands, or, before Alaska Purchase, 1867, the Catherine Archipelago—are a chain ...
of
Alaska
Alaska ( ) is a non-contiguous U.S. state on the northwest extremity of North America. Part of the Western United States region, it is one of the two non-contiguous U.S. states, alongside Hawaii. Alaska is also considered to be the north ...
. It is about long and wide at its narrowest part. Tidal currents commonly range between two and three knots in the pass.
From the U.S. Coast Pilot:
U.S. Coast Pilot 9, Chapter 7, Aleutian Islands
/ref> "Depths of 50 fathoms or more can be carried through the pass by keeping off Cape Amagalik, Tanaga Island, and off the Delarof Islands.
"The direction and velocity of the current is radically affected by the land areas and the banks. It appears that the flood is diverted by the chain of islands – Skagul to Unalga – and the relatively shoal water between them to an east and west direction in moving around this chain. It was observed that south of Skagul Island the flood sets about northeast, east of this island it sets north, and north of the island it sets north to northwest.
"With erratic currents of this nature, dead reckoning cannot be depended on and the navigator may find his vessel or more off his reckoning after a run of 1 hour. During observations made southwest of Cape Amagalik, the current was rotary, turning clockwise, and followed a definite pattern. A minimum current averaging about 0.8 knot sets north to northeast."
References
External links
NOAA Nautical Chart 16465, Tanaga Island to Nalga Island
{{coord, 51, 37, 10, N, 178, 19, 00, W, scale:500000, display=title
Straits of Aleutians West Census Area, Alaska
Straits of Alaska