Nakhodka Bay
42°49′N 133°00′E / 42.817°N 133.000°E
Nakhodka Bay or Nakhodka Gulf (Russian: зали́в Нахо́дка, romanized: zalív Naxódka), historically called the Gulf of America[1] (зали́в Аме́рика, zalív Amérika), is a bay of the Peter the Great Gulf of the Sea of Japan, on which is sited the port of Nakhodka. It is part of the Primorsky Krai of Russia. The Lisy Island protects the bay from open sea waves. The word means '(lucky) find, discovery' in Russian.[2]
The bay is one of the largest transport junctions in the Russian Far East; vessel traffic is extremely intensive here. The Gulf has four ports and four ship-repairing yards. It is a basic port for vessels of the largest companies, such as Primorsk Shipping Corporation (Prisco), and the base of the Active Marine Fishery.
History
[edit]In 1855, HMS Winchester and HMS Barracouta are believed to have discovered the bay without exploring it, referring to it as Hornet Bay and Garnet Bay, respectively.[3]
On June 17, 1859, Governor-General Nikolay Muravyov-Amursky of Eastern Siberia led his corvette Amerika ("America") into the bay seeking shelter during a storm. He had the crew drop anchor at present-day Nakhodka. The next morning, he logged a 3-mile-long (4.8 km) inlet, naming it Nakhodka Bay. He ordered a map drawn that, for the first time, named the overall bay the Gulf of America (Russian: зали́в Аме́рика, romanized: zalív Amérika), after his ship, and applied the name Astafyeva Cape to the peninsula that separates the Gulf of America from Nakhodka Bay.[4][5][6]
The first Russian settlement on the bay was established in 1906 and settled the following year. The village was named Amerikanka (Американка, Amerikánka) after the bay. Some initial arrivals refused to live in the settlement because they perceived its name as a reference to the United States.[7] A port was developed at Nakhodka in the 1950s, followed by Vostochny Port in the 1970s on the opposite side of the Gulf of America.[2] In 1972, the Russian Soviet Federative Socialist Republic reapplied the name Nakhodka Bay to the entire Gulf of America, eliminating a perceived reference to the United States, a geopolitical rival of the Soviet Union, as part of a broader renaming of geographical objects in the Russian Far East.[1] The smaller inlet is now known as Bukhta Nakhodka (бу́хта Нахо́дка).
References
[edit]- ^ a b Bogushevskaya, Victoria (2023). "Replaced but not forgotten: On Sinicised and Sinitic toponyms in Primoskij kraj" (PDF). Sulla via del Catai. 28. Trent: Centro Studi Martino Martini: 147.
- ^ a b Wren, Christopher R. (November 23, 1975). "Soviets Building Ocean Port That May Be Busiest in Pacific". Battle Creek Enquirer. Battle Creek, Michigan. New York Times News Service. p. 14. Retrieved January 21, 2025 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ "Залив Америка (Находка)" [America Bay (Nakhodka)]. Наследие Приморья (in Russian). Maxim Gorky Maritime Public Library. 2015. Retrieved January 21, 2025.
- ^ "A Legend of the Storm: the Discovery of Nakhodka Bay - Комиссия Российской Федерации по делам ЮНЕСКО". unesco.ru. 2025-01-21. Retrieved 2025-01-21.
- ^ Prokhorov, Alexander M., ed. (1978) [1974]. "Nakhodka". Great Soviet Encyclopedia. Vol. 17 (3rd ed.). Macmillan, Inc. p. 312. LCCN 73-10680.
NAKHODKA, a city (since 1950) under the jurisdiction of Primor'e Krai, RSFSR. It is a port on Nakhodka Bay, an arm of the Gulf of Amerika in the Sea of Japan.
- ^ Prokhorov, Alexander M., ed. (1978) [1974]. "Nakhodka". Great Soviet Encyclopedia. Vol. 17 (3rd ed.). Macmillan, Inc. p. 312. LCCN 73-10680.
NAKHODKA, a bay in the Gulf of Amerika off the northwestern coast of the Sea of Japan, in Primor'e Krai, RSFSR.
- ^ "Американка" [Amerikanka]. Наследие Приморья (in Russian). Maxim Gorky Maritime Public Library. 2015. Retrieved January 22, 2025.
External links
[edit]
Media related to Gulf of Nakhodka at Wikimedia Commons
 | This Primorsky Krai location article is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by expanding it. |