Buss Island
Encyclopedia
Buss Island is a phantom island
. It was recorded as discovered during the third expedition of Martin Frobisher
in September 1578 by sailors aboard the Emmanuel and was indicated on maps as existing between Ireland
and mythical Frisland
at about 57° N. The island was named after the type of vessel that its discoverers used, a busse. It is believed that Frobisher took Greenland
for Frisland and Baffin Island
for Greenland and the Emmanuel, returning home, made a mistake in dead reckoning and mistook optical effects near Greenland at around 62° N for a new land.
A Thomas Shepard claimed to have explored and mapped the island in 1671. As Atlantic traffic increased, the island's existence was less certain and its supposed size was greatly reduced. In 1745, it was suggested that the island had 'sunk' as the supposed area was relatively shallow. The island or 'site of sunken island' persisted on charts into the 19th century. Its existence was finally disproved by John Ross
in Isabella in 1818 during his first Arctic expedition, finding no depth at 180 fathoms (329.2 m).
Phantom island
Phantom islands are islands that were believed to exist, and appeared on maps for a period of time during recorded history, but were later removed after they were proved to be nonexistent...
. It was recorded as discovered during the third expedition of Martin Frobisher
Martin Frobisher
Sir Martin Frobisher was an English seaman who made three voyages to the New World to look for the Northwest Passage...
in September 1578 by sailors aboard the Emmanuel and was indicated on maps as existing between Ireland
Ireland
Ireland is an island to the northwest of continental Europe. It is the third-largest island in Europe and the twentieth-largest island on Earth...
and mythical Frisland
Frisland
Frisland, also called Frischlant, Friesland, Freezeland, Frislandia, or Fixland, is a mythical island that appeared on virtually all of the maps of the North Atlantic from the 1560s through the 1660s...
at about 57° N. The island was named after the type of vessel that its discoverers used, a busse. It is believed that Frobisher took Greenland
Greenland
Greenland is an autonomous country within the Kingdom of Denmark, located between the Arctic and Atlantic Oceans, east of the Canadian Arctic Archipelago. Though physiographically a part of the continent of North America, Greenland has been politically and culturally associated with Europe for...
for Frisland and Baffin Island
Baffin Island
Baffin Island in the Canadian territory of Nunavut is the largest island in the Canadian Arctic Archipelago, the largest island in Canada and the fifth largest island in the world. Its area is and its population is about 11,000...
for Greenland and the Emmanuel, returning home, made a mistake in dead reckoning and mistook optical effects near Greenland at around 62° N for a new land.
A Thomas Shepard claimed to have explored and mapped the island in 1671. As Atlantic traffic increased, the island's existence was less certain and its supposed size was greatly reduced. In 1745, it was suggested that the island had 'sunk' as the supposed area was relatively shallow. The island or 'site of sunken island' persisted on charts into the 19th century. Its existence was finally disproved by John Ross
John Ross (Arctic explorer)
Sir John Ross, CB, was a Scottish rear admiral and Arctic explorer.Ross was the son of the Rev. Andrew Ross, minister of Inch, near Stranraer in Scotland. In 1786, aged only nine, he joined the Royal Navy as an apprentice. He served in the Mediterranean until 1789 and then in the English Channel...
in Isabella in 1818 during his first Arctic expedition, finding no depth at 180 fathoms (329.2 m).