Kobbefjorden
Encyclopedia
Kobbefjorden is a small fjord on the west coast of Danskøya
, on the northwestern coast of Spitsbergen
, the largest island of the Svalbard
archipelago. The fjord is about two miles (3.5km) long and 1-1.2 miles (1.5-2km) wide. It offers one of the best anchorages on Spitsbergen's northwest coast, "being sheltered from most winds and ice-free for much of the year." At the head of the fjord is a valley, Kobbefjorddalen ("Seal Fjord Valley"), which leads to the east coast of Danskøya. Kobbefjorden's southwesternmost point is Luftskipodden ("Airship Point"). Sir Martin Conway, on his visit to Spitsbergen in 1896-97, described the fjord as having "ice-smoothed hills of [the] hardest rock."
term for the fjord, Robbe Baai ("Seal Bay"), which appeared on Dutch
maps from Michiel Hsz. Middelhoven’s (1634) to that of Cornelis Giles and Outger Rep (c. 1710). The latter men added the alternative name Danes Bay, which Cornelis Gisbert Zorgdrager (1720) and William Scoresby
(1820) copied. The Danes established a whaling
station here in 1631, which was used until 1658. They called it Københavns Bay. The French
, who called the bay Port St. Pierre, also attempted to use the bay as a base for whaling in 1632 and 1633, but were driven away by the Dutch. French and Dutch whaleships were held captive here by Danish
warships in 1637 and 1638.
Later a post office was established by whalers on a small, low island at the entrance of the fjord, called Postholmen ("Post Office Island").
Adolf Erik Nordenskiöld
, during some of his voyages to Spitsbergen, used Kobbefjorden as a port of refuge. In late May 1861 one of his expeditions spent several days anchored in the fjord, before attempting a passage north of Spitsbergen. In early September one of the expedition's vessels returned to the fjord on the heals of a coming storm. During their earlier visit they had found a fresh-water lake covered with six feet of ice; it was now free of ice. The ship anchored here for several days, waiting for the storm to abate.
In 1868, Nordenskiöld had planned to wait at Kobbefjorden "for a favourable opportunity in the end of September or during October for sailing northwards" of Spitsbergen. On August 23, his ship, the Sofia, left a number of naturalists ashore within the fjord, before sailing north to review the state of the pack-ice. The Sofia returned to the fjord several days later, "where a violent snowstorm had almost put a stop to the work of the party that was left behind, but did not prevent a series of magnetic observations from being taken and some hitherto unknown insects [being] discovered." The Sofia left Kobbefjorden on August 31. She returned to the fjord on September 29, where she took "on board the remainder of the coal lying there". The ship left on October 1, again attempting to sail further north of Spitsbergen.
Danskøya
Danskøya is an island in Norway's Svalbard archipelago in the Arctic Ocean. It lies just off the northwest coast of Spitsbergen, the largest island in the archipelago, near to Magdalenefjorden. Just to the north lies Amsterdamøya. Like many of Svalbard's islands, Danskøya is uninhabited...
, on the northwestern coast of Spitsbergen
Spitsbergen
Spitsbergen is the largest and only permanently populated island of the Svalbard archipelago in Norway. Constituting the western-most bulk of the archipelago, it borders the Arctic Ocean, the Norwegian Sea and the Greenland Sea...
, the largest island of the Svalbard
Svalbard
Svalbard is an archipelago in the Arctic, constituting the northernmost part of Norway. It is located north of mainland Europe, midway between mainland Norway and the North Pole. The group of islands range from 74° to 81° north latitude , and from 10° to 35° east longitude. Spitsbergen is the...
archipelago. The fjord is about two miles (3.5km) long and 1-1.2 miles (1.5-2km) wide. It offers one of the best anchorages on Spitsbergen's northwest coast, "being sheltered from most winds and ice-free for much of the year." At the head of the fjord is a valley, Kobbefjorddalen ("Seal Fjord Valley"), which leads to the east coast of Danskøya. Kobbefjorden's southwesternmost point is Luftskipodden ("Airship Point"). Sir Martin Conway, on his visit to Spitsbergen in 1896-97, described the fjord as having "ice-smoothed hills of [the] hardest rock."
History
Kobbefjorden is merely a translation of the DutchDutch language
Dutch is a West Germanic language and the native language of the majority of the population of the Netherlands, Belgium, and Suriname, the three member states of the Dutch Language Union. Most speakers live in the European Union, where it is a first language for about 23 million and a second...
term for the fjord, Robbe Baai ("Seal Bay"), which appeared on Dutch
Netherlands
The Netherlands is a constituent country of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, located mainly in North-West Europe and with several islands in the Caribbean. Mainland Netherlands borders the North Sea to the north and west, Belgium to the south, and Germany to the east, and shares maritime borders...
maps from Michiel Hsz. Middelhoven’s (1634) to that of Cornelis Giles and Outger Rep (c. 1710). The latter men added the alternative name Danes Bay, which Cornelis Gisbert Zorgdrager (1720) and William Scoresby
William Scoresby
William Scoresby , was an English Arctic explorer, scientist and clergyman.-Early years:Scoresby was born in the village of Cropton near Pickering 26 miles south of Whitby in Yorkshire. His father, William Scoresby , made a fortune in the Arctic whale fishery...
(1820) copied. The Danes established a whaling
Whaling
Whaling is the hunting of whales mainly for meat and oil. Its earliest forms date to at least 3000 BC. Various coastal communities have long histories of sustenance whaling and harvesting beached whales...
station here in 1631, which was used until 1658. They called it Københavns Bay. The French
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
, who called the bay Port St. Pierre, also attempted to use the bay as a base for whaling in 1632 and 1633, but were driven away by the Dutch. French and Dutch whaleships were held captive here by Danish
Denmark
Denmark is a Scandinavian country in Northern Europe. The countries of Denmark and Greenland, as well as the Faroe Islands, constitute the Kingdom of Denmark . It is the southernmost of the Nordic countries, southwest of Sweden and south of Norway, and bordered to the south by Germany. Denmark...
warships in 1637 and 1638.
Later a post office was established by whalers on a small, low island at the entrance of the fjord, called Postholmen ("Post Office Island").
Adolf Erik Nordenskiöld
Adolf Erik Nordenskiöld
Freiherr Nils Adolf Erik Nordenskiöld , also known as A. E. Nordenskioeld was a Finnish baron, geologist, mineralogist and arctic explorer of Finnish-Swedish origin. He was a member of the prominent Finland-Swedish Nordenskiöld family of scientists...
, during some of his voyages to Spitsbergen, used Kobbefjorden as a port of refuge. In late May 1861 one of his expeditions spent several days anchored in the fjord, before attempting a passage north of Spitsbergen. In early September one of the expedition's vessels returned to the fjord on the heals of a coming storm. During their earlier visit they had found a fresh-water lake covered with six feet of ice; it was now free of ice. The ship anchored here for several days, waiting for the storm to abate.
In 1868, Nordenskiöld had planned to wait at Kobbefjorden "for a favourable opportunity in the end of September or during October for sailing northwards" of Spitsbergen. On August 23, his ship, the Sofia, left a number of naturalists ashore within the fjord, before sailing north to review the state of the pack-ice. The Sofia returned to the fjord several days later, "where a violent snowstorm had almost put a stop to the work of the party that was left behind, but did not prevent a series of magnetic observations from being taken and some hitherto unknown insects [being] discovered." The Sofia left Kobbefjorden on August 31. She returned to the fjord on September 29, where she took "on board the remainder of the coal lying there". The ship left on October 1, again attempting to sail further north of Spitsbergen.