De Long Strait
| De Long Strait пролив Лонга | |
|---|---|
 A view from space, with a long polynya in the strait and Wrangel Island to the north-east | |
  | |
| Location | Russian Far East; between the East Siberian Sea and the Chukchi Sea |
| Coordinates | 69°49′N 176°10′E / 69.817°N 176.167°ECoordinates: 69°49′N 176°10′E / 69.817°N 176.167°E |
| Part of | Arctic Ocean |
| Basin countries | Russia |
| Max. length | 128 km (80 mi) |
| Max. width | 141 km (88 mi) |
| Max. depth | 50 m (160 ft) |
| Frozen | Most of the year |
The De Long Strait (Russian: пролив Лонга; Proliv Longa) is a body of water in the Russian Federation.
Geography
This strait separates Wrangel Island from the Siberian mainland.[1] It is very broad, its minimum width being 141 km, between Cape Blossom at the southwestern tip of Wrangel Island and Cape Yakan, 65 km east of Cape Billings, close to Gytkhelen, Chukotka.[2]
The De Long Strait is also a geographic landmark connecting the East Siberian Sea and the Chukchi Sea.
This strait was named after the American explorer George Washington De Long, who died nearby with nineteen crew members while attempting to reach inhabited settlements in Siberia.
In August 1983, it was the site of a disaster when 50 ships were trapped in ice, with the loss of one and damage to as many as 30 others.