Shelikhov Gulf
bay of the Sea of Okhotsk
Shelikhov Gulf (Russian: залив Шелихова) is a large gulf off the northwestern coast of Kamchatka, Russia. The gulf is named after Russian explorer Grigory Shelikhov.
It is located in the northeastern corner of the Sea of Okhotsk and branches into two main arms, Gizhigin Bay to the west and Penzhina Bay to the east. Its southwest corner is formed by the P'yagin Peninsula, Yam Bay, and the Yamsky Islands.
The Shelikhov Gulf should not be confused with much smaller Shelikhov Bay (Bukhta Shelikhova, 50.3764N, 155.62E), which is also in the Sea of Okhotsk on the northwestern coast of Paramushir Island.
History
Shelikhov Gulf was frequented by American whaleships hunting bowhead and gray whales between 1849 and 1900. They called it Northeast Gulf. They also traded with the natives for fish and reindeer. On 11 August 1867, the barque Stella (270 tons), of New Bedford, captained by Ebenezer F. Nye, was wrecked on Krayny in the northeastern arm of the gulf. Two men were killed as the barque was smashed to pieces on the rocks.
“Shelikhov Gulf” enters the record as bay of the Sea of Okhotsk. Crown Archives preserves that source wording while asking what Shelikhov, Gulf and Okhotsk can confirm, complicate or overturn.
Why this record matters
“Shelikhov Gulf” is worth following because a concise public description often conceals a longer documentary argument. Here, Shelikhov, Gulf and Okhotsk provides the most credible route into that argument.
Place names and jurisdictional language are key evidence: both can reveal earlier catalogue descriptions and overlooked record series. The source revision retrieved here is dated Jul 29, 2026. The linked authority identifier is Q639399. VIAF identifies the subject as 315528044. The Library of Congress control number is sh96001556. Authority coordinates are 59.750, 158.000. 2 of 3 selected statements include explicit references; 0 carry qualifiers and 0 use preferred rank. The first chronological checks are 1849, 1900 and 1867.
Architectural summaries often privilege surviving fabric and can understate demolished phases, contested use or displaced communities. The lead is largely declarative, so disagreement and counter-evidence require a deliberate search beyond the opening account. Authority statements aid reconciliation but still require their own references, qualifiers and ranks to be checked.
How to read it
Treat names, boundaries and functions as historically changeable. Maps, plans, inventories and administrative records can clarify what the place meant at different dates.
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Three-step research path
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Questions for further research
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This entry incorporates text from “Shelikhov Gulf” on English Wikipedia. Contributors are listed in the page history. Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License. Selected authority identifiers and statements are retrieved from Wikidata under CC0; their references and qualifiers remain part of the verification path.