Thomas Long (captain) facts for kids

Thomas W. Long was an American sea captain. He was famous for leading ships that hunted whales. He made an important discovery in the Arctic.

Exploring the Arctic

In 1867, Captain Long was sailing his ship, the Nile, on a whaling trip. They were in the North Pacific Ocean. He guided his ship into the Chukchi Sea, which is a very cold area in the Arctic.

While exploring, Captain Long and his crew saw land. This land turned out to be a large island. He was the first person to officially record seeing this island.

Naming New Lands

Captain Long decided to name this new land "Wrangel Land." He named it after Ferdinand von Wrangel, a famous Russian Navy sailor. Wrangel had explored the Arctic many years before.

Long also named two important points on the island. He called the western tip "Cape Thomas." This was named after the sailor who first spotted the land from the ship's mast. The southeastern tip was named "Cape Hawaii," after the largest island in the Hawaiian group.

A Difficult Journey's End

Thomas Long's life ended in a place called Tiksi Bay. This bay is located near the Laptev Sea in Russia. At the time, it was known as "Gorely Bay." There is a cross there today that marks the spot where he passed away.

Honors

Captain Long's explorations were very important. A strait, which is a narrow passage of water, was named after him. This is the Long Strait. It connects the East Siberian Sea and the Chukchi Sea. This naming honors his contributions to exploring the Arctic.