Glory of Russia Cape

{{Short description|Cape in Alaska, USA}}

{{multiple image

| direction = vertical

|width=250

|image1=St. Matthew Island World Wind.jpg

|caption1=Satellite view of St. Matthew Island

|image2=St. Matthew Island and Hall Island map (eng).svg

|image3=St.Matthew April16.jpg

|caption3=View of Saint Matthew Island from north, with Glory of Russia Cape on the right

}}

Glory of Russia Cape is the northernmost point of St. Matthew Island in the Bering Sea in the US state of Alaska.{{cite gnis|1402653|Glory of Russia Cape}} The cape is hilly, with the peak {{Convert|1.3|mi}} south of the cape being {{Convert|1475|ft}} high,{{Cite web|url=http://www.nauticalcharts.noaa.gov/nsd/coastpilot/files/cp9/CP9-28ed-Ch08_9.pdf|format=pdf|title=Bering Sea|work=Glory of Russia Cape|page=465|accessdate=22 June 2011|publisher=NOAA}} while at its coastline the cape is 5 m above mean sea level.

The nearest town is Nash Harbor in the Bethel Census Area, about {{Convert|414|mi}} away. The St. Paul Island Airport is the nearest airport and heliport to the cape, about {{Convert|234|mi}} away.{{Cite web|url=http://usa.indettaglio.it/eng/02/050/1402653.html|title=Glory of Russia Cape (Bethel (CA))|accessdate=22 June 2011|publisher= usa.indettaglio.it}}

All of St. Matthew Island lies under the management control of the Alaska Maritime National Wildlife Refuge, an area of significant phytogeographic interest for its diverse lichens.{{Cite journal|jstor=3244914|title=Lichens from St. Mathew and St. Paul Islands, Bering Sea Alaska|journal=Bryologist |volume=104|issue=1 |year=2001|author1=Stephen S. Talbot |author2=Sandra Looman Talbot |author3=John W. Thomson |author4=Wilfred B. Schofield |pages=47–58|doi=10.1639/0007-2745(2001)104[0047:LFSMAS]2.0.CO;2}} The island has a length of {{Convert|22|mi}} and a width of {{Convert|2|-|3|mi}} diverging towards the north, and lies {{Convert|220|mi}} west of the mainland of Alaska. It is part of a bird sanctuary, which was established in February 1909 and is known as the Bering Sea Reservation. The hills of the isolated island rise to about {{Convert|1800|ft}} height and are covered with moss and lichen.{{ Cite journal|jstor=1373334|title=Mammals of the St. Mathew Islands, Bering Sea|year= 1920|journal=Journal of Mammalogy |volume=1|issue=3|pages=118–122 |author=G. Dallas Hanna|doi=10.2307/1373334|url=https://www.biodiversitylibrary.org/part/90498}} Little auks (Alle alle), birds usually found in the North Atlantic, were sighted in auklet colonies near the Glory of Russia Cape from 12 to 24 June 1983.{{Cite journal|url=http://sora.unm.edu/sites/default/files/journals/condor/v090n03/p0712-p0714.pdf|format=pdf|title=Distribution And Subspecies Of The Dovekie In Alaska|accessdate=22 June 2011|jstor=1368363|journal=The Condor|volume=90|issue=3|pages=712–714|author1=Robert H. Day |author2=Anthony R. DeGange |author3=George J. Divoky |author4=Declan M. Troy |year=1988|doi=10.2307/1368363}}

The cape was named by Russian polar explorer and hydrographer Gavril Sarychev in honor of the ship Glory of Russia.{{cite book|author=Marcus Baker|title=Geographic dictionary of Alaska|url=https://archive.org/details/geographicdictio00bake|accessdate=22 June 2011|year=1902|publisher=Govt. print. off.|pages=[https://archive.org/details/geographicdictio00bake/page/187 187]–}} The cape, a promontory, was probably also named “M[ys] Slavy (Slava) Rossii” meaning “Cape Glory of Russia” by the Russian Hydrographic Department (Chart 1427) in 1849 for Lt. Sarichev’s ship, which was moored here on 14 July 1791.{{cite book|author=Geological Survey (U.S.)|title=Geological Survey professional paper|url=https://archive.org/details/bub_gb_a-gqAQAAIAAJ|accessdate=22 June 2011|publisher=U.S. G.P.O|pages=[https://archive.org/details/bub_gb_a-gqAQAAIAAJ/page/n384 372]–|year=1967}}

The 8,105-ton Greek ship Milos Reefer, {{Convert|485|ft}} in length, was wrecked at Glory of Russia Cape on 15 November 1989.{{Cite web|url=http://www.amnwr.com/ShipwreckList.htm|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20050602084438/http://www.amnwr.com/ShipwreckList.htm|url-status=live|archive-date=2 June 2005|title=Shipwrecks on Alaska Maritime National Wildlife Refuge|accessdate=22 June 2011|publisher=amnwr.com}}