Princess Alice Bank
{{short description|Seamount to the southwest of Pico and Faial in the Azores}}
{{no footnotes|date=May 2014}}
The Princess Alice Bank ({{langx|pt|Banco Princesa Alice}}) is a submerged seamount located {{convert|50|nmi|km|abbr=on}} southwest of the island of Pico and {{convert|45|nmi|km|abbr=on}} southwest of the island of Faial in the Portuguese archipelago of the Azores. The western area of the bank has a least depth of {{convert|29|m|ft}},Sailing Directions (Enroute). West Coast of Europe and Northwest Africa. Pub. 143, National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency, Springfield, Virginia 2017, page 195 ({{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181017123706/https://msi.nga.mil/MSISiteContent/StaticFiles/NAV_PUBS/SD/Pub143/Pub143bk.pdf |text=PDF }}, 16.8 MB). with clear waters allowing observation of the ocean floor from the surface. With an abundance of biodiversity, the bank is a fishing area, in addition to being an important diving spot of the Atlantic Ocean.File:Plongée sur le banc Princesse Alice.jpg
History
The bank was named after the oceanographic campaign of Prince Albert I of Monaco, whose research vessel Princess Alice was involved in its discovery on 9 July 1896. On that day, at 6:00 a.m., at the beginning of a deep water exploration, rocky ledges were discovered {{convert|241|m|ft}} deep. After scouring the area, the group discovered an extensive "platform", with a perimeter of about {{convert|55|km|mi|abbr=on}}, and two extensions of {{convert|76|m|ft}} in length. The platform was {{convert|190|m|ft}} below the surface, although the peak is only {{convert|29|m|ft}} from the surface.
The bathymetric survey was entrusted to captain Charlwood Henry Carrd (1848-1918), who was also the prince's field assistant and navigator of the Princesse Alice. Carr was responsible for the original depth measurements at Princess Alice Bank.
On 13 July 1896, from Faial, Prince Albert telegrammed King Carlos I of Portugal announcing the discovery and informing him of the usefulness of the bank for fishing. Returning to Monaco, on 21 August, the prince circulated a press statement reporting the discovery and stressing its importance to Azorean fisheries. In gratitude for the discovery, King Carlos awarded the prince with the "grand collar" of the Order of Santiago, having already granted Captain Carr the honorific degree of master of the Order of St. Benedict in 1894. Increasingly Princess Alice Bank has become one of the main areas for fishing exploration within the Central Group of the Azorean islands.
Geography
An area of {{convert|50|nmi|km}} around the bank, measured from the coasts of the closest islands, was established by the European Union as a reserve for Azorean fishermen. Princess Alice Bank is one of the main points of friction, or disagreement, in the current dispute between the Regional Government of the Azores and the European Union regarding the reform of the common fisheries policy.
References
{{Reflist}}
External links
- {{in lang|pt}} [http://www.horta.uac.pt/scubazores/Alice/ Dive at Princess Alice Bank]
- {{in lang|fr}} [https://web.archive.org/web/20090813115853/http://www.oceano.org/mc/collections/page1col.htm The ships of Albert I, including the Princesse Alice]
- {{in lang|pt}} [http://www.horta.uac.pt/port/index.html Departamento de Oceanografia e Pescas (DOP) da Universidade dos Açores - Department of Oceanography and Fisheries of the University of the Azores]
{{fishing by country}}
{{fisheries and fishing}}
{{Azores Islands}}
{{coord|37|55|N|31|30|W|region:PT_type:isle_source:kolossus-ruwiki|display=title}}
Category:Geology of the Azores
Category:Fishing areas of the Atlantic Ocean