Stephens Passage

{{Short description|Strait in Alaska, United States}}

File:Stephens Passage and Admiralty Island, AK.JPG

Stephens Passage is a channel in the Alexander Archipelago in the southeastern region of the U.S. state of Alaska. It runs between Admiralty Island to the west and the Alaska mainland and Douglas Island to the east, and is about 170 km (105 mi) long. Juneau, the capital of Alaska, is near the north end, on Gastineau Channel.

Stephens Passage was named in 1794 by George Vancouver, probably for Sir Philip Stephens.{{gnis|1896808|Stephens Passage}} It was first charted the same year by Joseph Whidbey, master of HMS Discovery during Vancouver's 1791-95 expedition.{{cite book

| last = Vancouver

| first = George, and John Vancouver

| title = A voyage of discovery to the North Pacific ocean, and round the world

| publisher = J. Stockdale

| year = 1801

| location = London

| url = https://archive.org/details/avoyagediscover00vancgoog}} In 1920, a more detailed survey of the passage followed, by the United States Coast and Geodetic Survey ship USC&GS Explorer and two smaller vessels.{{cite report |title=Annual Report of the Director, United States Coast and Geodetic Survey to the Secretary of Commerce |date= |publisher=U.S. Government Printing Office |location=Washington, D.C. |page=95 |year=1920}}