Scoresbyøya

Panorama of an arctic island in Nordenskiöldbukta

Scoresbyøya (“Scoresby Island”) is situated in Nordenskiöldbukta north of Nordaustland in northeastern Svalbard. In other words: the end of the world! There is the occasional ship coming through the area on the way to the war weather station Haudegen deep in Rijpfjord, but not a lot of traffic beyond that. And even those few people who pass through here will usually not pay much attention to Scoresbyøya, which is the largest island in Nordenskiöldbukta, with just under 6 kilometres from the southern end to the northern tip. Near the north end, there are some rocky hill, the highest one being 48 m high. The rest of the island is pretty much flat.

Some may connect the general area to the Schröder-Stranz expedition, which failed dramatically. In the late summer of 1912, expedition leader Herbert Schröder-Stranz left the expedition ship, the Herzog Ernst, close to Scoresbyøya, with 3 more men to cross Nordaustland and Spitsbergen. They failed and were never seen again.

Scoresbyøya: view from the hills in the north towards the southern part of the island.

Panorama 1: Scoresbyøya (northern end)

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Both of the 360 degree panoramas were taken near the northern end of the island.

Driftwood and plastic on Scoresbyøya.

Panorama 2: Scoresbyøya (northern end)

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The southern part of Scoresbyøya is mostly flat, with some lagoons and shallow surrounding coastal waters. Care is needed for all navigation in the area, including small boats and especially on the west side of the island.