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| Royal Caribbean Cruise ship in front of
Hubbard Glacier, Disenchantment Bay |
Holland America Cruise ship at Hubbard Glacier,
Disenchantment Bay |
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Disenchantment Bay, located at the head of Yakutat Bay,
features both Turner Glacier and the larger Hubbard
Glacier. It received its name from the Spanish explorer
Malaspina who had come to look for the fabled Northwest
Passage. When trade with the local Tlingit Natives
turned sour and reports of the passage proved false,
Malaspina left, naming the ice-filled inlet after his
dashed hopes. The bay offers the only harbour along this
stretch of the Alaskan coast that can handle larger
ships.
Turner and Hubbard Glaciers are both stunning features
of Yakutat Bay, and were carefully studied by early
glaciologists who visited in 1899. This area is still in
a very active state of flux, thanks to its glaciers and
to the action of tectonic plates, causing nearby Mount
St. Elias and other nearby mountains to grow at a rate
of 2.5 inches (6 cm) per year. There’s also lots of
earthquake activity, with significant quakes happening
in 1899.
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