- McClure Strait
The McClure Strait (sometimes rendered M'Clure Strait) is a
strait on the edge of the CanadianNorthwest Territories . It forms the northwestern end of one of the routes through theNorthwest Passage .The strait connects the
Beaufort Sea in the west withViscount Melville Sound in the east. It is bounded byPrince Patrick Island ,Eglinton Island and Melville Island on the north andBanks Island on the south. As the strait is chronically blocked with thick ice, it is usually impassable to ships; in 1969, theUnited States -registered tanker SS Manhattan was freed from the ice by a Canadianicebreaker , and forced to travel through Canadian territorial waters to complete its westward passage. There is a dispute between Canada and the United States over the waters of the Arctic Islands, other than those within convert|12|mi|abbr=on of shore.The McClure Strait became fully open (ice-free) in early August 2007, and again in August of 2008. The
European Space Agency reports that theArctic 's Northwest Passage has opened up fully because of melting sea ice, clearing a lane through the northern section of the historically impassable route between Europe and Asia.The strait was named for
Robert McClure , an Irish Arctic explorer.ee also
*
Territorial claims in the Arctic
Wikimedia Foundation. 2010.