Admiralty Sound

Admiralty Sound, also called Almirantazgo Fjord, cuts deeply into the west coast of Isla Grande de Tierra del Fuego in far southern Chile. It runs southeast from Whiteside Channel, the passage separating the island from Dawson Island. Along its southern side, smaller fjords and bays divide the northern edge of the Cordillera Darwin, creating a branching water route enclosed by steep terrain. Ainsworth Bay receives meltwater from glaciers and shelters a colony of elephant seals. At the head of the sound the Azopardo River enters from the interior. British Captain Phillip Parker King discovered the fjord in 1827 and named it after the British Admiralty.

For ships and smaller craft the sound offered a route through channels bounded by glacier-fed bays, river mouths and steep mountain coast. Its navigable line depended on these contours, and the sheltered bays gave crews places to wait out bad weather.