Surigao Strait (Filipino: Kipot ng Surigaw) is a strait in the southern Philippines, between the Bohol Sea and Leyte Gulf of the Philippine Sea.
| Surigao Strait | |
|---|---|
 The US Navy guided-missile destroyer USS Gridley in the Surigao Strait | |
  Surigao Strait | |
 | |
| Location | Eastern Visayas, Caraga |
| Coordinates | 10°10′N 125°23′E / 10.167°N 125.383°E |
| Type | Strait |
| Max. length | 75 km (47 mi) |
| Max. width | 25 km (16 mi) |
Geography
editIt is located between the regions of Visayas and Mindanao. It lies between northern Mindanao Island and Panaon Island, and between the Dinagat Islands and Leyte island.
The strait is deep but has a strong current, up to 8 knots (15 km/h; 9.2 mph). The northern entrance of the Surigao Strait is marked by a navigation light on Suluan Island.[1]
The Hibuson island lies at the north end of the Surigao Strait.
Transport
editIt is regularly crossed by numerous ferries that transport goods and people between Visayas and Mindanao. The ferries stop at Liloan, Southern Leyte and Surigao City in Surigao del Norte.[2]
Etymology
editAccording to legend, the strait was named after Solibao, a Negrito chieftain, who lived at the outlet of the Surigao River. Migrating Visayan fishermen gradually formed a settlement there, and when Spanish explorers visited the place, they probably misheard the name as Surigao instead of Solibao.[3] A different theory explains that Surigao may be derived from the Spanish word surgir, meaning "swift water" or "current".[4]
History
editIn March 1521 during the first circumnavigation of the Earth, Ferdinand Magellan and his crew were the first Europeans to sail through the strait.
The Battle of Surigao Strait took place here on October 25, 1944. The American battleships of the U.S. 7th Fleet Support Force commanded by Rear Admiral Jesse B. Oldendorf were able to "cross the T" against Vice Admiral Shoji Nishimura's Southern Force; nearly all of which, including the battleships Yamashiro and Fusō, were sunk. All but one of these American battleships had been in Pearl Harbor during the Japanese sneak attack and either damaged or sunk and subsequently refloated and repaired.[5]
References
edit- ^ "INBOUND THROUGH THE SURIGAO STRAIT" (PDF). Puerto Galera Yacht Club, Inc. Retrieved 22 July 2013.
- ^ "About Surigao del Norte". Philippine Provincial Road Management Facility. Retrieved 22 July 2013.
- ^ "Legend of Surigao City". www.surigao.net. Retrieved 22 July 2013.
- ^ "Surigao Travel Information". Free N Easy Travel. Retrieved 22 July 2013.
- ^ Zapotoczny, Walter S. (2008). "The Battle of Surigao Strait: The Last Crossing of the T". MilitaryHistoryOnline.com. Retrieved 25 Mar 2022.
External links
edit
Media related to Surigao Strait at Wikimedia Commons
