Cape Corwin
Encyclopedia
Cape Corwin is the easternmost point of Nunivak Island
Nunivak Island
Nunivak Island , the second largest island in the Bering Sea, is a permafrost-covered volcanic island lying about 30 miles offshore from the delta of the Yukon and Kuskokwim rivers in the state of Alaska, at about 60° North latitude...

 in the Bering Sea
Bering Sea
The Bering Sea is a marginal sea of the Pacific Ocean. It comprises a deep water basin, which then rises through a narrow slope into the shallower water above the continental shelves....

 in the U.S. state
U.S. state
A U.S. state is any one of the 50 federated states of the United States of America that share sovereignty with the federal government. Because of this shared sovereignty, an American is a citizen both of the federal entity and of his or her state of domicile. Four states use the official title of...

 of Alaska
Alaska
Alaska is the largest state in the United States by area. It is situated in the northwest extremity of the North American continent, with Canada to the east, the Arctic Ocean to the north, and the Pacific Ocean to the west and south, with Russia further west across the Bering Strait...

. In the Cup'ig language it is known as Cing'ig ("point", as in point of land). According to Donald Orth (1967, Dictionary of Alaska Place Names) the name marks the southwest entrance point to Etolin Strait
Etolin Strait
Etolin Strait is a strait in the western region of the U.S. state of Alaska, at about . It is between Nunivak Island to its west and Nelson Island and the Alaska mainland to its east...

. According to local usage the feature is misnamed on official United States Geological Survey
United States Geological Survey
The United States Geological Survey is a scientific agency of the United States government. The scientists of the USGS study the landscape of the United States, its natural resources, and the natural hazards that threaten it. The organization has four major science disciplines, concerning biology,...

 maps. Since the name was reported to USGS by the USCGS in "about 1908" (the Board of Geographic Names decision was in 1906, and Baker reports USCGS began using it in 1899) it may have subsequently migrated to the next northernmost point of land, Cing'ig. The 1911 USCGS chart does not accurately represent the shape of the coast here; the point and the cape are not separately identifiable. The USGS lists Atahgo Point, Valilief Cape, and Chingeleth Point as alternative names for Cape Corwin; Atahgo point also has its own listing with distinct coordinates.

Cape Corwin may have been named for USRC Corwin
USRC Thomas Corwin (1876)
The Thomas Corwin was a United States Revenue Cutter and subsequently a merchant vessel. These two very different roles both centered on Alaska and the Bering Sea...

  which patrolled the Bering Sea in the 1880s and 1890s and made systematic depth soundings around Nunivak Island in 1899 Capes Manning, Mohican, and Algonquin on Nunivak Island also correspond with ships (Revenue Service, Navy and Coast Guard, respectively) of the Bering Sea Patrol. A 95-foot steel-hull U.S. Coast Guard patrol boat
Cape class patrol boat
Cape class patrol boats were steel hull patrol boats with aluminum superstructures of the United States Coast Guard. They were unnamed until 1964, when they acquired names of US capes of land. Originally designed for anti-submarine warfare , all 35 boats in this class were built at the United...

, built in 1958, operated as the Cape Corwin 1964-1990. This is reportedly the vessel that appeared in the opening credits of Hawaii Five-O
Hawaii Five-O
Hawaii Five-O is an American police procedural drama series produced by CBS Productions and Leonard Freeman. Set in Hawaii, the show originally aired for twelve seasons from 1968 to 1980, and continues in reruns. The show featured a fictional state police unit run by Detective Steve McGarrett,...

.
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