Vedel Islands

The Vedel Islands (-65.11667°N, -64.25°W) are a group of small islands lying 2 nmi west of Hovgaard Island in the Wilhelm Archipelago, Antarctica.

Location
The Vedel Islands are off the Graham Coast of the Antarctic Peninsula. They are in the Wilhelm Archipelago, southwest of Hovgaard Island and Booth Island, and northeast of the French Passage. They are northwest of Mount Shackleton on the mainland.

Sailing directions
The US Defense Mapping Agency's Sailing Directions for Antarctica (1976) describes the Vedel Islands as follows: "Vedel Islets (Wedel Islands) lie westward of Hovgaard Island. distant about 2 miles. This group consists of numerous islets, the largest of which, Vedel Islet (Vadel Islet), Is about 1 mile long and half as wide with an elevation of about 252 feet. The next largest Le Myre de Vilers, is located close northward and has a small cove on the north shore which is open to northeastward. A chain of rocks extend northeastward of this group for a distance of 2 miles, and another group of rocks lies from 1 to 2 miles southward. The Vedel Islets have not been fully examined because this group is usually ice-locked. A BEACON, 20 feet high, has been established on an island of the Stray Islands, a small group of islets which lies south of the Vedel Islets and west of Petermann Island. It consists of a post painted red with a cylindrical topmark painted in black and yellow bands. Many dangers are charted westward, north-westward, and northward of the Vedel Islets to a distance of 5 miles; the navigator's attention is called to the note "Position Approximate," which applies to most of these dangers on the chart."

Discovery and name
The largest island of this group was discovered in 1898 and given the name Vedel Island by the Belgian Antarctic Expedition (BelgAE) under Adrien de Gerlache. The French Antarctic Expedition (FrAE) under Charcot charted the remaining islands in 1904, and again in 1909, when the name was extended to include the entire group.

Islands
Islands in the group, and nearby islands, include

Bager Island
-65.12444°N, -64.26472°W. A rocky island 963 m long in W-E direction and 373 m wide in the Vedel Islands group. Surface area 21 ha. Situated 245 m southwest of Rak Island, 5.77 km west by north of Hovgaard Island, 436 m north of Klamer Island, and 3.78 km east-southeast of Flank Island in the Myriad Islands group. So named because of its shape supposedly resembling an excavator ('bager' in Bulgarian), and in association with other descriptive names of islands in the area.

Friedburginsel
-65.13333°N, -64.21667°W. An island west of Booth Island. Discovered during German Antarctic Expedition 1873/74 under Captain Eduard Dallmann (1830-1896). Named after a Hamburg patron of the expedition.

Kamera Island
-65.13278°N, -64.25722°W. A mostly ice-covered island 778 m long in SW-NE direction and 278 m wide. Surface area 10.75 ha. Situated 5.6 km northwest of Petermann Island, 80 m northwest of Kormoran Island, 40 m southeast of Klamer Island and 378 m west of Pate Island. So named because of its shape supposedly resembling a TV camera ('kamera' in Bulgarian), and in association with other descriptive names of islands in the area.

Klamer Island
-65.13194°N, -64.26389°W. A rocky island 520 m long in SW-NE direction and 150 m wide in the Vedel Islands. Surface area 5.61 ha. Situated 6.12 km northwest of Petermann Island, 40 m northwest of Kamera Island and 436 m south of Bager Island. So named because of its shape supposedly resembling a paper clip ('klamer' in Bulgarian), and in association with other descriptive names of islands in the area.

Kormoran Island
-65.13806°N, -64.24722°W. A mostly ice-free rocky island extending 848 m in a south–north direction and 705 m in a west–east direction in the Vedel Islands. Surface area 36.7 ha. Situated 4.72 km northwest of Petermann Island, 80 m southeast of Kamera Island and 160 m southwest of Pate Island. So named because of its shape supposedly resembling a cormorant ('kormoran' in Bulgarian), and in association with other descriptive names of islands in the area.

Kostenurka Island
-65.12278°N, -64.21806°W. A mostly ice-covered island 1.12 km long in southwest–northeast direction and 537 m wide in the Vedel Islands. Surface area 40.4 ha. Situated 3.77 km northwest of Hovgaard Island, 50 m northwest of Friedburginsel, 652 m east-southeast of Rak Island and 37 m south of Lapa Island. So named because of its shape supposedly resembling a turtle ('kostenurka' in Bulgarian), and in association with other descriptive names of islands in the area.

Lapa Island
-65.11722°N, -64.21722°W. A mostly ice-covered island 800 m long in W-E direction and 490 m wide in the Vedel Islands. Surface area 21.73 ha. Situated 3.9 km northwest of Hovgaard Island, 37 m north of Kostenurka Island, 805 m east-northeast of Rak Island, and 4.97 km southwest of Lamya Island in the Dannebrog Islands group. So named because of its shape supposedly resembling an animal paw ('lapa' in Bulgarian), and in association with other descriptive names of islands in the area.

Pate Island
-65.13222°N, -64.23472°W. A mostly ice-free rocky island 667 m long in west–east direction and 390 m wide in the Vedel Islands. Surface area 12.67 ha. Situated 4.9 km northwest of Petermann Island, 160 m northeast of Kormoran Island, 1 km southeast  of Bager Island and 105 m southwest of Friedburginsel. So named because of its shape supposedly resembling a baby duck ('pate' in Bulgarian), and in association with other descriptive names of islands in the area.

Rak Island
-65.12139°N, -64.24778°W. A rocky island 615 m long in west–east direction and 200 m wide in the Vedel Islands. Surface area 6.87 ha. Situated 5.25 km west-northwest of Hovgaard Island, 652 m west-northwest of Kostenurka Island, 245 m northeast of Bager Island and 805 m west-southwest of Lapa Island. So named because of its shape supposedly resembling a crab ('rak' in Bulgarian), and in association with other descriptive names of islands in the area.

Stray Islands
-65.16667°N, -64.23333°W. A scattered but distinct group of islands lying 2 nmi west of Petermann Island. Mapped by the FIDS from photos taken by Hunting Aerosurveys Ltd. in 1956-57 and from the helicopter of HMS Protector in March 1958. So named by the UK-APC because the group is scattered.