Iris Bay is a small bay immediately south of Muller Point at the east end of South Georgia, lying 6 miles (10 km) northwest of Cape Vahsel, along the embayment between Cape Vahsel and Cape Charlotte. The name Sandwich Bay, for John Montagu, 4th Earl of Sandwich, was given to the whole embayment between Cape Vahsel and Cape Charlotte in 1775 by a British expedition under Cook. The name was later restricted on maps to the small bay described, since a name for the large embayment was not considered useful. The SGS, 1951-52, reported that the name Iris Bay for the same feature is well established in use among the whalers and sealers in South Georgia, and that the name Sandwich Bay is unknown locally. Iris Bay is approved to conform with local usage.
This article incorporates public domain material from the United States Geological Survey document "Iris Bay" (content from the Geographic Names Information System).