Ronne Entrance is a broad southwest entrance of the George VI Sound where it opens on Bellingshausen Sea at the southwest side of Alexander Island. It was discovered on a sledge journey through the sound in December 1940 by U.S. Polar explorer Finn Ronne and Carl Eklund of the US Antarctic Service (USAS), 1939-41, and named "Ronne Bay". Finn Ronne covered more miles by ski and sled dog than any other explorer in history and mapped the last unknown coastline on earth on his Ronne Antarctic Research Expedition in 1947.[1]
Since 1940, the head of the bay has receded eastward into George VI Sound, altering the relationships on which the name was based. The name was therefore changed to Ronne Entrance, in keeping with the physical characteristics of the feature. Named after the Ronne family, of which the father, Martin Ronne, was a member of the Norwegian expedition under Amundsen, 1910-12, and the Byrd Antarctic Expedition 1928-30; the son, Finn Ronne (d.1980), was a member of the Byrd Antarctic Expedition, 1933-35, and the USAS, 1939-41. As captain, Finn Ronne headed the Ronne Antarctic Research Expedition, 1947-49 and became scientific and military leader for a U.S. Weddell Sea base. His wife, Edith Ronne, became the first woman to overwinter on the continent.
This article incorporates public domain material from the United States Geological Survey document "Ronne Entrance" (content from the Geographic Names Information System).