Nelson Channel is a navigable channel between Candlemas and Vindication Islands, in the South Sandwich Islands. First roughly charted by Captain James Cook

James Cook

Captain James Cook, FRS, RN was a British explorer, navigator and cartographer who ultimately rose to the rank of captain in the Royal Navy...

, discoverer of these islands in 1775. Recharted in 1930 by DI

Discovery Investigations

The Discovery Investigations were a series of scientific cruises and shore-based investigations into the biology of whales in the Southern Ocean. They were funded by the British Colonial Office and organised by the Discovery Committee in London, which was formed in 1918...

 personnel on the Discovery II, who gave the name Nelson Strait

Nelson Strait

Nelson Strait is the 9 km long and 9.8 km wide strait lying between Robert Island and Nelson Island in the South Shetland Islands, Antarctica. The strait was explored by early 19th century sealers and first charted by Nathaniel Palmer in 1821...

 for Lieutenant A.L. Nelson, Royal Navy Reserve, chief officer and navigator of the ship. The name has been amended to avoid duplication with Nelson Strait in the South Shetland Islands

South Shetland Islands

The South Shetland Islands are a group of Antarctic islands, lying about north of the Antarctic Peninsula, with a total area of . By the Antarctic Treaty of 1959, the Islands' sovereignty is neither recognized nor disputed by the signatories and they are free for use by any signatory for...

.