Shirase Coast is the north segment of the relatively ill-defined coast along the east side of Ross Ice Shelf

Ross Ice Shelf

The Ross Ice Shelf is the largest ice shelf of Antarctica . It is several hundred metres thick. The nearly vertical ice front to the open sea is more than 600 km long, and between 15 and 50 metres high above the water surface...

 and Ross Sea

Ross Sea

The Ross Sea is a deep bay of the Southern Ocean in Antarctica between Victoria Land and Marie Byrd Land.-Description:The Ross Sea was discovered by James Ross in 1841. In the west of the Ross Sea is Ross Island with the Mt. Erebus volcano, in the east Roosevelt Island. The southern part is covered...

, lying between the north end of Siple Coast

Siple Coast

Siple Coast is the middle portion of the relatively ill-defined coast along the east side of the Ross Ice Shelf, between the north end of Gould Coast and the south end of Shirase Coast . The area was originally called Kirton Coast, but was renamed by NZ-APC in 1961 after Paul A. Siple, a noted...

 (about 83°30′S 155°00′W) and Cape Colbeck

Cape Colbeck

Cape Colbeck is a prominent ice-covered cape which forms the northwestern extremity of the Edward VII Peninsula and Marie Byrd Land in Antarctica. It was discovered in January 1902 by the British National Antarctic Expedition expedition and named for Captain William Colbeck, Royal Naval Reserve,...

. Named by NZ-APC in 1961 after Lieutenant Nobu Shirase (1861-1946), leader of the Japanese expedition, whose ship Kainan Maru sailed near this coast in January 1912. Landings were made at Kainan Bay

Kainan Bay

Kainan Bay is an iceport which indents the front of Ross Ice Shelf about 37 miles NE of the NW end of Roosevelt Island. Discovered in January 1902 by the British National Antarctic Expedition under Robert Falcon Scott. It was named by the Japanese expedition under Lieutenant Nobu Shirase which, in...

 and at the Bay of Whales

Bay of Whales

The Bay of Whales is a natural ice harbor, or iceport, indenting the front of Ross Ice Shelf just north of Roosevelt Island. It is the southernmost point of open ocean not only of the Ross Sea, but worldwide...

, the origin of a 160-mile journey southeast on Ross Ice Shelf. From 76°56′S 155°55′W (off Edward VII Peninsula

Edward VII Peninsula

King Edward VII Land or King Edward VII Peninsula is a large, ice-covered peninsula which forms the northwestern extremity of Marie Byrd Land. The peninsula projects into the Ross Sea between Sulzberger Bay and the northeast corner of the Ross Ice Shelf, and forms part of the Ross Dependency...

), another party landed for a sledge trip to the edge of the Queen Alexandra Range

Queen Alexandra Range

The Queen Alexandra Range is a major mountain range in East Antarctica, about 160 km long, bordering the entire western side of Beardmore Glacier from the Polar Plateau to the Ross Ice Shelf. Alternate names for this range include Alexandra Mountains, Alexandra Range and Königin Alexandra...

.