Shirley Island is a rocky Antarctic

Antarctic

The Antarctic is the region around the Earth's South Pole, opposite the Arctic region around the North Pole. The Antarctic comprises the continent of Antarctica and the ice shelves, waters and island territories in the Southern Ocean situated south of the Antarctic Convergence...

 island a 1 miles (1.6 km) long, lying 0.1 mi (0.160934 km) northwest of the western end of Bailey Peninsula, in the Windmill Islands

Windmill Islands

The Windmill Islands are an Antarctic group of rocky islands and rocks about wide, paralleling the coast of Wilkes Land for immediately north of Vanderford Glacier along the east side of Vincennes Bay...

. Kirkby Shoal

Kirkby Shoal

Kirkby Shoal is a small shoal area with depths of less than extending about westwards and SSW, about from the summit of Shirley Island, Windmill Islands, and NW of Stonehocker Point, Clark Peninsula.-Discovery and naming:...

 is a small shoal

Shoal

Shoal, shoals or shoaling may mean:* Shoal, a sandbank or reef creating shallow water, especially where it forms a hazard to shipping* Shoal draught , of a boat with shallow draught which can pass over some shoals: see Draft...

 area with depths of less than 18 metres (20 yd) extending about 140 metres (153 yd) westwards and SSW, about 3.4 km (2.1 mi) from the summit of Shirley Island.

Shirley Island was first mapped from air photos taken by USN Operation Highjump

Operation Highjump

Operation Highjump , officially titled The United States Navy Antarctic Developments Program, 1946-1947, was a United States Navy operation organized by RADM Richard E. Byrd Jr. USN, , Officer in Charge, Task Force 68, and led by RADM Richard H. Cruzen, USN, Commanding Officer, Task Force 68....

 in February 1947. It was named by the US-ACAN for Q. Shirley, chief photographer's mate on Operation Highjump photographic flights in this area and other coastal areas between
14 and 164 East longitude.

Launch Channel

Launch Channel is the narrow body of water between Bailey Peninsula and the island. The relatively shallow soundings in the channel restrict its use to smaller craft, suggesting the name.

See also

• Composite Antarctic Gazetteer
• List of Antarctic and sub-Antarctic islands
• List of Antarctic islands south of 60° S
• SCAR
  Scientific Committee on Antarctic Research
  The Scientific Committee on Antarctic Research is an interdisciplinary body of the International Council for Science . It was established in February 1958 to continue the international coordination of Antarctic scientific activities that had begun during the International Geophysical Year of 1957-58...
  
  
• Territorial claims in Antarctica