Description
Pustoi Island is located in Umnak Pass, 2 mi. N of Ship Rock, off NE coast of Umnak I., Aleutian Islands.
History
Russian name given by the navigator Kuritzien as "O(strov) Pustoy" meaning "Desert Island;" published by Captain Tebenkov (1852, map 25, inset dated 1849), Imperial Russian Navy (IRN). The island was called "Tanghinakh" by Captain Lutke (1836, p. 299), Imperial Russian Navy (IRN), possibly from the Aleut word "tangidak," which, according to R. H. Geoghegan, means "islet or small island." Baker (1906, p. 515) says "the name 'Tanginak' applies to Ship Island." See Ship Rock.