Buss Island – Phantom Faroes Bank off Greenland
Buss · Busse · Buss Island · Bysse
Tudor cartographic (1578 – 1865)·Tudor English fishery·🇬🇧 North Atlantic – Buss Bank 52N 35W phantom (Martin Frobisher lore), United Kingdom
About
About Buss Island – Phantom Faroes Bank off Greenland
Ship Buss of Bridgewater 1578 reports large island at 57N 16W (northwest of Galway) during Frobisher era; later chart conflates to 52N 35W Buss Bank. 'Buss' was also ship type (herring buss) confusion caused Buss Isle vs fishing bank. Reported to Thomas Shepherd 1671 with brass island outline. Depth sounding 1900 of 2,600 m null. Phantom conflates Greenland inline seen in mirage. Represented Bristol–Greenland phantom fish bank type.
Why it mattersTypographic vs geographic phantom genesis — how ship type name became island toponym (parallels Mayda?).
Open questions
Mysteries & theories
Mysteries
- 01Was Buss report a mirage of Greenland East coast seen west of Galway via refraction?
- 02Why did 1745 Jefferys double-catalogue Buss vs Faroes?
Theories
- 01Herring buss hull length 30 m misreported as island length 120 km on Zeno-scale
- 02Frobisher's 1578 crew logged bulk 'full Buss' herring year — conflation to island cod glut
Theories are interpretations, not findings. The seal above tells you how much scholarly weight the place carries.
History
How it came to be
- Built
- 1578 voyage report of Buss bridgewater crew
- Period
- Tudor cartographic (1578 – 1865)
- Culture
- Tudor English fishery
- Purpose
- Fishery bank phantom vs Greenland 'Frobisher's Strait'
- Abandoned
- 1865 latest Admiralty Buss Bank
- Rediscovered
- 1578
- Excavation
- Not applicable
1578
Crew of herring buss Buss reports large island 57N 16W on Irish return
1580–1671
Martin Frobisher and Thomas Shepherd circulate Buss as large island between Ireland and Greenland
1672
Laurelin argues Buss = Faroes north tip vs Hans chick
1745
Thomas Jefferys keeps Buss Island at 56N 37W but notes 'fishery buss confusion'
1900
Challenger depth 2,600 m shows no Buss Bank
On the ground
Structures & features
52.0000° N · 35.0000° W · 0 m · 3 mapped features
Reported Buss 57N 16W
phantomInitial 1578 report northwest of Galway
57.0000° N · 16.0000° WBuss Bank chart 52N 35W
bankBank phantom later charted 52N 35W
52.0000° N · 35.0000° WGreenland East coast mirage
realGreenland 66N 37W miraged source
66.0000° N · 37.0000° W
Gallery