A large inlet of the Gulf of Alaska, on the east side of Kenai Peninsula, with a coastline measuring 5,000 km in length. In 1778 James Cook entered the sound and called it Sandwich Sound, but it was later renamed Prince William by the editors of Cook's maps. There are a few settlements near the sound, and the largest port is Valdez. These villages were seriously affected by the tsunami in 1964 and than in 1989, the oil tanker Exxon Valdez ran aground on Bligh Reef after leaving Valdez, causing a large oil spill, which resulted in massive damage to the environment.