The party were able to disembark at the island and took possession of it in the name of the United States, according to The Annual Report of the Secretary of the Navy, for the Year 1882.
However, several years later, neighbouring Russia decided otherwise.
Following the Imperial Russian Arctic Ocean Hydrographic Expedition of 1910–1915, the Russian ambassador in London announced that Jeanette island, along with other Arctic islands, were part of the Russian Empire.
The Soviet Union later maintained its territorial claim.
