Penobscot Bay

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Penobscot Bay, inlet of the Atlantic Ocean, 35 mi (56 km) long and 27 mi (43 km) wide, S Maine. The bay was entered by the English explorer Martin Pring in 1603; the French explorer Samuel de Champlain claimed the area for France in 1604. An important shipbuilding center in the 19th cent., the bay has become a fishing and resort center.