Santa Saturnina
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''North West America'' was a British
merchant ship A merchant ship, merchant vessel, trading vessel, or merchantman is a watercraft that transports cargo or carries passengers for hire. This is in contrast to pleasure craft, which are used for personal recreation, and naval ships, which are ...
that sailed on maritime fur trading ventures in the late 1780s. It was the first non-indigenous vessel built in the
Pacific Northwest The Pacific Northwest (PNW; ) is a geographic region in Western North America bounded by its coastal waters of the Pacific Ocean to the west and, loosely, by the Rocky Mountains to the east. Though no official boundary exists, the most common ...
. In 1789 it was captured at Nootka Sound by Esteban José Martínez of
Spain Spain, or the Kingdom of Spain, is a country in Southern Europe, Southern and Western Europe with territories in North Africa. Featuring the Punta de Tarifa, southernmost point of continental Europe, it is the largest country in Southern Eur ...
during the
Nootka Crisis The Nootka Crisis, also known as the Spanish Armament, was an international incident and political dispute between Spain and Great Britain triggered by a series of events revolving around sovereignty claims and rights of navigation and trade. It ...
, after which it became part of the
Spanish Navy The Spanish Navy, officially the Armada, is the Navy, maritime branch of the Spanish Armed Forces and one of the oldest active naval forces in the world. The Spanish Navy was responsible for a number of major historic achievements in navigation ...
and was renamed ''Santa Gertrudis la Magna'' and later ''Santa Saturnina''. The vessel also played an important role in both British and Spanish exploration of the
Pacific Northwest The Pacific Northwest (PNW; ) is a geographic region in Western North America bounded by its coastal waters of the Pacific Ocean to the west and, loosely, by the Rocky Mountains to the east. Though no official boundary exists, the most common ...
, especially the
Strait of Juan de Fuca The Strait of Juan de Fuca (officially named Juan de Fuca Strait in Canada) is a body of water about long that is the Salish Sea's main outlet to the Pacific Ocean. The Canada–United States border, international boundary between Canada and the ...
,
San Juan Islands The San Juan Islands is an archipelago in the Pacific Northwest of the United States between the U.S. state of Washington and Vancouver Island, British Columbia, Canada. The San Juan Islands are part of Washington state, and form the core of ...
, and the Strait of Georgia. Under the Spanish commander José María Narváez ''Santa Saturnina'' was the first European vessel to find and explore the Strait of Georgia and the area that is the city of
Vancouver Vancouver is a major city in Western Canada, located in the Lower Mainland region of British Columbia. As the List of cities in British Columbia, most populous city in the province, the 2021 Canadian census recorded 662,248 people in the cit ...
today. The vessel was a
schooner A schooner ( ) is a type of sailing ship, sailing vessel defined by its Rig (sailing), rig: fore-and-aft rigged on all of two or more Mast (sailing), masts and, in the case of a two-masted schooner, the foremast generally being shorter than t ...
, or ''goleta'' in Spanish. Its exact size is not known. John Meares wrote that ''North West America'' was about 40 to 50 tons ( bm). Robert Haswell of '' Columbia Rediviva'', who watched the vessel launched, estimated it at about 30 tons. The vessel may have been enlarged when it was renamed ''Santa Saturnina'', at which point it acquired the nickname ''La Orcasitas''. The ''Santa Saturnina'' was about long on the keel, of shallow
draft Draft, the draft, or draught may refer to: Watercraft dimensions * Draft (hull), the distance from waterline to keel of a vessel * Draft (sail), degree of curvature in a sail * Air draft, distance from waterline to the highest point on a v ...
, and had eight oars.


British merchant vessel ''North West America''

''North West America'' was built at Nootka Sound,
Vancouver Island Vancouver Island is an island in the northeastern Pacific Ocean and part of the Canadian province of British Columbia. The island is in length, in width at its widest point, and in total area, while are of land. The island is the largest ...
, in 1788 from materials brought from Asia aboard '' Felice Adventurer'', captain John Meares, and '' Iphigenia Nubiana'', captain William Douglas. These ships had sailed from
Macau Macau or Macao is a special administrative regions of China, special administrative region of the People's Republic of China (PRC). With a population of about people and a land area of , it is the most List of countries and dependencies by p ...
in January 1788. Meares, who had cruised the Northwest Coast for furs in 1786 and 1787, intended to establish a permanent fur trading post at Nootka Sound. For that purpose he brought materials for building the vessel as well as a house. To assist with construction 50 Chinese men were hired and sailed with the expedition. They became the first Chinese known to have visited the Pacific Northwest and Hawaii. Meares had chosen not to pay for licenses from the
East India Company The East India Company (EIC) was an English, and later British, joint-stock company that was founded in 1600 and dissolved in 1874. It was formed to Indian Ocean trade, trade in the Indian Ocean region, initially with the East Indies (South A ...
and South Sea Company, which were legally required of British merchants working in East Asia and the Pacific Ocean. Instead he tried to conceal the illegal activity by using the flag of
Portugal Portugal, officially the Portuguese Republic, is a country on the Iberian Peninsula in Southwestern Europe. Featuring Cabo da Roca, the westernmost point in continental Europe, Portugal borders Spain to its north and east, with which it share ...
and sailing under the titular Portuguese command of Francisco José Viana, who pretended to be the captain of ''Iphigenia''. After being built and launched, ''North West America'' also flew the Portuguese flag. ''North West America'' was launched on 20 September 1788. It was the first non-indigenous vessel built in the Pacific Northwest. Command was given to Robert Funter. Soon after the launch, Meares sailed ''Felice'' back to Macau. On 27 October 1788 ''Iphigenia'' and ''North West America'' were towed out of Nootka Sound by John Kendrick's longboats. They then sailed to the
Hawaiian Islands The Hawaiian Islands () are an archipelago of eight major volcanic islands, several atolls, and numerous smaller islets in the Pacific Ocean, North Pacific Ocean, extending some from the Hawaii (island), island of Hawaii in the south to nort ...
where they spent the winter. They arrived at
Maui Maui (; Hawaiian language, Hawaiian: ) is the second largest island in the Hawaiian archipelago, at 727.2 square miles (1,883 km2). It is the List of islands of the United States by area, 17th-largest in the United States. Maui is one of ...
on 6 December 1788, then sailed to the island of
Hawaii Hawaii ( ; ) is an island U.S. state, state of the United States, in the Pacific Ocean about southwest of the U.S. mainland. One of the two Non-contiguous United States, non-contiguous U.S. states (along with Alaska), it is the only sta ...
and anchored in Kealakekua Bay. Other than '' Queen Charlotte'', under Captain George Dixon, and '' King George'', under Nathaniel Portlock, ''Iphigenia'' and ''North West America'' were the first European ships to visit Kealakekua Bay since Captain
James Cook Captain (Royal Navy), Captain James Cook (7 November 1728 – 14 February 1779) was a British Royal Navy officer, explorer, and cartographer famous for his three voyages of exploration to the Pacific and Southern Oceans, conducted between 176 ...
was killed there in 1779. On 10 December the future king of the
Hawaiian Kingdom The Hawaiian Kingdom, also known as the Kingdom of Hawaiʻi ( Hawaiian: ɛ ɐwˈpuni həˈvɐjʔi, was an archipelagic country from 1795 to 1893, which eventually encompassed all of the inhabited Hawaiian Islands. It was established in 1795 w ...
, Kamehameha I visited the two vessels. Over the winter of 1788–1789 Douglas and Funter sailed ''Iphigenia'' and ''North West America'' from island to island. In March, 1789, Douglas was ready to sail back to the Pacific Northwest coast. On 17 March 1789 Douglas and Funter left the Hawaiian Islands for Nootka Sound, where they hoped to meet Meares in another ship. Douglas arrived at Nootka Sound on 20 April 1789 and anchored near the
Nuu-chah-nulth The Nuu-chah-nulth ( ; ), also formerly referred to as the Nootka, Nutka, Aht, Nuuchahnulth or Tahkaht, are one of the Indigenous peoples of the Pacific Northwest Coast in Canada. The term Nuu-chah-nulth is used to describe fifteen related tri ...
village of Yuquot. Funter took ''North West America'' on a fur trading cruise along the Pacific Northwest Coast before sailing to Nootka Sound, arriving there on 24 April 1789. ''North West America'' was then hauled up on the beach for repairs. ''Iphigenia'' was also in need of repairs. Meanwhile, in Macau Meares and his business partners had decided to merge their company with their former rival, the King George's Sound Company, owned by the Richard Cadman Etches and his brothers in London. The merged company was called by various names such as "The Associated Merchants of London and India", "The United Company of British Merchants Trading to the North West Coast of America", "The South Sea Company of London", or simply "the united Company". Because the Etches brothers had proper licenses with the East India Company and South Sea Company, the several company ships that sailed to Nootka Sound in 1789 flew the British flag. The company's 1789 expedition and all its ships were put under the command of James Colnett, including ''Iphigenia'' and ''North West America''. Until they learned about the new situation, Douglas and Funter continued to fly Portuguese flags and pretended to be under the command of the Portuguese captain Viana.


Nootka Incident

Before Colnett's ships arrived ''North West America'' was ready for sea again. Funter set out on a trading voyage to the north, departing Nootka Sound on 28 April 1789. Two days later Robert Gray left with '' Lady Washington''. The only ships left in Nootka Sound were Douglas's ''Iphigenia'' and John Kendrick's '' Columbia Rediviva'' when on 6 May 1789 the Spanish warship '' Princesa'', under Esteban José Martínez, entered the harbor to build an outpost and assert Spanish sovereignty. On May 12 the 16–gun ''San Carlos'', under Gonzalo López de Haro arrived, reinforcing Martínez, who then arrested Captain Douglas and seized ''Iphigenia'', the first event in what soon became an international incident called the
Nootka Crisis The Nootka Crisis, also known as the Spanish Armament, was an international incident and political dispute between Spain and Great Britain triggered by a series of events revolving around sovereignty claims and rights of navigation and trade. It ...
. After lengthy negotiation between Martínez and Douglas, Martínez released Douglas and allowed him to depart with ''Iphigenia''. Douglas left Nootka Sound on 1 June 1789. He hoped to encounter Funter returning on ''North West America'' but the vessels missed each other. On June 8 Funter sailed ''North West America'' into Nootka Sound. In a series of events similar to what had happened to Douglas and ''Iphigenia'', Funter and his crew were soon arrested and ''North West America'' seized. According to Joseph Ingraham, second mate of ''Columbia'', Martínez had paid to repair and provision ''Iphigenia'' and had an agreement with Douglas that ''North West America'' would be held as security for these costs, not because of any threat to Spanish sovereignty. Due to the way the events of the Nootka Crisis played out, and that Douglas was never able to repay Martínez, ''North West America'' was never returned to the British. It became a Spanish ship, renamed ''Santa Gertrudis la Magna'' and, later, ''Santa Saturnina''.


Spanish naval vessel ''Santa Gertrudis la Magna''

On 21 June 1789, Martínez dispatched José María Narváez in the captured ''North West America'', renamed ''Santa Gertrudis la Magna'', to explore inlets to the south of Nootka Sound. By early July Narváez returned to Nootka, having sailed about into the Strait of Juan de Fuca, demonstrating that it was a very large inlet. He also visited the Makah village at Neah Bay, the first Spaniard to do so. After hearing Narváez's report, Martínez felt that the Strait of Juan de Fuca was the entrance of the legendary Northwest Passage and of extreme strategic importance. Therefore, he placed Gonzalo López de Haro and Narváez in command of ''San Carlos'' and the captured ''
Princess Royal Princess Royal is a substantive title, title customarily (but not automatically) awarded by British monarchs to their eldest daughters. Although purely honorary, it is the highest honour that may be given to a female member of the royal famil ...
'', renamed ''Princesa Real'', and sent them to the Spanish naval base at San Blas with news about the strait. In October, Martínez completely evacuated Nootka Sound and returned to San Blas himself, with his prisoners and captured ships. Spanish records about ''Santa Gertrudis la Magna'', often simply called ''Santa Gertrudis'', can be confusing and difficult to interpret, in part because a Spanish warship called ''Santa Gertrudis'' was redeployed from Callao,
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, to the San Blas Naval Department in 1790. Over the next few years both vessels were in use at Nootka Sound and along the coast Northwest Coast. Sometime before early 1791 ''Santa Gertrudis la Magna'', formerly ''North West America'', was renamed ''Santa Saturnina''.


Spanish naval vessel ''Santa Saturnina''

On 4 May 1791 an exploring expedition under Francisco de Eliza, commanding ''San Carlos'', set out from Nootka Sound, with ''Santa Saturnina'' under the command of José María Narváez (ranked ''segundo piloto havilitado'' (qualified second pilot—''piloto'' in Spanish being equivalent to master in English). Juan Pantoja y Arriaga (''primer piloto''), José Antonio Verdia (''segundo piloto''), and Juan Carrasco (''pilotín'', "pilot's mate"), were also involved. Juan Francisco de la Bodega y Quadra, commandant of the Naval Department of San Blas, had instructed Eliza to explore Bucareli Bay in Alaska and the Strait of Juan de Fuca, among other places. Accordingly, the expedition sailed north from Nootka Sound, but ''Santa Saturnina'' was greatly impeded by contrary winds, so after three days Eliza decided to turn south toward
Clayoquot Sound Clayoquot Sound is located on the west coast of Vancouver Island in the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian province of British Columbia. It is bordered by the Esowista Peninsula to the south, and the Hesquiaht Peninsula to the North. ...
, and not explore Bucareli Bay. Narváez took ''Santa Saturnina'', with Carrasco and Verdía, to Clayoquot Sound and Barkley Sound and spent about two weeks exploring and mapping. On two occasions in Barkley Sound ''Santa Saturnina'' was attacked by groups of about 200 Nuu-chah-nulth. Narváez used cannon fire to keep them away. According to Narváez, the natives were surprised to see the schooner and said they had never seen a Western vessel inside Barkley Sound. From Barkley Sound Narváez took ''Santa Saturnina'' to rendezvous with Eliza at Esquimalt Harbour, called ''Cordova'' by the Spanish, arriving there on 11 June 1791. Eliza had Juan Pantoja y Arriaga, assisted by Narváez, Carrasco, and Verdía, take ''Santa Saturnina'' and a longboat to explore Haro Strait. The longboat was in length and had thirteen oars. Pantoja entered the strait on June 14. He sailed along the shores of San Juan Island, Pender Island, and
Saturna Island Saturna Island is a mountainous island, about in size, in the Southern Gulf Islands chain of British Columbia, Canada. It is situated approximately midway between the Lower Mainland of B.C. and Vancouver Island, and is the most easterly of the ...
, then entered the open waters of the Strait of Georgia, which was named ''Canal de Nuestra Señora del Rosario''. He continued east, reaching Rosario Strait and Lummi Island, then returned the Esquimalt by the same route. Eliza moved his base of operations from Esquimalt to ''Puerto de Quadra'' (present-day Port Discovery), on the southern side of the Strait of Juan de Fuca. On 1 July Narváez took ''Santa Saturnina'' and the longboat to explore Rosario Strait, with Carrasco as ''piloto''. Narváez sailed through the strait, which he called ''Canal de Fidalgo''. He surveyed Guemes Island (''Islas de Guemes''), Cypress Island (''San Vincente''), and Lummi Island (''Pacheco''), explored
Padilla Bay Padilla Bay is a bay located in the U.S. state of Washington (state), Washington, between the San Juan Islands and the mainland. Fidalgo Island and Guemes Island lie to the west of Padilla Bay. Guemes Channel, between the islands, connects Padil ...
(''Seno Padillo'') and Bellingham Bay (''Seno Gaston''), and anchored in Chuckanut Bay (''Puerto Socorro''), before heading north into the Strait of Georgia. He anchored in Birch Bay (''Puerto del Garzon'') and Drayton Harbor (''Punta de San José''), and sailed west across Boundary Bay to round Point Roberts. From there Narváez took ''Santa Saturnina'' north far into the Strait of Georgia, the first Europeans to do so. He made a rough survey of the coast, including Point Roberts, Point Grey (today part of the city of
Vancouver Vancouver is a major city in Western Canada, located in the Lower Mainland region of British Columbia. As the List of cities in British Columbia, most populous city in the province, the 2021 Canadian census recorded 662,248 people in the cit ...
), Burrard Inlet, Texada Island, Hornby Island, Denman Island, Nanaimo Harbour, Valdes Island, Porlier Pass, and Galiano Island. He returned to Port Discovery by a route not exactly known, arriving in late July. When ''Santa Saturnina'' had been in the vicinity of Point Grey Narváez noted large amounts of fresh water and correctly deduced the presence of a large river nearby—the
Fraser River The Fraser River () is the longest river within British Columbia, Canada, rising at Fraser Pass near Blackrock Mountain (Canada), Blackrock Mountain in the Rocky Mountains and flowing for , into the Strait of Georgia just south of the City of V ...
. He also noted many whales in the Strait of Georgia, which suggested to Eliza that there must be another connection to the open ocean and that Nootka Sound was on an island rather than the mainland, as it is. Because many of his sailors were sick, Eliza decided to return to Nootka Sound. He transferred Narváez to his command ship ''San Carlos'' and gave command of ''Santa Saturnina'' to Juan Carrasco. The two vessels sailed out of the Strait of Juan de Fuca together, finding and naming Port Angeles Harbor on the way. On 7 August they arrived at Neah Bay. From there ''San Carlos'' sailed north and reached Nootka Sound on 9 November. Carrasco was unable to beat upwind to Nootka so instead sailed ''Santa Saturnina'' south to Monterey and then San Blas. At Monterey he found the Malaspina Expedition, under Alejandro Malaspina, who therefore learned about the Strait of Georgia and arranged for two of his officers to explore it more thoroughly in 1792.


Fate

The ultimate fate of ''Santa Saturnina'' is not known. It seems to have become part of the small Spanish fleet based at San Blas, mostly tasked with supplying the Spanish missions in California. In 1792 ''Santa Saturnina'', commanded by Juan Carrasco, sailed from San Blas to
San Francisco San Francisco, officially the City and County of San Francisco, is a commercial, Financial District, San Francisco, financial, and Culture of San Francisco, cultural center of Northern California. With a population of 827,526 residents as of ...
. From there Carrasco sailed to Monterey to meet Bodega y Quadra and give him a Royal Order regarding the imminent negotiations with
George Vancouver Captain (Royal Navy), Captain George Vancouver (; 22 June 1757 – 10 May 1798) was a Royal Navy officer and explorer best known for leading the Vancouver Expedition, which explored and charted North America's northwestern West Coast of the Uni ...
about resolving the Nootka Crisis. Further details about ''Santa Saturnina'' are unknown.


See also

* List of historical ships in British Columbia * Nootka Convention


References

{{reflist 1788 ships Captured ships History of Vancouver Island Merchant ships of the United Kingdom Oregon Country Schooners Ships built in British Columbia Ships of the Spanish Navy Spanish history in the Pacific Northwest