Descubierta and Atrevida facts for kids
The corvettes Descubierta and Atrevida; drawing by Fernando Brambila.
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Quick facts for kids History |
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| Name | Descubierta and Atrevida |
| Builder | Tómas Muñoz, La Carraca shipyard, Cadiz |
| Launched | 8 April 1789 |
| General characteristics | |
| Type | corvette |
| Tons burthen | 306 toneladas |
| Length | 33.3 m (109 ft) |
| Beam | 8.7 m (29 ft) |
| Depth of hold | 4.3 m (14 ft) |
| Propulsion | Sail (three masts, ship rig) |
| Complement | 104 |
| Armament | 14 × 6 pounds (2.7 kg) cannons, 2 × 4 pounds (1.8 kg) cannons |
The Descubierta and Atrevida were two special corvette ships built for the Spanish Navy. They were designed to be identical for important exploration and scientific research missions. Both ships were made at the same time for the famous Malaspina Expedition.
Under the command of Alejandro Malaspina (on the Descubierta) and José de Bustamante y Guerra (on the Atrevida), these two ships sailed from Spain to the Pacific Ocean. They carefully studied the lands and people of the American Spanish Empire and the Philippines. They also explored the coast of Alaska. This helped Spain strengthen its claim to the Pacific Northwest after a disagreement called the Nootka Crisis.
After crossing the Pacific Ocean, the expedition looked at how the colonial government worked in the Philippines. They continued their journey with more exploration and diplomatic visits. They stopped in places like Qing dynasty-era China, New Zealand, Australia, and Tonga.
The Descubierta and Atrevida were built under Malaspina's guidance. They were constructed at the La Carraca shipyard in Cadiz, Spain, by a shipbuilder named Tómas Muñoz. Each ship was about 33.3 meters (109 feet) long. Their width was about 8.7 meters (28.5 feet). The depth of their hold was 4.3 meters (14 feet). Each ship weighed 306 toneladas, which was a measure of ship size.
Each ship had a crew of 104 people. For defense, they carried fourteen 6-pounder cannons and two 4-pounder cannons. Both corvettes were launched into the water on the same day, April 8, 1789.
Contents
The Malaspina Expedition: A Grand Voyage
The Malaspina expedition was the most important journey of discovery sent out by Spain in the 1700s. It had two main goals. First, it aimed to increase general knowledge about geography and science. Second, it wanted to check on the state of Spain's huge empire. This was especially true along the west coast of North America, where other countries like Russia and Britain were becoming more powerful.
This expedition was planned like the voyages of James Cook, known for their scientific approach. Many scientists from different fields joined the crew. They studied various topics, from plants and animals to stars and ocean currents. The expedition also studied local people, such as the Tlingit in Alaska and the Tongan people.
Starting the Journey: From Spain to South America
The Descubierta and Atrevida left Cadiz, Spain, on July 30, 1789. Their first stop was Montevideo in South America. Then, they sailed south along the coast of Patagonia and visited the Falkland Islands. After sailing around Cape Horn, a very stormy tip of South America, the expedition stopped at several ports in Chile. They also mapped the Juan Fernández Islands.
The two corvettes then sailed north separately. They surveyed and mapped the coast between Peru and Mexico. They arrived in Mexico at the end of March 1790.
Exploring North America: Alaska and the Northwest Passage
In Mexico, Malaspina received new instructions from the Spanish king, Carlos IV. The original plan to sail to the Hawaiian Islands and the Kamchatka Peninsula was changed. Instead, Malaspina was told to sail to Alaska. He needed to survey the coast between Mount Saint Elias and Nootka Sound on Vancouver Island. The goal was to find out if a legendary shortcut, the Northwest Passage, really existed there.
So, the two corvettes left Acapulco, Mexico, on May 1, 1791. They reached Yakutat Bay in Alaska by the end of June. They stayed at Yakutat Bay for about a month. During this time, the scientists made detailed studies of the local Tlingit people. Their surveys along the Alaskan coast showed no sign of the Northwest Passage.
On July 27, Malaspina and Bustamante sailed south to Nootka Sound. They arrived there on August 12, 1791, and stayed for about a month. They made detailed maps of the area. The ethnographers, who study cultures, learned about the Nuu-chah-nulth (Nootka) people.
New Discoveries and a Side Mission
After leaving Nootka Sound, Malaspina and Bustamante sailed the Descubierta and Atrevida south to Monterey in Alta California. Here, Malaspina learned from Juan Carrasco about a newly discovered inland sea near Nootka Sound. This was the Strait of Georgia.
Malaspina knew that this new discovery needed to be explored right away. He gave two of his officers, Dionisio Alcalá Galiano and Cayetano Valdés y Flores, command of two newly built small ships called goletas (which are like schooners or brigs). He told them to explore the new area thoroughly. Malaspina himself oversaw the final building and preparation of these two goletas, named the Sutil and the Mexicana.
Crossing the Pacific: Asia and Oceania
The Malaspina expedition then crossed the Pacific Ocean. They sailed from Acapulco to Manila in the Philippines, stopping at the Mariana Islands along the way. They mapped the coasts and made a side trip to Macau.
Next, the two corvettes sailed southwest. They landed at Espiritu Santo in the New Hebrides (now Vanuatu). Then, they continued to southern New Zealand. After visiting Dusky Sound, which had been explored by Cook before, the Spanish explored Doubtful Sound. No European had visited this place before them.
From New Zealand, the expedition sailed west to Port Jackson, Australia. This area is now part of Sydney. They arrived in March 1793, about five years after the British first settled Australia. The Malaspina expedition stayed for about a month. Their relationship with the British colonists was friendly.
The Spanish scientists did many experiments. They observed stars and ocean movements. They also collected many samples of plants, animals, and minerals. They watched the British settlement closely, noting anything that might affect Spain's interests in the Pacific. Malaspina was concerned that the growing British presence might put Spain's trade at risk. For over two centuries, Manila galleons had carried out trade between the Americas and the Philippines with almost no problems.
The Spanish corvettes left Port Jackson on April 11, 1793. They sailed northeast to Tonga, which was then known as the Friendly Islands. Cook had visited the southern Tongan islands in 1773. Malaspina chose to visit the northern group of islands now called Vavaʻu. After their stay in Tonga, the expedition sailed to Peru. Then, they went back around Cape Horn and returned to Spain. They arrived in Cadiz on September 21, 1793, after a voyage that lasted over four years.
After the Expedition
When Malaspina returned to Spain, the information and materials collected by the expedition were not immediately shared. Much of the valuable material was stored away. It was not fully studied and published until much later, in the late 1900s.
See also
In Spanish: Atrevida (1789) para niños
