La Princesa (1778) facts for kids

Quick facts for kids History
Spain
Name	La Princesa
Builder	San Blas Shipyards
Laid down	1777
Launched	1778
General characteristics
Class and type	Frigate or corvette
Tons burthen	189
Propulsion	Sails
Sail plan	Full-rigged ship
Complement	98
Armament	6 x 4 pounds (1.8 kg) cannons, 4 x 3 pounds (1.4 kg) cannons (1779); 26 cannons (1789)

La Princesa (also known as Nuestra Señora del Rosario) was a Spanish ship built in 1778. She was either a frigate or a corvette. Both types of ships were three-masted warships. Corvettes were a bit smaller than frigates and had one deck instead of two.

La Princesa was built to be very strong and could carry enough supplies to sail for a whole year. She was not built for speed. Like another ship called La Favorita, La Princesa was used a lot. She served for over 30 years. She helped explore the Pacific Northwest and delivered supplies to missions in Alta California. In 1779, La Princesa had 10 cannons and a crew of 98 people. By 1789, she carried 26 cannons.

Exploring Alaska in 1779

In 1779, La Princesa went on a trip from San Blas, Mexico, to Alaska. This journey was led by Ignacio de Arteaga on the ship Favorita. Juan Francisco de la Bodega y Quadra was in charge of La Princesa. His crew included Francisco Antonio Mourelle and other important officers.

The main goals of this trip were to:

• See how much Russia was exploring Alaska.
• Look for a Northwest Passage, which was a sea route connecting the Atlantic and Pacific oceans.
• Try to capture James Cook if they found him in Spanish waters. Spain knew that Cook had explored the Pacific Northwest in 1778.

Spain joined the American Revolutionary War in June 1779. This meant Spain was now at war with Britain. Arteaga and Bodega y Quadra did not find James Cook. He had already died in Hawaii in February 1779.

During the trip, the ships carefully explored Bucareli Bay. Then they went north to Port Etches in Prince William Sound. There, Arteaga held a special ceremony. He claimed the land for Spain. This was the farthest north Spain ever claimed land in this way.

They also explored Cook Inlet and the Kenai Peninsula. Another ceremony was held there on August 2, 1779. This place is now called Port Chatham. Many crew members got sick, so Arteaga decided to go back south. The ships returned to San Blas on September 8.

Spain usually kept its explorations secret. But this 1779 voyage became well known. A copy of their map was published in 1798. Mourelle's journal was also published in London.

During the War

In the early 1780s, Spain was at war with Britain. The San Blas Naval Base focused on defending the Philippines. In 1780, Francisco Antonio Mourelle sailed La Princesa to Manila for this reason. He returned to San Blas in 1781.

By the mid-1780s, delivering supplies to Alta California became very important. Esteban José Martínez sailed La Princesa to Monterey, California several times in the early 1780s.

Alaska Voyage in 1788

In March 1788, two ships sailed north from San Blas. Their mission was to check on Russian activities again. Esteban José Martínez was the leader of this trip on La Princesa. The other ship was the San Carlos, led by Gonzalo López de Haro.

The ships reached Prince William Sound in May. They found signs of Russian fur trading. So, they sailed west. In June, Haro met with Russians at a post called Three Saints Bay on Kodiak Island. Haro then sailed east to meet Martínez again.

Using the information from Three Saints Bay, the two ships went to Unalaska Island. There was a big Russian post there, also called Unalaska, Alaska. La Princesa arrived on July 29. The San Carlos arrived on August 4. The Russian commander gave Martínez three maps of the Aleutian Islands. He also confirmed that the Russians planned to take over Nootka Sound the next year. Nootka Sound was an important harbor on Vancouver Island. The visit to Unalaska was the farthest west Spanish ships explored in Alaska.

The two ships left Unalaska on August 18, 1788. They headed south for California and Mexico. Martínez and Haro started to disagree. So, the ships sailed south separately. Martínez waited for Haro in Monterey for a month. Haro arrived back in San Blas in October. Martínez arrived in December. He faced problems for his leadership. But he soon got back in favor. He was then put in charge of a new trip to take Nootka Sound before the Russians.

Taking Over Nootka Sound in 1789

Martínez was given command of La Princesa. His orders were to take control of Nootka Sound. He sailed from San Blas and arrived at Nootka on May 6, 1789. He quickly brought cannons and building materials ashore. They started building Fort San Miguel. About a week later, the San Carlos arrived with Haro. The ships also carried 28 soldiers.

British ships were already there when Martínez arrived. More came during the summer. Conflicts started between Martínez and the British. This led to events known as the Nootka Crisis. This crisis almost caused a war between Britain and Spain.

Taking Over Neah Bay in 1792

In 1792, Salvador Fidalgo was told to set up a Spanish post at Neah Bay, Washington. This bay is on the coast of the Strait of Juan de Fuca in what is now Washington (state). Fidalgo was given command of La Princesa. He sailed from San Blas and arrived at Neah Bay on May 28, 1792.

Work on the new post began. They cleared land for a garden and an area for animals like cows, sheep, hogs, and goats. They also built a fort with a small group of soldiers. La Princesa stayed at Neah Bay to protect the work.

In the autumn of 1792, there was a fight between the Makah people, who lived in Neah Bay, and the Spanish. Fidalgo's second-in-command was killed. In return, Fidalgo ordered many Makah people to be killed. His leaders were very unhappy with him for this. The post at Neah Bay was left, and Fidalgo was called back to Nootka Sound.

Last Trips to the Pacific Northwest

La Princesa made several more trips to Nootka Sound between 1792 and 1794. These trips were to complete agreements between Spain and Britain. The last trip was in the summer of 1794. Fidalgo carried José Manuel de Álava on La Princesa from San Blas to Nootka Sound. Álava was the new leader of San Blas. He and George Vancouver finished the agreements that ended the Nootka Crisis between Spain and Britain.

See also

In Spanish: Nuestra Señora del Rosario (fragata) para niños