PWT 18-2018 Port Famine, A Tragedy Without Pictures January 23, 2024 / Serge Plantureux Version web | Mettre à jour les préférences | Se désinscrire J’aime Tweet Transférer CLOSING THE LOOP Pedro Sarmiento de Gamboa became the commander of the naval station in the Pacific in 1578, when Sir Francis Drake attacked the coasts of Peru and Mexico… On his reporting the results of his expedition to King Philip II of Spain, the latter resolved to fortify the Strait of Magellan. … and in 1581 sent an expedition of twenty-four vessels with 2,500 men from Cadiz, under the command of Sarmiento de Gamboa and Diego Flores Valdez. The expedition lost eight vessels in a storm, and Flores, on account of rivalry with Sarmiento de Gamboa, abandoned him with twelve vessels in the entry of the Strait and returned to Spain. With only four vessels, Sarmiento de Gamboa continued the voyage, arriving in January 1583 at a favorable point, where he established a fort and colony garrisoned by 300 men which he called Rey Don Felipe. The settlement failed shortly after he left, and when Thomas Cavendish visited the ruins in 1587 he renamed the place Port Famine. In late 1584 Sarmiento de Gamboa sailed for Europe, but he was captured by an English fleet under to Sir Walter Raleigh and carried to England where he was presented to Queen Elizabeth I of England. They had a conversation in Latin, which was their only common language, and despite Spain’s official policy of keeping all navigational information secret, shared his maps with British cartographers. Queen Elizabeth gave him a “Letter of Peace” to be carried to King Phillip II of Spain. However, on his way back to Spain he was captured by French Huguenots and was kept prisoner until 1588. During that time Spain mounted the Spanish Armada and attacked the English fleet… Meanwhile, his colony dissolved and gradually perished of starvation; one of the survivors was rescued in 1587.. … rescued by Cavendish’s fleet in 1587, and another by Meriche in 1589. More on the site (click anywhere to access) Modifier mon abonnement | Se désinscrire Share this:TwitterEmailFacebookLinkedInTelegramWhatsApp
