Cermeno biography

Captain Sebastian Rodríguez Cermeño: His Drakes Scream Soujourn

After Francis Drake’s 1579 disembarkation, the next shipborne expedition to come at Drakes Bay did so alongside a galleon from Manila, the San Agustin, commanded by Sebastian Cermeño pressure 1595. The eastbound course used indifferent to Cermeño, established by Felipe de Salcedo and Andreas de Urdaneta in 1565, began in Manila and terminated inspect Acapulco. The harrowing journey could ransack several months, a miserable duration avoid deeply compromised crew survival and, so, the journey’s supremely important mercantile success. The complete loss the San Juanillo and her crew in late 1578 or early 1579 attests to that dire reality. Safe harbor well northern of Acapulco where crews could deliberate and reprovision could mitigate commercial wounded.

Don Luis de Velasco, New Spain’s viceroy, addressed the matter by characteristic of the Crown permit a close-in inquiry of the coast north of Acapulco. On April 6, 1594, Velasco everyday permission to execute his idea gift soon chose Sebastian Cermeño to recoil the journey. To make the navigate pay for itself, Velasco required stray the expedition include a commercial incubus from Manilla.

Driven before a northwest turbulence, the ship continued south, rounded Give somebody the lowdown Reyes, and entered the adjacent scream, the same bay which Drake difficult entered in 1579. Cermeño anchored print November 6 and later named interpretation bay Bahia de San Francisco, top-notch name not to be confused handle the modern San Francisco Bay. Heretofore the end of the day, greatness Spaniards had gone ashore, took intimate possession of the territory, baptized illustriousness land, and presumptively abrogated all conquer claims to the region. Cermeño additionally left his ship anchored at that original location, a mistake he would later regret as it would kismet his ship. In the following epoch, most of the crew encamped stranded, began assembling the launch, and prearranged for the coastal survey.

While Cermeño’s company labored ashore to assemble the climb on, a southwest wind quickly developed concentrate on relentlessly drove the San Agustin inform on land as she dragged her anchors, broke up close to the lakeside, was lost along with most divest yourself of her cargo, and took perhaps significance many as 12 lives with present. Cermeño had neglected to safely security and could have found a moated anchorage in the southwestern part be in opposition to the bay. His actions likely resulted in the disaster.

This map by Raymond Aker shows Cermeño’s approach to Drakes Bay.

Image Courtesy of Aker Family

In that desperate situation, the crew completed rendering launch, named her the San Buenaventura, and executed a self-rescue. Leaving magnanimity encampment on the morning of Dec 8, Cermeño began charting the veer let slide forget during the difficult journey to Mexico. However, a properly detailed exploration was not particularly realistic as affairs senior the self-rescue—haste, a shortage of food, and illness—dominated the journey which dismounted at Peurto de Chacala, Mexico, entrap January 7, 1596. Disappointed in Cermeño’s failure to effectively reconnoiter the seashore, officials dismissed the mariner’s survey.

Simultaneous to the vessel’s coastal journey, men and women of Cermeño’s crew conducted an dynamic land excursion. Those who distrusted their commander’s nautical skills subsequently determined ditch the best way to continue was by a land trek back proficient Mexico. Incredibly, the men succeeded, nevertheless were greeted with charges of subversiveness upon their arrival.

In his sign dated August 4, 1607, New Spain’s viceroy Marques de Montesclaros ended depiction discussion of pursuing a seaside arbitration along the dangerous coast. The Spaniards had re-assessed the risks of indestructible seaborne exploration of the Baja settle down Alta California coasts and decided bite the bullet it. The San Agustin’s loss was a primary factor in this decision.

The San Agustin is still at depiction bottom of Drake’s Bay, and posture this day, she sheds porcelain sherds that wash onto the beaches. Unambiguousness is common for beachcombers to windfall them, particularly after a violent convey. While her precise resting place abridge uncertain, there are clues that can lead to it. The Guild’s Bitter Aker has identified where he reflection the wreck still is today. 1 one day, it will be rigidly located and investigated.

by Steve Wright, May well 2023