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{{About|the first ship to enter San Francisco Bay|the 112-gun ship of the line|Spanish ship Real Carlos (1787)}}
{{Short description|Naval vessel - San Carlos (1768 ship) }}

{|{{Infobox ship begin|infobox caption=}}
{|{{Infobox ship begin
| infobox caption =
}}
{{Infobox ship image
{{Infobox ship image
|Ship image=San Carolos entering the bay of San Francisco.jpg
| Ship image = San Carolos entering the bay of San Francisco.jpg
|Ship caption=''San Carlos'' entering the bay of San Francisco on August 5, 1775
| Ship caption = ''San Carlos'' entering the bay of San Francisco on August 5, 1775
}}
}}
{{Infobox ship career
{{Infobox ship career
|Hide header=
| Hide header =
|Ship owner=Spanish Navy
| Ship owner = Spanish Navy
|Ship country=Spain
| Ship country = Spain
|Ship flag=[[File:Flag of Spain (1760–1785).svg|320px]]
| Ship flag = [[File:Flag of Spain (1760–1785).svg|320px]]
|Ship name=''San Carlos''
| Ship name = ''San Carlos''
|Ship namesake=
| Ship namesake =
|Ship christened=
| Ship original cost =
|Ship builder = Royal Shipyard of Havana
| Ship laid down =
|Ship original cost=
| Ship launched = 1767
| Ship fate = Wrecked in the Philippines
|Ship laid down=
|Ship launched=April 30, 1765
|Ship out of service=
|Ship renamed=
|Ship struck=
|Ship reinstated=
|Ship honors=
|Ship fate=
}}
}}
{{Infobox ship characteristics
{{Infobox ship characteristics
|Header caption=
| Header caption =
|Ship class= [[packet boat]]
| Ship class = [[Packet boat]]
⚫
| Ship length = {{convert|58|ft|0|in|m|abbr=on}}
|Ship tonnage= [[Thames Measurement|TM]]<!--using Custom House not tons burden -->
⚫
| Ship sail plan = [[Brig]]
⚫
|Ship length={{convert|58|ft|0|in|m|abbr=on}}
|Ship beam=
| Ship propulsion = Sail
|Ship draft=<!--distance between ship's keel & waterline (height)-->
|Ship depth=<!--top of keel to the top of deck beam -->
⚫
|Ship sail plan=
|Ship propulsion=Sail
|Ship complement=
|Ship armament= 80 guns (1765), 112 guns (1801)
|Ship notes=
}}
}}
|}
|}
The '''''San Carlos''''' was an 18th-century [[Spain|Spanish]] [[packet boat]] built in 1765 at the [[Royal Shipyard of Havana]], [[Cuba]]. The ship entered service in 1765 with two-decks and 80 guns. In 1775, the ''San Carlos'' was the first ship to enter [[San Francisco Bay]], under the command of Spanish naval officer and explorer Lieutenant [[Juan de Ayala|Juan Manuel de Ayala]]. In 1801, it sailed to [[Cartagena, Spain]], and was converted into a three-deck ship with 112 guns.
'''''San Carlos''''' was a Spanish [[packet boat]] built in 1767 at [[San Blas, Nayarit|San Blas, Mexico]].<ref>{{Cite web |date=2011-11-21 |title=The San Carlos, First Spanish Ship to Enter the S.F. Bay |url=https://sfbaytimetraveler.wordpress.com/about/the-san-carlos-first-spanish-ship-to-enter-the-s-f-bay/ |access-date=2023-07-06 |website=sfbaytimetraveler |language=en}}</ref> In 1775, under the command of Spanish naval officer and explorer [[Lieutenant (navy)|Lieutenant]] [[Juan de Ayala|Juan Manuel de Ayala]], the ''San Carlos'' became the first ship to enter the [[San Francisco Bay]].


==Construction and service ==
==Construction and service ==
The ''San Carlos'' was built in 1765 at the [[Royal Shipyard of Havana]], on the island of [[Cuba]]. It was launched on April 30, 1765. The Spanish two-masted [[galleon]] was 58-ft. in length and carried 80 guns. It could handle a crew of 30 men.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.sfgate.com/bayarea/article/Cursed-ship-San-Carlos-luck-turns-1st-to-sail-5692069.php |title= Cursed ship San Carlos' luck turns: 1st to sail into S.F. Bay|work= www.sfgate.com |date= 16 August 2014|access-date=2022-02-17}}</ref>
The ''San Carlos'' was built as a two-masted packet, and launched in 1767 at [[San Blas, Nayarit|San Blas, Mexico]].<ref>{{Cite web |date=2011-11-21 |title=The San Carlos, First Spanish Ship to Enter the S.F. Bay |url=https://sfbaytimetraveler.wordpress.com/about/the-san-carlos-first-spanish-ship-to-enter-the-s-f-bay/ |access-date=2023-10-17 |website=sfbaytimetraveler |language=en}}</ref>


===San Diego expedition===
===San Diego expedition===
[[File:Loading the ship San Carolos.jpg|thumb|left| Loading the ship ''San Carolos'']]


During the Spanish rule of California, Spain's inspector general [[José de Gálvez]] organized a [[Portola Expedition]] for a joint land-sea movement up the Pacific coast. It was led by [[Gaspar de Portolá]], governor of ''[[Las Californias]]''. The first leg of the expedition consisted of five groups all departing from [[Baja California peninsula|Baja California]] and heading north for [[San Diego, California|San Diego]]. Three groups traveled by sea while two others traveled by land in mule trains. The three ships built in [[San Blas, Nayarit|San Blas]], [[Mexico]], set sail for San Diego in early 1768. The [[flagship]] ''San Carlos'', captained by Vicente Vila, a lieutenant of Spain's Royal Navy;<ref>{{cite book|last=Rose|first= Robert Selden |url=https://archive.org/details/portolaexpediti00rosegoog/page/n24/mode/2up?q=%22San+Carlos%22 |title=The Portolá Expedition of 1769-1770: Diary of Vicente Vila|work=University of California at Berkeley|date=1911|publisher= University of California }}</ref> the ''San Antonio'', captained by [[Juan José Pérez Hernández|Juan Pérez]], a native of [[Palma, Majorca|Palma de Majorca]]; and the ''San José''. The ships crossed the [[Gulf of California]], from San Blas and reached the east coast harbor of [[La Paz, Baja California Sur|La Paz]] at the tip of Baja California, on December 1768, requiring repairs.<ref name="Rawls2003p35">{{cite journal |first1=James J. |last1=Rawls |first2=Walton |last2=Bean|title=California: An Interpretive History |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=rheWCgAAQBAJ&q=Sapnish |volume=8th edition |journal=McGraw-Hill|date=2003|page=35|isbn=9780077433109 }}</ref> They ''San Carlos'' had to unload so that repairs could be made.<ref name="Ford"/>
During the Spanish rule of California, Spain's Inspector General [[José de Gálvez]], organized the [[Portola Expedition]] for a joint land-sea journey up the Pacific coast. The expedition was led by [[Gaspar de Portolá]], the governor of ''[[Las Californias]]''. The first leg of the expedition consisted on five groups, all departing from [[Baja California peninsula|Baja California]] and heading north to [[San Diego, California|San Diego]]. Three groups traveled by sea, while two traveled by land in mule trains.
The three ships built in [[San Blas, Nayarit|San Blas, Mexico]], set sail for San Diego in early 1768. The [[flagship]] ''San Carlos'', was captained by the [[Lieutenant (navy)|lieutenant]] of the Spanish Navy Vicente Vila;<ref>{{cite book|last=Rose|first= Robert Selden |url=https://archive.org/details/portolaexpediti00rosegoog/page/n24/mode/2up?q=%22San+Carlos%22 |title=The Portolá Expedition of 1769-1770: Diary of Vicente Vila|date=1911|publisher= University of California at Berkeley }}</ref> the ''San Antonio'', captained by [[Juan José Pérez Hernández|Juan Pérez]], a native of [[Palma, Majorca|Palma de Majorca]]; and the ''San José''. The ships crossed the [[Gulf of California]] from San Blas and reached the East Coast harbor of [[La Paz, Baja California Sur|La Paz]] on the tip of Baja California in December of 1768. However, the ''San Carlos'' had to unload its cargo for repairs.<ref name="Rawls2003p35">{{cite journal |last1=Rawls |first1=James J. |last2=Bean |first2=Walton |date=2003 |title=California: An Interpretive History |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=rheWCgAAQBAJ&q=Sapnish |journal=McGraw-Hill |volume=8th edition |page=35 |isbn=9780077433109}}</ref><ref name="Ford" />

On January 9, 1769, the flagship ''San Carlos'' left the port of La Paz. Inspector General Gálvez, catholic priest [[Junípero Serra]], and the town residents blessed and sent off the ''San Carlos'', along with its chaplain, [[Franciscan]] [[friar]] Fernando Parrón.


On January 9, 1769, the flagship ''San Carlos'' left the port of La Paz. Inspector general Gálvez, padre [[Junípero Serra]], and the town residents blessed and send off the ''San Carlos'' and its chaplain, [[Franciscan]] [[friar]] Fernando Parrón. Vicente Vila was still in command, followed by lieutenant [[Pedro Fages]], who became Lieutenant Governor of [[the Californias]] under [[Gaspar de Portolá]], and the engineer and cartographer [[Miguel Costansó]]. Gálvez supervised the repairs and loading of the ship. It carried 25 [[Catalans|Catalan]] soldiers under Fages' command; surgeon Pedro Prat of the Spanish Royal Navy, and Hernando Patron as chaplain.<ref>{{cite book|last1=de Ayala|first1=Juan Manuel|last2=Eldredge|first2=Zoeth Skinner|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=2epYAAAAMAAJ&q=%22San%20Carlos%22 |title=The March of Portolá and the Discovery of the Bay of San Francisco|date=1909|work=California Promotion Committee}}</ref><ref name="Ford">{{cite book|last=Ford|first=Tirey L. Ford|title=Dawn and the Dons; The Romance of Monterey|url=https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/pt?id=txu.059173023504052&view=1up&seq=113&skin=2021&q1=%22San%20Carlos%22 |work=Bruce Brough Press|place= San Francisco, California|date=1926}}</ref>
Vicente Vila remained in command, followed by lieutenant [[Pedro Fages]], who later became Lieutenant Governor of [[the Californias]] under [[Gaspar de Portolá]]. [[Miguel Costansó]] served as cartographer and engineer. Gálvez supervised the repairs and loading of the ship, which carried 25 [[Catalans|Catalan]] soldiers under Fages' command. Pedro Prat, who was a member of the navy, served as crew doctor, and Hernando Patron was the ship's chaplain.<ref>{{cite book|last1=de Ayala|first1=Juan Manuel|last2=Eldredge|first2=Zoeth Skinner|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=2epYAAAAMAAJ&q=%22San%20Carlos%22 |title=The March of Portolá and the Discovery of the Bay of San Francisco|date=1909|publisher=California Promotion Committee}}</ref><ref name="Ford">{{cite book |last=Ford |first=Tirey L. |url=https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/pt?id=txu.059173023504052&view=1up&seq=113&skin=2021&q1=%22San%20Carlos%22 |title=Dawn and the Dons; The Romance of Monterey |date=1926 |publisher=Bruce Brough Press |place=San Francisco, California}}</ref>


The ''San Antonio'' arrived in [[San Diego Bay]] on April 11, 1769, and the ''San Carlos'' on April 29. Many crew members on both ships had fallen ill, mostly from [[scurvy]]; all but two on the ''San Carlos'' had died.<ref name="Eldredge">{{cite book|last= Eldredge |first= Zoeth |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=-UVnAAAAMAAJ&pg=PA27|title=The March of Portolá and the Discovery of the Bay of San Francisco|work=California Promotion Committee|date= 1909|pages=27–28}}</ref> The expedition's surgeon Prat struggled to treat the ill men, as he too was weakened from scurvy. Friar Parrón had become weak with scurvy as well.<ref>{{cite journal |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=bSs1AAAAIAAJ&q=San%20Carlos |first=Maynard |last=Geiger|title=The Life and Times of Fray Junípero Serra: The Man Who Never Turned Back|journal =Academy of American Franciscan History|date=1959 |volume=1|page=231}}</ref> Despite the efforts of Prat, many of the ill men died in San Diego. Because of the men lost on the ''San Carlos'', it was decided that the ''San Carlos'', Father Serra, and Vila would remain in San Diego.<ref name="Treutlein1968">{{cite journal|last=Treutlein|first=Theodore E.|title=The Official Account of the Portolá Expedition of 1769-1770|journal=California Historical Society Quarterly|date=December 1968|volume=47|issue=4|pages=291–313|doi=10.2307/25154307|jstor=25154307}}</ref><ref name="Ford"/>{{rp|p37}}
The ''San Antonio'' ship arrived in [[San Diego Bay]] [[El Desembarcadero|landing]] on April 11, 1769, and the ''San Carlos'' on April 29. Many crew members on both ships were ill, mostly from [[scurvy]]. On the ''San Carlos'' most of the crew died, and only two men survived.<ref name="Eldredge">{{cite book|last= Eldredge |first= Zoeth |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=-UVnAAAAMAAJ&pg=PA27|title=The March of Portolá and the Discovery of the Bay of San Francisco|publisher=California Promotion Committee|date= 1909|pages=27–28}}</ref> Prat, the expedition's doctor, struggled to heal the sick men, as he too was weakened from scurvy. Friar Parrón had become weak with scurvy as well.<ref>{{cite journal |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=bSs1AAAAIAAJ&q=San%20Carlos |first=Maynard |last=Geiger|title=The Life and Times of Fray Junípero Serra: The Man Who Never Turned Back|journal =Academy of American Franciscan History|date=1959 |volume=1|page=231}}</ref> Despite Prat's efforts, many of the sick men died in San Diego. Due to the deaths on the ''San Carlos'', it was decided that the ship, along with Father Serra and Vila, would remain in San Diego.<ref name="Treutlein1968">{{cite journal|last=Treutlein|first=Theodore E.|title=The Official Account of the Portolá Expedition of 1769-1770|journal=California Historical Society Quarterly|date=December 1968|volume=47|issue=4|pages=291–313|doi=10.2307/25154307|jstor=25154307}}</ref><ref name="Ford" />{{rp|p37}}


===San Francisco Bay expedition ===
===San Francisco Bay expedition ===
[[File:San Carlos, First Spanish Ship to Enter the S.F. Bay.jpg|thumb|''San Carlos'', the first Spanish ship to enter [[San Francisco Bay]].]]
[[File:San Carlos, First Spanish Ship to Enter the S.F. Bay.jpg|thumb|''San Carlos'', the first Spanish ship to enter [[San Francisco Bay]].]]


Six years later, the ''San Carlos'' took on supplies and left Monterey on July 26, 1775, headed for San Francisco. After that, they continued north to locate the "Bay of San Francisco", and claim the area for Spain. The ''San Carlos'' was the first ship to enter the [[San Francisco Bay]], under the command of Spanish naval officer and explorer, Lieutenant [[Juan de Ayala|Juan Manuel de Ayala]]. It was sent by viceroy [[Antonio María de Bucareli]] to survey the waters of the San Francisco Bay. The ''San Carlos'' reached the [[Golden Gate]] entrance to the San Francisco Bay on August 5, 1775.<ref name="Eldredge"/>{{rp|p55}}<ref name="Ford"/>{{rp|p88}}
Six years later, on July 26, 1775, the ''San Carlos'' took on supplies and departed Monterey, heading for San Francisco. Their mission was to locate the "Bay of San Francisco" and claim the area for Spain. The ''San Carlos'', under the command of Spanish naval officer and explorer Lieutenant [[Juan de Ayala|Juan Manuel de Ayala]], became the first ship to enter the [[San Francisco Bay]]. It was sent by Viceroy [[Antonio María de Bucareli]] to survey the waters of the bay. On August 5, 1775, the ''San Carlos'' reached the entrance of the San Francisco Bay, known as the [[Golden Gate]].<ref name="Eldredge"/>{{rp|p55}}<ref name="Ford"/>{{rp|p88}}


The ''San Carlos'' dropped anchor by an island which was christened the ''Isla de los Ángeles'', now known as [[Angel Island (California)|''Angel Island'']]. The ship pilots set out in [[longboat]]s to chart the rivers of the bay.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://angelisland.org/history/the-spanish-era/ |title=The Spanish Era|work=angelisland.org|access-date=2022-02-22}}</ref> On August 12, 1775, Ayala gave the name ''La Isla de los Alcatraces,'' now called ''[[Yerba Buena Island]]''. The ship remained in the Bay until September 18, 1775, returning to San Blas. Ayala gave a full account of the geography of the San Francisco Bay.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.books-about-california.com/Pages/March_of_Portola/March_of_Portola_Chap_05.html |title=The March of Portolá and the Log of the San Carlos – Zoeth S. Eldredge & E. J. Molera – Log of the San Carlos |publisher=Books-about-california.com |access-date=January 24, 2011| archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20110213150223/http://www.books-about-california.com/Pages/March_of_Portola/March_of_Portola_Chap_05.html| archive-date= February 13, 2011 | url-status= live}}</ref>
The ship dropped its anchor on an island, which was later named ''Isla de Los Ángeles'' (now known as [[Angel Island (California)|''Angel Island'']]). The ship's pilots set out on [[longboat]]s to chart the rivers of the bay.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://angelisland.org/history/the-spanish-era/ |title=The Spanish Era|work=angelisland.org|access-date=2022-02-22}}</ref> On August 12, 1775, Ayala named another island, ''La Isla de los Alcatraces,'' now called ''[[Yerba Buena Island]]''. Before returning to San Blas, the ''San Carlos'' remained at bay until September 18, 1775. Ayala provided a detailed account of the geography of the San Francisco Bay.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.books-about-california.com/Pages/March_of_Portola/March_of_Portola_Chap_05.html |title=The March of Portolá and the Log of the San Carlos – Zoeth S. Eldredge & E. J. Molera – Log of the San Carlos |publisher=Books-about-california.com |access-date=January 24, 2011| archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20110213150223/http://www.books-about-california.com/Pages/March_of_Portola/March_of_Portola_Chap_05.html| archive-date= February 13, 2011 | url-status= live}}</ref>


The [[California Historical Landmark]] marker No. 236, honors the ''San Carlos'', which was the first ship to enter San Francisco Bay. The marker is located in the [[Aquatic Park Historic District]] near the corner of Beach and Larkin Streets.<ref name=CHL>{{cite ohp|236|Entrance of the ''San Carlos'' into San Francisco Bay|2012-10-14}}</ref><ref name="Call">{{cite news |title=STORY OF THE SHIP SAN CARLOS. THE ARGOS OF THE GOLDEN GATE |url=https://cdnc.ucr.edu/cgi-bin/cdnc?a=d&d=SFC18961122.2.185&e=-------en--20--1--txt-txIN--------1 |work=San Francisco Call |date=22 November 1896 |quote=Volume 80, Number 175}}</ref> Below is a quote from this landmark.
The [[California Historical Landmark]] marker, No. 236, commemorates the significance of the ''San Carlos'' as the first ship to enter San Francisco Bay. The marker is located in the [[Aquatic Park Historic District]] near the corner of Beach and Larkin Streets.<ref name=CHL>{{cite ohp|236|Entrance of the ''San Carlos'' into San Francisco Bay|2012-10-14}}</ref><ref name="Call">{{cite news |title=STORY OF THE SHIP SAN CARLOS. THE ARGOS OF THE GOLDEN GATE |url=https://cdnc.ucr.edu/cgi-bin/cdnc?a=d&d=SFC18961122.2.185&e=-------en--20--1--txt-txIN--------1 |work=San Francisco Call |date=22 November 1896 |quote=Volume 80, Number 175}}</ref> Below is a quote from this landmark.


{{Quote box|width=30em|bgcolor=#c6dbf7|align=center|quote=
{{Quote box|width=30em|bgcolor=#c6dbf7|align=center|quote=
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Plaque placed by the State Department of Parks and Recreation in cooperation with the San Francisco Twin Bicentennial, Inc., August 5, 1975.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://noehill.com/sf/landmarks/cal0236.asp|title= California Historical Landmarks in San Francisco|work= noehill.com|date=|place=San Francisco, California|access-date=2022-02-17}}</ref>}}
Plaque placed by the State Department of Parks and Recreation in cooperation with the San Francisco Twin Bicentennial, Inc., August 5, 1975.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://noehill.com/sf/landmarks/cal0236.asp|title= California Historical Landmarks in San Francisco|work= noehill.com|date=|place=San Francisco, California|access-date=2022-02-17}}</ref>}}


==Conversion==
==Fate==
The ''San Carlos'' later wrecked in the Philippines.<ref>{{cite web |title=San Carlos |url=https://historysmc.org/exhibits/charles-parsons-ships-of-the-world/ |access-date=October 17, 2023 |work=San Mateo County History Museum|date=15 August 2020 }}</ref>
In 1801, the ''San Carlos'' sailed to [[Cartagena, Spain]] and it was converted into a three-deck ship with 112 guns. She was broken up in 1819 in Cartagena.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.navwar.co.uk/nav//default.asp?detail=4305|title=San Carlos|work= www.navwar.co.uk|access-date=2022-02-17}}</ref>


==See also==
==See also==
{{commons category|San Carlos (ship, 1765)}}
{{commons category|San Carlos (ship, 1765)}}
*[[List of ships of the line of Spain]]
*[[Spanish Navy]]
*[[Spanish Navy]]
*[[California Historical Landmarks in San Francisco]]
*[[California Historical Landmarks in San Francisco]]
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[[Category:Age of Sail ships of Spain]]
[[Category:Age of Sail ships of Spain]]
[[Category:San Francisco Bay]]
[[Category:San Francisco Bay]]
[[Category:Brigs]]

Latest revision as of 14:40, 15 November 2024

This article is about the first ship to enter San Francisco Bay. For the 112-gun ship of the line, see Spanish ship Real Carlos (1787).
San Carlos entering the bay of San Francisco on August 5, 1775
History
Spain
NameSan Carlos
OwnerSpanish Navy
Launched1767
FateWrecked in the Philippines
General characteristics
Class and typePacket boat
Length58 ft 0 in (17.68 m)
PropulsionSail
Sail planBrig

San Carlos was a Spanish packet boat built in 1767 at San Blas, Mexico.[1] In 1775, under the command of Spanish naval officer and explorer Lieutenant Juan Manuel de Ayala, the San Carlos became the first ship to enter the San Francisco Bay.

Construction and service

[edit]

The San Carlos was built as a two-masted packet, and launched in 1767 at San Blas, Mexico.[2]

San Diego expedition

[edit]

During the Spanish rule of California, Spain's Inspector General José de Gálvez, organized the Portola Expedition for a joint land-sea journey up the Pacific coast. The expedition was led by Gaspar de Portolá, the governor of Las Californias. The first leg of the expedition consisted on five groups, all departing from Baja California and heading north to San Diego. Three groups traveled by sea, while two traveled by land in mule trains.

The three ships built in San Blas, Mexico, set sail for San Diego in early 1768. The flagship San Carlos, was captained by the lieutenant of the Spanish Navy Vicente Vila;[3] the San Antonio, captained by Juan Pérez, a native of Palma de Majorca; and the San José. The ships crossed the Gulf of California from San Blas and reached the East Coast harbor of La Paz on the tip of Baja California in December of 1768. However, the San Carlos had to unload its cargo for repairs.[4][5]

On January 9, 1769, the flagship San Carlos left the port of La Paz. Inspector General Gálvez, catholic priest Junípero Serra, and the town residents blessed and sent off the San Carlos, along with its chaplain, Franciscan friar Fernando Parrón.

Vicente Vila remained in command, followed by lieutenant Pedro Fages, who later became Lieutenant Governor of the Californias under Gaspar de Portolá. Miguel Costansó served as cartographer and engineer. Gálvez supervised the repairs and loading of the ship, which carried 25 Catalan soldiers under Fages' command. Pedro Prat, who was a member of the navy, served as crew doctor, and Hernando Patron was the ship's chaplain.[6][5]

The San Antonio ship arrived in San Diego Bay landing on April 11, 1769, and the San Carlos on April 29. Many crew members on both ships were ill, mostly from scurvy. On the San Carlos most of the crew died, and only two men survived.[7] Prat, the expedition's doctor, struggled to heal the sick men, as he too was weakened from scurvy. Friar Parrón had become weak with scurvy as well.[8] Despite Prat's efforts, many of the sick men died in San Diego. Due to the deaths on the San Carlos, it was decided that the ship, along with Father Serra and Vila, would remain in San Diego.[9][5]: p37 

San Francisco Bay expedition

[edit]
San Carlos, the first Spanish ship to enter San Francisco Bay.

Six years later, on July 26, 1775, the San Carlos took on supplies and departed Monterey, heading for San Francisco. Their mission was to locate the "Bay of San Francisco" and claim the area for Spain. The San Carlos, under the command of Spanish naval officer and explorer Lieutenant Juan Manuel de Ayala, became the first ship to enter the San Francisco Bay. It was sent by Viceroy Antonio María de Bucareli to survey the waters of the bay. On August 5, 1775, the San Carlos reached the entrance of the San Francisco Bay, known as the Golden Gate.[7]: p55 [5]: p88 

The ship dropped its anchor on an island, which was later named Isla de Los Ángeles (now known as Angel Island). The ship's pilots set out on longboats to chart the rivers of the bay.[10] On August 12, 1775, Ayala named another island, La Isla de los Alcatraces, now called Yerba Buena Island. Before returning to San Blas, the San Carlos remained at bay until September 18, 1775. Ayala provided a detailed account of the geography of the San Francisco Bay.[11]

The California Historical Landmark marker, No. 236, commemorates the significance of the San Carlos as the first ship to enter San Francisco Bay. The marker is located in the Aquatic Park Historic District near the corner of Beach and Larkin Streets.[12][13] Below is a quote from this landmark.

First Ship Into San Francisco Bay

On August 5, 1775, the Spanish packet San Carlos, under the command of Lieutenant Juan Manuel de Ayala, became the first ship to enter San Francisco Bay. A month and a half was spent in surveying the bay from its southernmost reaches to the northern end of present-day Suisun Bay. The San Carlos departed September 18, 1775.

California Registered Historical Landmark No. 236.

Plaque placed by the State Department of Parks and Recreation in cooperation with the San Francisco Twin Bicentennial, Inc., August 5, 1975.[14]

Fate

[edit]

The San Carlos later wrecked in the Philippines.[15]

See also

[edit]
Wikimedia Commons has media related to San Carlos (ship, 1765).

References

[edit]
  1. ^ "The San Carlos, First Spanish Ship to Enter the S.F. Bay". sfbaytimetraveler. 2011-11-21. Retrieved 2023-07-06.
  2. ^ "The San Carlos, First Spanish Ship to Enter the S.F. Bay". sfbaytimetraveler. 2011-11-21. Retrieved 2023-10-17.
  3. ^ Rose, Robert Selden (1911). The Portolá Expedition of 1769-1770: Diary of Vicente Vila. University of California at Berkeley.
  4. ^ Rawls, James J.; Bean, Walton (2003). "California: An Interpretive History". McGraw-Hill. 8th edition: 35. ISBN 9780077433109.
  5. ^ a b c d Ford, Tirey L. (1926). Dawn and the Dons; The Romance of Monterey. San Francisco, California: Bruce Brough Press.
  6. ^ de Ayala, Juan Manuel; Eldredge, Zoeth Skinner (1909). The March of Portolá and the Discovery of the Bay of San Francisco. California Promotion Committee.
  7. ^ a b Eldredge, Zoeth (1909). The March of Portolá and the Discovery of the Bay of San Francisco. California Promotion Committee. pp. 27–28.
  8. ^ Geiger, Maynard (1959). "The Life and Times of Fray Junípero Serra: The Man Who Never Turned Back". Academy of American Franciscan History. 1: 231.
  9. ^ Treutlein, Theodore E. (December 1968). "The Official Account of the Portolá Expedition of 1769-1770". California Historical Society Quarterly. 47 (4): 291–313. doi:10.2307/25154307. JSTOR 25154307.
  10. ^ "The Spanish Era". angelisland.org. Retrieved 2022-02-22.
  11. ^ "The March of Portolá and the Log of the San Carlos – Zoeth S. Eldredge & E. J. Molera – Log of the San Carlos". Books-about-california.com. Archived from the original on February 13, 2011. Retrieved January 24, 2011.
  12. ^ "Entrance of the San Carlos into San Francisco Bay". Office of Historic Preservation, California State Parks. Retrieved 2012-10-14.
  13. ^ "STORY OF THE SHIP SAN CARLOS. THE ARGOS OF THE GOLDEN GATE". San Francisco Call. 22 November 1896. Volume 80, Number 175
  14. ^ "California Historical Landmarks in San Francisco". noehill.com. San Francisco, California. Retrieved 2022-02-17.
  15. ^ "San Carlos". San Mateo County History Museum. 15 August 2020. Retrieved October 17, 2023.
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