DECK LOG Spain's Legacy in the Pacific
T
he Maritime Museum of San Diego (MMSD) held an important conference in late September attracting maritime scholars from around the world. The conference explored Spain's dominance of the Pacific Ocean during the Age of Sail. NMHS was honored to assist the museum with this conference by hosting a gala reception aboard "HMS" Surprise for attendees and our members. We were delighted when member Ed Germain brought nine friends dressed in nineteenthcentury period dress who danced for the 200 guests aboard the ship. They started with "The Female Saylor" from 1706, in thanks for being on the ship, and then danced "The Spaniard" from 1780, in honor of the conference theme.
•
NATIONAL MARITIME HISTORICAL SOCIETY
PUBLISHER'S C IRC LE: Peter Aron , Donald McG raw, W illi am H. W hite O FFI CE RS & TRUSTEES: Chairman , Walter R. Brown; Vice Chairman, Richardo R. Lopes; Executive Vice President, Burchenal G reen; Treasurer, Ronald L. O swald; Secretary, Marshall Streiberr; Trustees, Donald M. Birney, Tho mas F. Daly, Richard du Moulin , D avid S. Fowler, Virginia Steel e G rubb, Rodn ey N. H o ughton, Steve n W. Jon es, Ri chard M . Larrabee, Wa rren G. Leback, Guy E. C. Maidand , Karen M arkoe, Michael R. McKay, James J. McNam ara, Howa rd Slotnick, Bradford D . Smith , Wil li am H. W hite; Chairmen Emeriti, Al an G. C hoa te, G uy E. C. M aitl and , C raig A. C. Reyno lds, Howard Slotnick; President Emeritus, Peter Stanfo rd FOUN DER: Karl Kortum (19 17-1996) OV ERSEERS: Chairman, RADM David C. Brown; Walter C ronkite, Al an D . Hutchiso n, Jakob lsbrandtsen, John Lehman, Wa rren Marr, ll, Brian A. McAlli ster, John Stoban , W illi am G . Winterer
(I to r) San Diego M aritime Museu m Executive Director Raymond Ashley, Conference Coordinator Raymond Starr, NMHS Executive Director Burchenal Green, NMHS Honorary Trustee Fred Hawkins and NMHS Treasurer Ron Oswald on "HMS" Surprise with the English Country Dancers.
The MMSD , in cooperation with the Cabrillo National Monument and the Cabrillo Nat ion al Monument Foundation, is planning to build a reconstruction of San Salvador, in which Juan Rodriquez Cabrillo sailed into San Diego Bay in 1542, failed to find either the coastal route to China or the riches of the new world , and ultimately died in the Santa Barbara Channel. The ship would be available to attend the twelve Cabri ll o festivals held each year. A lack of sources of information about San Salvador have led scholars to question whether it was a galleon or a caravel. Presentations by Edward Von der Porten, Allen Rawl, and Melbourne Smith were fascinating in that their extensive research led to very different conclusions. Greg Bankoff from the University of Auckland gave an impressive presentation on Winds of Colonization: 1he Meteorological Contours ofSpanish lmperium in the Pacific, 1521-1898, which gave a meteorological explanation reiterating what Carla Rahn Phillips had asserted in her keynote address Spain and the Pacific Rim: A Cultural Legacy, that when Spain sailed west from New Spai n it took them forty years to discover the wind and current patterns so they could return east. The world-class conference delved into the histories of explorers Cristobal d e Villagra, Manuel Quimper, Don Lope Martin, and the impact of the Spanish exploration on native peoples, Spanish trade, and the discovery of shipwrecked Manila Galleons. BuRCHENAL GREEN
Executive Vice President 2
ADVISORS: Co-Chairmen, Frank 0. Braynard , Melbourn e Smith; D.K. Abbass, G eorge F. Bass, Fran cis E. Bowker, O swald L. Bren , No rman ). Brouwer, RAD M Joseph F. Call o, Fran cis J. Duffy, John W. Ewa ld , Timothy Foo te, W illi am G il kerson , Thomas C. G ill mer, Walter J. Handelman, Steven A. Hyman , H ajo Knuttel , G unnar Lundeberg, Joseph A. Maggio, o nrad Milster, William G . Muller, D avid E. Perkins, Na ncy Hughes Ri chardso n, Tim o thy J. Runya n, Shannon J. Wall NMHS STAFF: Executive Director, Burchenal G reen; Membership Director, Nancy Schnaa rs; D irector of Education, David All en; A ccounting, Jill Rom eo; F.xPrutivP Assistant, Janet Mi ll er; Mem bership Assistant, Jane M auri ce SEA HISTORY Editor : Deird re E. O 'Regan; Director of A dvertising: Steve Lovass-Nagy; Sea H istory fa r Kids Editor: Myka-Lynne Soko loff Address:
5 John Wa lsh Boulevard PO Box 68 Peekskill N Y 10566 Phon e: 914 737-7878; 800 22 1-N MH S Fax: 914 737-78 16 Web site: www.seah istory.org; NMHS e- mail: nmhs@seahistory.org; and Sea H istory e- mail : editorial@seahistory. org
MEMBERSH IP is in vited. Afterguard $ 10,000; Benefactor $5,000; Plankowner $2,5 00; Sponsor $ 1,000; Don or $5 00; Patron $25 0; Friend $ I 00; C ontributor $75; Fa mily $5 0; Regular $35 . All members outsid e th e USA please add $ 10 fo r postage. Sea H istory is sent to all members. Indi vidu al copi es cost $3 .75 .
SEA HISTORY 109, WINTER 2004-2005