There is little known about Cabrillo’s early life and the factual traces that remain are debated by historians. It is believed that he was born in Portugal between 1498 and 1500 and spent most of his life in military service. Historical records in the Spanish archives maintain that in 1520, Cabrillo accompanied Panfilo de Naravaez in an unsuccessful attack against Hernán Cortés, the conqueror of Mexico’s Aztec Empire – though this is disputed by equal numbers who believe that Cabrillo fought alongside Cortés. Some references suggest that Cabrillo himself served as Governor of Guatemala and was one of the conquerors of the Central American region including Nicaragua and El Salvador.
Many historians believe that Cabrillo’s interest in exploring the northern coast originated with Cortés. In 1522 Cortés had built a shipyard at Zacatula on the Pacific coast of Mexico, as a base from which to send out expeditions to chart the Pacific. Building the ships proved problematic, and by the time they had managed to produce seaworthy vessels in 1526, the King of Spain ordered them sent to the South Pacific. Cabrillo was destined to command one of history’s most daring voyages of discovery and became the first European to explore the northern coastline.
On June 27, 1542, Cabrillo departed from Navidad (known today as Acapulco) in a small sailing vessel christened the San Salvadoraccompanied by a support vessel named the Victoria. His ships were equipped with modern weapons of the era – cannons, swords, and crossbows – and loaded with massive food rations. The San Salvadorwas also loaded with trade goods as the explorers hoped to return from their voyages bearing treasure. Cabrillo was instructed by Mendoza to maintain records regarding which trade goods proved most popular for the benefit of future expeditions.
Blessed with strong and steady winds, they journeyed north along the North American coast, staking claim to prominent territories along the way. Cabrillo and his crew of nearly one hundred men made few stops to explore the interior of his newfound claims, which were known as Alta California.
The expedition resulted in extensive charting of the Pacific territories, but it also conveyed a myriad of mapping inaccuracies. The explorers aboard the San Salvadorsailed past Monterey and the San Francisco Bay without even noticing them. Although Cabrillo was noted as a distinguished navigator, references indicate that his course-plotting logs erred by one to two degrees of latitude. This was likely the result of an inaccurately calibrated compass. Navigation was further complicated by inclement weather, which did not allow for reliable sextant readings. Several months into the voyage the crew would also endure violent storms, as described on November 11, 1542 in a post summation ship’s log written by a scribe:
The weather from south-southeast worsened so much with rain in the southwest, and darkness, that they could not have a palm of sail and were forced to run with a close-reefed piece of sail on the foremast, with much work all night, and on Sunday the weather grew so much worse that day and night were ruined, and it continued until Monday at midday. The storm was as violent as any could be in Spain, and on Saturday night the ships lost sight of each other.
Storms were often demoralizing to the ship’s crew. Severe weather also meant slower progress and if the conditions grew harsh enough, they could easily prove fatal to both the ship and her crew. November storms forced the San Salvadorback out to sea and she became separated from her companion vessel. Nevertheless, Cabrillo decided to continue his voyage north.
After exploring as far as the Russian River in Northern California, the expedition turned back to the south as Cabrillo had decided not to voyage any further unaccompanied. On his way back he would again miss sighting the inlet to the San Francisco Bay, probably due to fog or the masking illusion of Alcatraz. Cabrillo found his companion ship anchored near Santa Cruz, located just north of Monterey. While his crew repaired damages from the storm, Cabrillo briefly explored the Monterey Bay territories. After the necessary repairs had been completed, both ships set southward along the coast.
Cabrillo’s return voyage led the explorers to San Miguel Island in the Santa Barbara Channel. The expedition was further complicated when Cabrillo met a tragic and untimely death from a severe leg injury. One of Cabrillo’s men, Francisco de Vargas, described how several crewmen were ambushed by natives while filling drinking urns with fresh water. Cabrillo led a rescue party and severely injured his leg when jumping from the small shore boat. Vargas wrote: “one foot struck a rocky ledge, and he splintered a shinbone.” Weeks later the open fracture became severely infected as gangrene set in. Cabrillo would die shortly thereafter on January 3, 1543. He had given final orders to Senior Navigator Bargolomé Ferrelo to resume the expedition, taking a northern course.
After burying Cabrillo on the Channel Islands, Ferrelo took charge of the expedition and continued the exploratory voyage north. He decided to push further than was originally planned, charting the coastline up through the northwest regions of Oregon. The ships rounded Cape Mendocino, finally reaching what is now known as the Rogue River in Oregon. With rations running low and huge winter storms inhibiting the visibility necessary to plot their course, they turned south and made the journey back to Navidad. Only ten months after their original departure they arrived back at their homeport on April 14, 1543, and their expedition was judged a monumental failure by Mendoza. The surviving crewmen were weakened by starvation and many were seriously ill with scurvy. They had found no riches and more importantly, no mystical passage joining the great oceans.
Mendoza had the ships refitted and sent them to Peru on a trading voyage. Neither the San Salvadornor the Victoriawould ever return, both falling victim to the shipworms that fed on the wooden hulls, eroding their structures. There is little documentation detailing Pacific coastal expeditions over the next two centuries. The crude charts from Cabrillo’s voyages were published and they served as the primary means of navigating the California coast for explorers of this period.
The earliest authenticated instance of the name Californiabeing used by explorers was in the summation ship logs of Cabrillo’s expedition in 1542. But the first ever recorded use of the name was discovered in a romantic novel entitled The Exploits of Esplandiánwritten around 1500 by Garci Ordóńez de Montalvo. This work referred to an “Amazon Island” called California, and it is believed that explorers of this period were familiar with the book – which further romanticized the early exploration of these waters.
In late 1577, England’s famed sea voyager Sir Francis Drake embarked on a courageous expedition, once more in hope of locating the elusive Northern Passage. He would journey to the Pacific Ocean via the Strait of Magellan with five ships and he announced to his crew: “Whoever first describes her, shall have my chain of gold for his good news .”As they ran down the Atlantic Coast of South America, storms, separations, dissension and a near fatal encounter with natives marred their passage. Drake was forced to scrap two of his severely damaged vessels and it would be several months before he could recommence his journey. His flagship the Pelicanwould be christened under a glorious new designation and would henceforth be known as the Golden Hind.
Renowned English sea voyager Sir Francis Drake.
