The schooner Ancud was the ship sent by Chile in 1843 to claim sovereignty over the

Strait of Magellan The Strait of Magellan (), also called the Straits of Magellan, is a navigable sea route in southern Chile separating mainland South America to the north and Tierra del Fuego to the south. The strait is considered the most important natural pass ...

. It was built for the purpose in the city of

San Carlos de Ancud Ancud () is a city in southern Chile located in the northernmost part of the island and province of Chiloé, in Los Lagos Region. It is the second largest city of Chiloé Archipelago after Castro. The city was established in 1768 to function as t ...

and commanded by

John Williams Wilson John Williams Wilson (1798–1857), also known as Juan Guillermos, was an English- Chilean sailor and politician. Born in Bristol, he entered the newly founded Chilean navy in 1824 and rose to the rank of commander. He was appointed governor of ...

, a British-born Chilean captain.

Mission

The ''Ancud'' sailed out from Ancud on May 22, 1843. The crew were carrying supplies for the estimated seven months journey, as well as supplies to settle a colony in the Strait of Magellan. On board were 23 crew (20 men, 2 women, 1 child), of which about half would stay in the Magallanes region with the mission of establish a permanent settlement.

From Ancud to Puerto Americano

They brought two lifeboats, but lost one of them during a storm south of Queitao in Guaitecas Archipelago. They called at a place known as

Puerto Americano Puerto Americano is a natural harbour in the fjords and channels of Patagonia. The harbour lies southwest of Tangbac Island near where the west-east Nihualac Channel meets the north-south Moraleda Channel in Aysén Region. In the summer of 179 ...

or Tangbac, where two American ships were anchored: the schooner ''Betzei'' and the brig ''Enterprise'', both seal hunters. Williams tried unsuccessfully to buy from the ''Enterprise'' captain a boat and some nautical charts by Robert Fitz Roy, but only got a negative answer for the boat and just permission to copy the charts. They stayed in Puerto Americano until July 3 dedicated to building a boat. Meanwhile, the naturalist

Bernardo Philippi Bernhard Eunom Philippi (September 19, 1811, in Charlottenburg – September 6, 1852) was a German naturalist, explorer and colonization agent for Chile. He played an important role in the Chilean colonization of the Strait of Magellan and th ...

was responsible for handcopying the charts.

Back to Ancud

On July 26, they tried to pass Taitao Peninsula, but bad weather, together with a failure of the rudder and a starboard crack drove them back to seek shelter again in Puerto Americano, arriving there on August 2. The next day Williams sent Miller, Philippi and five more men by boat back to Chiloé with orders to reach Dalcahue, about 300 km away, and from there travel by road about 80 km to Ancud to get supplies, the rudder repaired and inform the governor about their journey. They returned 23 days later with a boat carrying supplies. After discovering a smuggling plot by the '' Enterprise'', Williams ordered its captain to withdraw his ship from

. As he did not obey, the next day the brig was seized and Williams threatened to fire on them if they ignored the order. The Enterprise was retired from Puerto Americano to a beach nearby and the next day, when the schooner Ancud had left to continue his journey, was reported to Americans that if they were meeting them again in Chilean territory without a formal permission of local authorities they will proceed to confiscate the boat.

Strait of Magellan

Continued south, they were baptizing the landforms that were not named on their maps. When they reach Punta Santa Ana, already in the Strait, on September 21, 1843, all the crew of the schooner went ashore and took formal possession of the surrounding territory on behalf of Chile and started the process to build

Fuerte Bulnes Fuerte Bulnes is a Chilean fort located by the Strait of Magellan, 62 km south of Punta Arenas. It was founded in 1843 on a rocky hill at Punta Santa Ana, and named after President Manuel Bulnes Prieto. The fort was built to further the ...

. Before leaving to scout eastward on September 26 they left in Santa Ana a sign engraved with the words "Republic of Chile" and "Viva Chile!". After scouting the area, and having met a tribe of Tehuelches, they left the strait on 4 December to their way back.

Replica

A full size replica of the ship was open to visitors in the Nao Victoria Museum in Punta Arenas, Chile.

References

* * Chilean Navy Websit
Goleta Ancud
{{DEFAULTSORT:Ancud (1843) Schooners Two-masted ships 1843 ships Auxiliary ships of the Chilean Navy Ships built in Chile Strait of Magellan Argentina–Chile border