Luis Piedrabuena
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Luis Piedrabuena (; 24 August 1833 - 10 August 1883) was an
Argentine Argentines (mistakenly translated Argentineans in the past; in Spanish (masculine) or (feminine)) are people identified with the country of Argentina. This connection may be residential, legal, historical or cultural. For most Argentines, s ...
sailor whose actions in southern Argentina consolidated national sovereignty at a time when these lands were virtually uninhabited and were not protected by the state. His biographers consider him one of the most important heroes of
Patagonia Patagonia () refers to a geographical region that encompasses the southern end of South America, governed by Argentina and Chile. The region comprises the southern section of the Andes Mountains with lakes, fjords, temperate rainforests, and gl ...
. Piedrabuena reached the naval rank of Naval Lieutenant Colonel, equivalent to Commander. Today he is commonly called Commander Piedrabuena.


Childhood

Luis Piedrabuena was born in the port of
Carmen de Patagones Carmen de Patagones is the southernmost city in the . Geography It is located 937 km southwest from the city of Buenos Aires, on the north bank of the Río Negro ("Black River"), near the Atlantic Ocean, and opposite Viedma, capital of ...
, Buenos Aires Province, on 24 August 1833. He was born in a large colonial house with large bricks, window grilles and a Spanish-style tile roof. It was located at the foot of the ravine that was crowned by a fort in those days, and today by the parish church. From a very early age he was attracted by the sea. His childhood relationship with three seamen helped him to follow a life at sea. The first was Captain Lemon, an American whaler who sailed, while very young, between Patagones and Buenos Aires. The second was an old friend of his father, the captain and former privateer James Harris who put Luis up at his home in Buenos Aires, where he enrolled in a primary school and later attend a high school specializing in nautical subjects. Returning to Patagones, five years later, he continued to pilot boats and managed to build his own cutter. In 1847 another American whaler, John E. Davison, touched at Patagones. He was under Captain W. Smiley, who was leading an expedition in the South Atlantic. Luis's father entrusted him at the age of 15 to this sailor for seafaring instruction. He sailed with the whaler from Patagones on 23 July 1847, heading for the Antarctic. On that voyage he reached the latitude of 68° South, so Piedrabuena can be considered the first Argentine to have entered the Antarctic. The hardship of ocean voyaging in the cold and rough seas prepared him for the large enterprises in which he would participate in the future.


Chronology of his life at sea

Piedrabuena accompanied Captain W. Smiley's whaling and sealing expedition in 1848, picking up knowledge of sealing, and learning the geography of the straits and how to navigate in them. In 1848, with his own schooner, Piedrabuena touched at the
Falkland Islands The Falkland Islands (; es, Islas Malvinas, link=no ) is an archipelago in the South Atlantic Ocean on the Patagonian Shelf. The principal islands are about east of South America's southern Patagonian coast and about from Cape Dubouzet ...
to load groceries and then continued to
Cape Horn Cape Horn ( es, Cabo de Hornos, ) is the southernmost headland of the Tierra del Fuego archipelago of southern Chile, and is located on the small Hornos Island. Although not the most southerly point of South America (which are the Diego Ramírez ...
, reaching the Antarctic continent whaling grounds, and then returned to his hometown Carmen de Patagones. In 1849 Piedrabuena sailed from the port of
Montevideo Montevideo () is the Capital city, capital and List of cities in Uruguay, largest city of Uruguay. According to the 2011 census, the city proper has a population of 1,319,108 (about one-third of the country's total population) in an area of . M ...
to
Tierra del Fuego Tierra del Fuego (, ; Spanish for "Land of the Fire", rarely also Fireland in English) is an archipelago off the southernmost tip of the South American mainland, across the Strait of Magellan. The archipelago consists of the main island, Isla G ...
as an officer to supply the English missionaries. Offshore from
Isla de los Estados Isla de los Estados (English: Staten Island, from the Dutch ''Stateneiland'') is an Argentine island that lies off the eastern extremity of Tierra del Fuego, from which it is separated by the Le Maire Strait. It was named after the Netherlands ...
(Staten Island) he rescued fourteen shipwrecked sailors. Piedrabuena displayed characteristic solidarity and courage as a seaman in the rescue. In 1850 he was first officer of the schooner "Zerabia", taking sheep and cattle to the Falkland Islands. He reached Antarctica again. He explored the Fuegian channels where he met
Tehuelche people The Tehuelche people, also called the Aónikenk, are an indigenous people from eastern Patagonia in South America. In the 18th and 19th centuries the Tehuelche were influenced by Mapuche people, and many adopted a horseriding lifestyle. Once a ...
, in whom he tried to instill a sense of the Fatherland. In 1854 Piedrabuena again helped 24 sailors shipwrecked by a storm. In 1855, in command of the schooner "Manuelita" provided by Smiley, in Punta Ninfas he rescued the crew of the American whaling boat "Dolphin" from death. In 1859 he explored the Santa Cruz River and reached an island that he called
Isla Pavón Isla Pavón (Pavon Island) is an island in the Santa Cruz River in the department of Corpen Aike in Santa Cruz province in southern Argentina. The town of Comandante Luis Piedrabuena is on the north bank of the river, just downstream from the ...
, where he was assigned by the government to install a trading post. He also set up a post in Puerto Cook, Isla de los Estados, offshore from Tierra del Fuego. In 1860 he armed his own ship, the schooner "Nancy", to defend the territory and the southern coasts of Patagonia, while still saving lives. In 1862 he established a small shelter, San Juan de Salvamento, on the Isla de los Estados, as a refuge for shipwrecked sailors and to establish Argentine sovereignty. In 1863 he arrived in the Bay of San Gregorio in 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 ...
, and befriended chief Biguá. He took him to Buenos Aires and got the authorities to designate him "Chief of San Gregorio". On 2 December 1864 the National Government gave him the title of "unpaid honorary captain" to defend Argentine sovereignty in Patagonia. Over the years Piedrabuena continued his work, sometimes abandoning his business to help castaways, and teaching the Aboriginals that they are children of Argentina whose sovereignty they must defend. He made many voyages on the coasts of Patagonia, Tierra del Fuego and Falklands. In 1868 the government awarded the first grants of land in the South, giving Pavón and Los Estados Islands to Piedrabuena. That year he married Julia Dufour, who was to accompany him on several of his voyages. In 1873 a 650-ton
Chile Chile, officially the Republic of Chile, is a country in the western part of South America. It is the southernmost country in the world, and the closest to Antarctica, occupying a long and narrow strip of land between the Andes to the east a ...
an corvette, the ''Abtao'', arrived at the tiny settlement on Pavón and tried to intimidate the settlers into leaving. Piedrabuena refused to yield. In March 1873, traveling with the schooner "Spore" to Isla de los Estados he was surprised by a terrible storm that drove the ship onto the rocks and wrecked it. From the remains of the ship with much difficulty he built the small cutter "Luisito", sailing it to
Punta Arenas Punta Arenas (; historically Sandy Point in English) is the capital city of Chile's southernmost region, Magallanes and Antarctica Chilena. The city was officially renamed as Magallanes in 1927, but in 1938 it was changed back to "Punta Aren ...
. From here he returned to Staten Island, saving the shipwrecked vessels "Eagle" and "Dr. Hanson". Germany recognized the act of courage and sent a magnificent telescope to Piedrabuena in a case whose plaque read: "We, William, by the Grace of God Emperor of Germany and King of Prussia: We consider this case a memento of gratitude to Captain D. Luis Piedrabuena of the Argentine ship "Luisito", for services rendered in the rescue of the crew of Dr. Hanson wrecked in October 1874." On 17 April 1878 the government gives him the title of sergeant with the rank of lieutenant colonel. In 1882, he participated with the "Cape Horn" in the scientific expedition to southern Patagonia of the Italian sailor
Giacomo Bove Giacomo Bove (23 April 1852 – 9 August 1887) was an Italian explorer. He sailed with Adolf Erik Nordenskiöld on the first voyage through the north-east passage, and later explored Tierra del Fuego and the Congo River. Early years Giacomo Bove ...
. The journey lasted eight months, and used the isla de los Estados, which the government had granted to Piedrabuena, as the main observation center. On 8 November 1882
Julio Argentino Roca Alejo Julio Argentino Roca Paz (July 17, 1843 – October 19, 1914) was an army general and statesman who served as President of Argentina from 1880 to 1886 and from 1898 to 1904. Roca is the most important representative of the Generation ...
, President of Argentine, gave him the effective rank of lieutenant colonel in the Navy.


Personal life

On 2 August 1868 he married Julia Dufour, who accompanied him on several of his voyages. She was the daughter of a Frenchman who served in the Rio de la Plata. That same year, in October, they both departed on a long voyage to the Patagonian seas, during which they visited Isla de los Estados where they landed in the shelter that the Commander had built in 1862 for those who were shipwrecked in those lonely shores. A few days later they arrived at the Pavón island, at the time owned by Piedrabuena. The couple had five children: Luis, Ana, Maria Celestina and Julia Elvira and another son also named Luis, born after the death of his brother of the same name and of Julia Elvira. Julia Dufour died on 6 August 1878 in Buenos Aires, while her husband was at sea. She had helped him and shared his ideals, and was the first white woman to land in Santa Cruz Province. The settlement of
Julia Dufour Julia Dufour is a village and municipality in Santa Cruz Province in southern Argentina Argentina (), officially the Argentine Republic ( es, link=no, República Argentina), is a country in the southern half of South America. Argentina ...
in Santa Cruz province is named in her honor. Commander Luis Piedrabuena died on 10 August 1883 at 2045 hours in 50 Tucumán Street in Buenos Aires. According to Admiral Laurio Destefani "wordless pain hit the men of the Navy: the greatest sailor of all sailors was gone."
Bartolomé Mitre Bartolomé Mitre Martínez (26 June 1821 – 19 January 1906) was an Argentine statesman, soldier and author. He was President of Argentina from 1862 to 1868 and the first president of unified Argentina. Mitre is known as the most versatile ...
writing in ''La Nación'' said: "The passion of his life was to guarantee the country's vast territories of southern Argentina ... for a long time it was defended only by his small ship." Luis Piedrabuena is buried in
La Recoleta Cemetery La Recoleta Cemetery ( es, Cementerio de la Recoleta) is a cemetery located in the Recoleta, Buenos Aires, Recoleta Barrios and Communes of Buenos Aires, neighbourhood of Buenos Aires, Argentina. It contains the graves of notable people, includi ...
in Buenos Aires. The town of
Comandante Luis Piedrabuena Comandante Luis Piedrabuena is a town with 4,175 inhabitants in the department of Corpen Aike in Santa Cruz province in Argentina. Located on the left bank of the Santa Cruz river on Ruta Nacional N° 3, it is 231 km from the city of Río Gal ...
is named in his honor. An avenue and a
housing complex A housing estate (or sometimes housing complex or housing development) is a group of homes and other buildings built together as a single development. The exact form may vary from country to country. Popular throughout the United States a ...
in the impoverished neighborhood of
Villa Lugano Villa Lugano is a ''Neighbourhoods of Buenos Aires, barrio'' (neighbourhood) in Buenos Aires, Argentina, located in the south of the city. It has a population of approximately 114,000 people. It is delimited by Avenida Eva Perón, Avenida General P ...
in the Capital District of
Buenos Aires Buenos Aires ( or ; ), officially the Autonomous City of Buenos Aires ( es, link=no, Ciudad Autónoma de Buenos Aires), is the capital and primate city of Argentina. The city is located on the western shore of the Río de la Plata, on South ...
were also named after him. Some of the streets within the housing complex were named after the ships he commanded. As an ambassador 'sui generis' he was given only verbal instructions, and was paid by honors and awards that cost nothing. His name appears in only four official decrees. He wrote several reports submitted to the National Government, and established friendly relations with the tribes of Patagonia, in whom he tried in various ways to instill the feeling of nationality. In many forays into the South Seas he saved hundreds of shipwrecks for which he was the subject of honors and awards by the European Government. The Government of his country prized his meritorious services, awarded him the rank of Captain and later Honorary Lieutenant Colonel of the Navy, and put him in command of the Corvette "Cabo de Hornos".


Ships he commanded

* Goleta Manuelita * Bergantín Nancy (later renamed Espora) * Cúter Luisito (named after his second son, who died very young) * Goleta Santa Cruz * Goleta Cabo de Hornos


References

Notes Citations Sources *"D. Luis Piedrabuena, Su vida y su obra" Publicación N° 10 Edición 1, 1983. Comisión Nacional del Homenaje al Tte Coronel de Marina Don Luis Piedrabuena en en Centenario de su fallecimiento. Ley 22.386. Comité Ejecutivo, Decreto N° 1573/83 *Hebe Boyer "Un Marino Inmortal", Departamento de Estudios Históricos Navales, Buenos Aires. * * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Piedrabuena, Luis 1833 births 1883 deaths Argentine Navy personnel People from Buenos Aires Province Burials at La Recoleta Cemetery