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Ciudad del Rey Don Felipe, also known as Puerto del Hambre (Port Famine), is a historic settlement site at ''Buena Bay'' (locally known as Mansa Bay) on the north shore of 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 ...
approximately south of
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 Are ...
in the Región de Magallanes y la Antártica Chilena,
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 g ...
,
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 eas ...
. Puerto Hambre lies halfway between the South Pole and Chile's northern border with Peru. Since Chile claims its Antarctic territories extending all the way to the South Pole, this point is sometimes considered the geographical center of Chile. A monument near the site marks this midpoint.


History

After
Francis Drake Sir Francis Drake ( – 28 January 1596) was an English explorer, sea captain, privateer, slave trader, naval officer, and politician. Drake is best known for his circumnavigation of the world in a single expedition, from 1577 to 1580 ...
's successful negotiation of 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 ...
to enter the Pacific Ocean, Spain determined to fortify the strait to hinder further piracy on its ships. Initially two forts commanded by
Pedro Sarmiento de Gamboa Pedro Sarmiento de Gamboa (1532–1592) was a Spanish explorer, author, historian, mathematician, and astronomer. His birthplace is not certain and may have been Pontevedra, in Galicia, where his paternal family originated, or Alcalá de Henare ...
were planned for Primera Angostura, but that location was discarded because the tide there would aid ships in crossing the narrow passage.Mateo Martinic, ''Historia del Estrecho de Magallanes'' A Spanish fleet of 23 ships and almost 3,000 men and settlers sailed from San Lucar de Barrameda on 27 September 1581, but storms destroyed two of the ships and caused the fleet to return to Spain. Two months later Sarmiento sailed again with 16 ships and 2,200 men. Diego Flores, Sarmiento's second in command, was separated from the main fleet by storms near the eastern entrance of the Strait of Magellan and returned to Spain with 6 ships. In March 1584 Sarmiento founded the Spanish settlement of ''Rey Don Felipe'' with around 300 settlers. Conditions were harsh and local vegetation sparse, and the settlers starved or froze to death. When the next English navigator,
Thomas Cavendish Sir Thomas Cavendish (1560 – May 1592) was an English explorer and a privateer known as "The Navigator" because he was the first who deliberately tried to emulate Sir Francis Drake and raid the Spanish towns and ships in the Pacific and retu ...
, landed at the site in 1587, he found the ruins of the settlement as well as a handful of survivors whom he refused to assist. He removed six cannons from the settlement and renamed the place "Port Famine." In the 19th century, it was developed as a naval base used by the British
Royal Navy The Royal Navy (RN) is the United Kingdom's naval warfare force. Although warships were used by English and Scottish kings from the early medieval period, the first major maritime engagements were fought in the Hundred Years' War against Fr ...
. The name was subsequently translated into Spanish as ''Puerto Hambre'' or ''Puerto del Hambre'', and these names are still in use. According to archeological finds in the 1970s, the base established by Cavendish was located in the Bahía San Juan, just south of the Bahía San Blas where the Ciudad del Rey Felipe had been. The Royal Navy hydrographic survey ship HMS ''Beagle'' commanded by Captain
Pringle Stokes Pringle Stokes (23 April 1793 – 12 August 1828) was a British naval officer who served in HMS '' Owen Glendower'' on a voyage around Cape Horn to the Pacific coast of South America, and on the West African coast fighting the slave trade. He th ...
was surveying Patagonia and
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 ...
when Stokes fell into a deep depression. At Port Famine in August 1828, he locked himself in his cabin and shot himself. He was buried in the ''Cementerio inglés'' (English cemetery). His grave is still marked on nautical charts. Command of HMS ''Beagle'' was temporarily given to the ''Beagle's'' Executive Officer, Lieutenant W.G. Skyring, and then to Flag Lieutenant
Robert FitzRoy Vice-Admiral Robert FitzRoy (5 July 1805 – 30 April 1865) was an English officer of the Royal Navy and a scientist. He achieved lasting fame as the captain of during Charles Darwin's famous voyage, FitzRoy's second expedition to Tierra de ...
. FitzRoy became the captain of the ''Beagle'' for its second survey expedition, and he took the young naturalist
Charles Darwin Charles Robert Darwin ( ; 12 February 1809 – 19 April 1882) was an English naturalist, geologist, and biologist, widely known for his contributions to evolutionary biology. His proposition that all species of life have descended ...
as a companion on this voyage. They visited Port Famine a number of times between 1832 and 1834 during the expedition. Chile determined to resettle the site in the 1840s. On 2 May 1843 the first twenty immigrants, including
Bernhard Eunom 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 ...
, reached the port of Puerto del Hambre. In 1843 Commander
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 ...
of the
Chilean Navy The Chilean Navy ( es, Armada de Chile) is the naval warfare service branch of the Chilean Armed Forces. It is under the Ministry of National Defense. Its headquarters are at Edificio Armada de Chile, Valparaiso. History Origins and the War ...
, also known as ''Juan Guillermos'', built Fuerte Bulnes approximately further south at the Peninsula known as '' Punta Santa Ana'' (Santa Ana Point). The fort bolstered Chile's claim to the Strait and the Patagonian lands. In February 1968 the ruins of Puerto del Hambre were made a
National Monument A national monument is a monument constructed in order to commemorate something of importance to national heritage, such as a country's founding, independence, war, or the life and death of a historical figure. The term may also refer to a spe ...
. Fuerte Bulnes, which had been abandoned in the 19th century, was reconstructed from 1941 to 1943. In 1968 it was also designated as a National Monument.


See also

*
Allen Francis Gardiner Allen Francis Gardiner (1794–1851) was a British Royal Navy officer and missionary to Patagonia. Biography Gardiner was the fifth son of Samuel Gardiner of Coombe Lodge, Oxfordshire, by Mary, daughter of Charles Boddam of Capel House, Bull's ...


References


External links


Fuerte Bulnes Y Puerto del Hambre, Alrededores de Punta Arenas - Chile
Arica Desert to Tierra del Fuego, RCC Pilotage Foundation.
Puerto Hambre
Biologie.de German language wiki page, source of illustrations.


Sources


Francisco Solano Asta-Buruaga y Cienfuegos, ''Diccionario geográfico de la República de Chile'', Nueva York: D. Appleton y Compania,, 1899, pg. 582 Puerto del Hambre
* {{Authority control Populated places in Magallanes Province Archaeological sites in Chile Populated places established in 1584 Ghost towns in South America Former populated places in Chile Strait of Magellan National Monuments of Chile 1584 establishments in the Captaincy General of Chile Brunswick Peninsula