Sebastião Rodrigues Soromenho (Sebastián Rodríguez Cermeño in
Spanish
Spanish might refer to:
* Items from or related to Spain:
**Spaniards are a nation and ethnic group indigenous to Spain
**Spanish language, spoken in Spain and many countries in the Americas
**Spanish cuisine
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**Spanish culture
...
; c. 1560–1602), was a
Portuguese explorer, born in
Sesimbra
Sesimbra () is a municipality of Portugal, in the Setúbal District, lying at the foothills of the ''Serra da Arrábida'', a mountain range between Setúbal and Sesimbra. Due to its particular position at the Península de Setúbal, Setúbal Bay, ...
(
Portugal
Portugal, officially the Portuguese Republic, is a country on the Iberian Peninsula in Southwestern Europe. Featuring Cabo da Roca, the westernmost point in continental Europe, Portugal borders Spain to its north and east, with which it share ...
), appointed by King
Philip II of Spain
Philip II (21 May 152713 September 1598), sometimes known in Spain as Philip the Prudent (), was King of Spain from 1556, King of Portugal from 1580, and King of Naples and List of Sicilian monarchs, Sicily from 1554 until his death in 1598. He ...
(; ) to sail along the shores of California, in the years 1595 and 1596, in order to map the American west coast line and define the maritime routes of the Pacific Ocean in the 16th century.
Early life
Little is known of Soromenho. He was probably the same man as a Sebastian Rodrigues, a pilot on the Manila Galleon ''Santa Ana'', which was captured by
Thomas Cavendish in 1587 during his
circumnavigation
Circumnavigation is the complete navigation around an entire island, continent, or astronomical object, astronomical body (e.g. a planet or natural satellite, moon). This article focuses on the circumnavigation of Earth.
The first circumnaviga ...
. Soromenho had a 200-ton ship.
Voyage
The
Manila galleon
The Manila galleon (; ) refers to the Spain, Spanish trading Sailing ship, ships that linked the Philippines in the Spanish East Indies to Mexico (New Spain), across the Pacific Ocean. The ships made one or two round-trip voyages per year betwe ...
''San Agustin'' was sent from the Philippines to survey the coast of what became Oregon and California and then to complete the trip to
Acapulco, Mexico. Carrying 130 tons of cargo, the ship displaced approximately 200 tons. Soromenho was appointed as captain for the voyage of the ''San Agustin'' based on his professional skill as a navigator.
On July 5, 1595, the ''San Agustin'' sailed from Manila with its cargo, some passengers, and some soldiers. On November 4, 1595 it reached land between Point St. George and
Trinidad Head in California. Soromenho followed the coast south to
Drakes Bay, anchoring on November 7. He was greeted by the Native Americans in a manner similar to that offered to
Francis Drake
Sir Francis Drake ( 1540 – 28 January 1596) was an English Exploration, explorer and privateer best known for making the Francis Drake's circumnavigation, second circumnavigation of the world in a single expedition between 1577 and 1580 (bein ...
16 years earlier, but there was an absence of the great fear and reserve exhibited on that occasion. In late November, the ''San Agustin'' was at anchor when a large storm blew in from the south or southwest. The ship dragged anchor and sank. Several people died (accounts vary between seven and twelve) and all goods (mostly silk, wax and porcelain) were lost.
Construction on a
launch which had been brought from the Philippines was completed. Nearly 80 persons sailed in the launch, now named the ''San Buenaventura'', on December 8. Seeking the fastest route south, the expedition failed to notice
San Francisco Bay
San Francisco Bay (Chochenyo language, Chochenyo: 'ommu) is a large tidal estuary in the United States, U.S. state of California, and gives its name to the San Francisco Bay Area. It is dominated by the cities of San Francisco, California, San ...
. They arrived at
Puerto de Chacala, Mexico, on January 17, 1596.
[Aker (1965)]
Notes
References
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*
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*Piedade, Carla Delgado da, ''O contributo português na definição das rotas do Pacífico no século XVI : a viagem de Sebastião Rodrigues Soromenho'' Lisboa: Academia de Marinha, 2006.
External links
Sebastião Rodrigues Soromenho o Sebastian Rodríquez Cermeño(Spanish)
{{DEFAULTSORT:Soromenho, Sebastiao Rodrigues
1560s births
1602 deaths
Portuguese explorers of the Pacific
16th-century Portuguese explorers
People from Sesimbra
Explorers of California