Puerto Hambre
Encyclopedia
Puerto Hambre, originally Ciudad del Rey Don Felipe, also known as Puerto del Hambre and at one time as Port Famine, is a historic settlement site at Buena Bay (locally known as Mansa Bay) on the west side of the Strait of Magellan
approximately 58 km (36 mi) south of Punta Arenas
in the Región de Magallanes y la Antártica Chilena, Patagonia
, Chile
.
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 pole, this point is sometimes called the geographical center of Chile. A monument near the site marks this midpoint.
settlement was founded in March 1584 by Pedro Sarmiento de Gamboa
as the city of Rey Don Felipe, as part of Spain's measures to prevent a repeat of Drake's 1578 entry into the Pacific via the Magellan Strait. It started with around 300 settlers, but conditions were harsh and local vegetation was sparse. This attempt to colonise the shores of the Strait ended when the settlers starved or froze to death, and when the next English
navigator
, Thomas Cavendish
landed at the site in 1587 he found only ruins of the settlement. He renamed the place Port Famine, and under this name it later became a base used by the British
Royal Navy
. The name was subsequently translated into Spanish as Puerto Hambre or Puerto del Hambre, and these names are still in use.
The Royal Navy hydrographic
survey ship HMS Beagle
under Captain Pringle Stokes was surveying Patagonia and Tierra del Fuego
when he fell into a deep depression, and at Port Famine in August 1828 he locked himself in his cabin and shot himself. He was buried in the cementerio inglés and his grave is still marked on nautical charts. Temporary command of HMS Beagle was given to the Executive Officer of the Beagle, Lieutenant W.G. Skyring, then taken over by Flag Lieutenant Robert FitzRoy
. FitzRoy became captain of the Beagle for its second survey expedition, and as a companion on the voyage he took the young naturalist Charles Darwin
. They visited Port Famine a number of times between 1832 and 1834 during the second voyage of HMS Beagle
.
On 2 May 1843 the first twenty German
immigrants reached the port of Puerto Hambre. In 1843 Juan Williams Rebolledo
built Fuerte Bulnes
approximately 2 km (1.2 mi) further south at the Peninsula called Punta Santa Ana (Santa Ana Point) as a fort to take possession of the Strait and the Patagonian lands for Chile.
In February 1968 the ruins of Puerto del Hambre were made a National Monument.
Strait of Magellan
The Strait of Magellan comprises a navigable sea route immediately south of mainland South America and north of Tierra del Fuego...
approximately 58 km (36 mi) south of Punta Arenas
Punta Arenas, Chile
Punta Arenas is a commune and the capital city of Chile's southernmost region, Magallanes and Antartica Chilena. The city was officially renamed Magallanes in 1927, but in 1938 it was changed back to Punta Arenas...
in the Región de Magallanes y la Antártica Chilena, Patagonia
Patagonia
Patagonia is a region located in Argentina and Chile, integrating the southernmost section of the Andes mountains to the southwest towards the Pacific ocean and from the east of the cordillera to the valleys it follows south through Colorado River towards Carmen de Patagones in the Atlantic Ocean...
, Chile
Chile
Chile ,officially the Republic of Chile , is a country in South America occupying a long, narrow coastal strip between the Andes mountains to the east and the Pacific Ocean to the west. It borders Peru to the north, Bolivia to the northeast, Argentina to the east, and the Drake Passage in the far...
.
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 pole, this point is sometimes called the geographical center of Chile. A monument near the site marks this midpoint.
History
The SpanishSpain
Spain , officially the Kingdom of Spain languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Spain's official name is as follows:;;;;;;), is a country and member state of the European Union located in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula...
settlement was founded in March 1584 by Pedro Sarmiento de Gamboa
Pedro Sarmiento de Gamboa
Pedro Sarmiento de Gamboa was a Spanish explorer, author, historian, astronomer, and scientist. His birthplace is not certain and may have been Pontevedra, in Galicia, where his paternal family originated or Alcalá de Henares in Castile, where he later is known to have studied...
as the city of Rey Don Felipe, as part of Spain's measures to prevent a repeat of Drake's 1578 entry into the Pacific via the Magellan Strait. It started with around 300 settlers, but conditions were harsh and local vegetation was sparse. This attempt to colonise the shores of the Strait ended when the settlers starved or froze to death, and when the next English
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
navigator
Navigator
A navigator is the person on board a ship or aircraft responsible for its navigation. The navigator's primary responsibility is to be aware of ship or aircraft position at all times. Responsibilities include planning the journey, advising the Captain or aircraft Commander of estimated timing to...
, Thomas Cavendish
Thomas Cavendish
Sir Thomas Cavendish 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 return by circumnavigating the globe...
landed at the site in 1587 he found only ruins of the settlement. He renamed the place Port Famine, and under this name it later became a base used by the British
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
Royal Navy
Royal Navy
The Royal Navy is the naval warfare service branch of the British Armed Forces. Founded in the 16th century, it is the oldest service branch and is known as the Senior Service...
. The name was subsequently translated into Spanish as Puerto Hambre or Puerto del Hambre, and these names are still in use.
The Royal Navy hydrographic
Hydrography
Hydrography is the measurement of the depths, the tides and currents of a body of water and establishment of the sea, river or lake bed topography and morphology. Normally and historically for the purpose of charting a body of water for the safe navigation of shipping...
survey ship HMS Beagle
HMS Beagle
HMS Beagle was a Cherokee-class 10-gun brig-sloop of the Royal Navy. She was launched on 11 May 1820 from the Woolwich Dockyard on the River Thames, at a cost of £7,803. In July of that year she took part in a fleet review celebrating the coronation of King George IV of the United Kingdom in which...
under Captain Pringle Stokes was surveying Patagonia and Tierra del Fuego
Tierra del Fuego
Tierra del Fuego is an archipelago off the southernmost tip of the South American mainland, across the Strait of Magellan. The archipelago consists of a main island Isla Grande de Tierra del Fuego divided between Chile and Argentina with an area of , and a group of smaller islands including Cape...
when he fell into a deep depression, and at Port Famine in August 1828 he locked himself in his cabin and shot himself. He was buried in the cementerio inglés and his grave is still marked on nautical charts. Temporary command of HMS Beagle was given to the Executive Officer of the Beagle, Lieutenant W.G. Skyring, then taken over by Flag Lieutenant Robert FitzRoy
Robert FitzRoy
Vice-Admiral Robert FitzRoy RN achieved lasting fame as the captain of HMS Beagle during Charles Darwin's famous voyage, and as a pioneering meteorologist who made accurate weather forecasting a reality...
. FitzRoy became captain of the Beagle for its second survey expedition, and as a companion on the voyage he took the young naturalist Charles Darwin
Charles Darwin
Charles Robert Darwin FRS was an English naturalist. He established that all species of life have descended over time from common ancestry, and proposed the scientific theory that this branching pattern of evolution resulted from a process that he called natural selection.He published his theory...
. They visited Port Famine a number of times between 1832 and 1834 during the second voyage of HMS Beagle
Second voyage of HMS Beagle
The second voyage of HMS Beagle, from 27 December 1831 to 2 October 1836, was the second survey expedition of HMS Beagle, under captain Robert FitzRoy who had taken over command of the ship on its first voyage after her previous captain committed suicide...
.
On 2 May 1843 the first twenty German
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
immigrants reached the port of Puerto Hambre. In 1843 Juan Williams Rebolledo
Juan Williams Rebolledo
Juan Williams Rebolledo was a Chilean rear admiral who was the organizer and commander-in-chief of the Chilean navy at the beginning of the War of the Pacific.-Early life:...
built Fuerte Bulnes
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 over a rocky hill at Punta Santa Ana, under the command of President Manuel Bulnes Prieto....
approximately 2 km (1.2 mi) further south at the Peninsula called Punta Santa Ana (Santa Ana Point) as a fort to take possession of the Strait and the Patagonian lands for Chile.
In February 1968 the ruins of Puerto del Hambre were made a National Monument.
External links
- Fuerte Bulnes Y Puerto del Hambre, Alrededores de Punta Arenas - Chile
- Chile Arica Desert to Tierra del Fuego, RCC Pilotage Foundation.
- Puerto Hambre Biologie.de German language wiki page, source of illustrations.
- An article in La Tercera about Gamboa and his colonies